After a year in the Championship, Burnley FC made a direct return to the Premier League. “Father” of an outstanding season is an old acquaintance from the Bundesliga.
After a year in the Championship, Burnley FC made a direct return to the Premier League. “Father” of an outstanding season is an old acquaintance from the Bundesliga.
There will be a big football holiday in Burnley on Easter Monday – you don’t have to be a great prophet to see that. The local football club will then take on Sheffield United in the Championship – England’s second division – from 9pm. The nice thing for the ardent supporters of the northern English club from the county of Lancashire: It’s about nothing – promotion to the Premier League is already a done deal.
Promotion six games before the end
With a 2-1 win in Middlesbrough, the “Clarets” – the “wine reds” – managed to get promoted again on Good Friday on the 40th of 46 match days after the team had just missed out on staying up in England’s elite league in 2022.
The architect of the “resurrection” is undoubtedly Vincent Kompany. The former HSV professional, who then spent most of his time as a player in the Manchester City jersey, switched to the English lower house last summer as a coach from RSC Anderlecht. An unusual step at first glance – which has now turned out to be a career accelerator for the 36-year-old.
“Don’t trust chance”
“I’ve also had several offers to work for clubs at a higher level, but I should have been successful there straight away. But quick success is usually coincidence and I don’t trust chance. Burnley showed great willingness for a long-term project,” explained Kompany recently in an interview with the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”
Kompany’s game idea is almost inevitably based on Pep Guardiola’s. After all, the Spaniard was his drawing master at City for years. But Kompany wanted to do it a bit differently in Burnley.
As a player, Kompany learned at Manchester City
“Ball possession can help control the game on the one hand and create chances on the other. I’m more focused on scoring goals,” said the 36-year-old Belgian, describing the difference to his teacher. 76 goals after 39 games is the top value in the English House of Commons.
In the same stadium for 140 years
The city of 80,000 has already experienced a lot with its FC. The city’s venerable stadium, Turf Moor, has been home to games for 140 years. And we’ve already celebrated a few great successes – even if they were a long time ago. Burnley was English champion in 1921 and 1960, and their first major triumph came in 1914 with the FA Cup victory.
The club, known as the “cup scare” of big teams, has recently developed into a kind of “elevator team” in England – actually constantly oscillating between the first and second divisions.
2022 – Relegation on the last matchday
For a whopping nine years (since 2012), Sean Dyche, a coach of the old school, directed the team from the sidelines. Dyche was released in the spring of 2022 when falling into second division was threatened again. A whole team of interim coaches was supposed to save the team at the time – but after a defeat on the last day of the game against Newcastle, relegation was inevitable.
Vincent Kompany managed to repair this “accident” right away and should of course also lead the team in the elite league. If possible, to a season without real relegation worries. But that’s still music of tomorrow. First of all we have to celebrate. First on Easter Monday around the game against Sheffield.