Burnley fan: 'Signs we can survive and thrive in Premier League'

Natalie Bromley, No Nay Never podcast, external

The table shows two games and two defeats, with six goals conceded. But that’s not the full picture, because losing to Manchester City and Aston Villa - whether at home or not - will not define how our season pans out.

In the latter stages of pre-season Villa were being talked about in the context of a push for the top four. I, perhaps obnoxiously, scoffed at this at the time but opposition fans should not underestimate Villa. They’re a very good side.

I fully expect Burnley to lose against most, if not all, of the top ten sides this season. But in each of our opening two fixtures we’ve shown snippets of positivity, signs we can both survive and thrive in this league. Especially against the teams in the bottom half.

Two things need to change though, and fast. The first is our defence. Sure, we’re hampered by the losses of Beyer and Ekdal, but we’ve yet to establish a centre-half partnership and we need to sign a left-back. We showed naivety on Sunday with far too high of a press, leaving Trafford exposed against one of the quickest and most ruthless counter-attacks in the league.

The second is to stop the experiment - not only are a chunk of the players who won the Championship absent from the team, but we’re throwing too many of the new players in together. The lack of a settled and experienced side shows. Muric and Brownhill need to be brought back into the side for Spurs.

I do still think we’ll be fine, and perhaps these 'free hit' games against the top sides are a perfect chance to try these new things out. But we’ve got Spurs and United up next and it’s a psychologically tough road back from four games and (potentially) zero points.

They need to be ready for when our real season starts.

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