Premier League Preview 2019-20: Burnley
Burnley Football Club
Credit: Burnley FC
2018-19 Premier League Finish: 15th Place
2019-20 Premier League Prediction: 13th Place
Transfers In:
Jay Rodriguez FW - West Bromwich Albion, Undisclosed
Erik Pieters DF - Stoke City, Undisclosed
Transfers Out:
Peter Crouch FW - Retired
Jonathan Walters FW - Retired
Stephen Ward DF - Stoke City, Free Agent
Burnley FC will be competing in their 4th consecutive season in the Premier League in the 2019-20 season. After 2 previous promotions which resulted in immediate relegation since 2010, Burnley have finally seemed to have made this run in the Premiership stick. Burnley finished 16th, 7th and 15th place in the past three seasons. Obviously one of those seasons is not like the others, and that would be correct. In the 2017-28 season Burnley finished in a Europa League spot with their 7th place finish. The reason for that great finish, was Burnley’s defense. Burnley allowed 39 goals that season in 38 games. Last year they allowed 68 goals and thus the 15th place finish. The interesting thing is that very little changed from that season to the next as far as defenders on the team, so it will be interesting to see if they can bounce back this season or continue down the same path as last.
Strength:
Sean Dyche
Credit: Lancashire Telegraph
The biggest strength of this Burnley side is their head coach and their continuity. In my opinion Sean Dyche is one of the better managers in the Premier League. He has led Burnley to multiple Premier League promotions and has even guided this team to a seventh place finish and a spot in Europe. Dyche has done this while the team itself hasn’t exactly spent big in the transfer market. Burnley have only averaged a net expenditure of around £16,000,000 over each of the last 3 seasons. That type of success on such frugal habits is impressive. I’d really like to see what Dyche could do with a top level club that would back up the brink truck for him during the summer months. But these spending habits have largely kept the Burnley line-up the same throughout their current Premier League run. While their has been some shifts here and there, most of the core remains the same and that is definitely going to be a strength going into this season.
Weakness:
Ashley Barnes & Chris Wood
Credit: Planet Football
While this aspect of Burnley improved last season, they went from 36 goals scored 45 goals last season, I still don’t trust this attack and think it’s their number 1 weakness. Ashley Barnes was their number 1 goal scoring threat last season with 12 Premier League goals followed by Chris Wood with 10 goals. And while I think that Ashley Barnes is a decent striker to have in your rotation for depth, he’s not a true #1 striker. Burnley have brought back one of their former players who came through the Burnley academy and that is Jay Rodriguez. Rodriguez has some Premier League experience with both West Bromwich Albion and Southampton. While Rodriguez has had some decent seasons in and out of the Premier League and the Championship, I’m not sure he’s the guy who is going to turn this attack around either. Much like Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood, Rodriguez is just another guy who’s more fit to be depth in a squad than leading an attack.
Top Goalscorer Predictions:
Chris Wood: 10 goals
Ashley Barnes: 9 goals
Jay Rodriguez: 7 goals
Home Kit: Not particularly a fan. Way too plain. Give me a stripe or something.
Credit: FootyHeadlines
Away Kit: Burnley’s away kit hasn’t been released but it’s been leaked that the blue jersey below is the away jersey, or at least it will be the alternate. Same goes as the home kit, way too plain. Yeah it has the weird design at the top but they could make it look a lot better by adding some color on the collar or the sleeves.
Credit: FootyHeadlines