Having taken a bit of time to reflect on the last week of the Clarets’ season Dave Thornley writing on behalf of Clarets Mad provides us with his thoughts.

“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times”. Dickens must have been thinking about Burnley’s past week when he wrote a “Tale of Two Cities”, the Cities in question being Hull and Manchester.

The positivity engendered by three points, three goals and Nathan Tella’s hat-trick in last Wednesday night’s victory over Hull City was given a rude awakening by a brutal 6-0 demolition at the hands of Manchester City in Saturday’s FA Cup quarter final.

This begs the question of how ready are Vincent Kompany’s re-branded Burnley, Burnley Mark 2.0 if you will, to compete effectively once they resume their place in the Premier League?

Some factors need to be born in mind; Manchester City are a superb team and the Clarets met them whilst in prime form (as they always seem to do); for the first half an hour at the Etihad Burnley competed well and even looked threatening once or twice; City, as one radio pundit I heard put it, paid Burnley the compliment of fielding their strongest team (personally I would rather they had insulted us) and the Vincent Kompany “thing”, centring on his return to the venue of so many of his triumphs as a player, was, I believe, something of a distraction.

I am not suggesting for a moment that Kompany was anything less than thoroughly professional in preparing his team, but it would take the hardest of hearts not to have been moved by the occasion and the tumultuous emotion surrounding it.

All that said, hammerings of this nature are never pleasant, especially in a season of otherwise unalloyed success. How will Kompany, and Burnley, respond?

With a maximum of a mere three wins needed to secure promotion, there can be no doubt that Burnley will be playing Premier League football next season, they have been given a reality check, a reminder to some, and a revelation to others, about the traps and pitfalls that lie in wait upon their return.

Watching from my seat at the Etihad, one incident in particular emphasised the gap in class between Burnley and their trophied hosts; mid-way through the first half Tella found himself bearing down on City’s goal; it was the sort of chance he has been putting away all season in the Championship, but as he drew his foot back to shoot, Emerick Laporte appeared from nowhere to pluck the ball off Tella’s toe-end and clear the danger.

No semi-final trip to Wembley then for the Clarets, but the principal task of the season is all but complete. If Burnley win their next two games, at home to Sunderland and away at Middlesbrough, they will be promoted. They should not, nay must not, allow their FA Cup mauling to dent their confidence or impede their progress.

Managing a football team at any level is often about how you respond to a setback. In his short time with Burnley, Kompany has had very few of those. After the last one, the 5-2 defeat to Sheffield United, Burnley reeled off ten straight league wins. This suggests that Kompany possesses the required quantity of fortitude.

With the finishing line in sight and taking into account the comprehensive battering his team took at the Etihad, recovering from this latest setback might prove more challenging. At least there is an international break now in which to reflect, re-group and re-focus.

Editor’s note: I too came away from the Etihad demoralised, I really expected us to do better but how many times will we meet the likes of Haaland and Foden in full battle cry? Just twice, I hope. (TEC.)

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