Burnley 0-0 Leeds United: All square in damp squib at the Turf
Player ratings, analysis and reaction podcast...
Hello and welcome to the first edition of the From The Bee Hole End newsletter!
I have to admit I was hoping that last night’s top-of-the-table clash with Leeds United was going to provide us with a bit more to go on for our first edition.
Still, we crack on!
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Cheers and Up the Clarets!
Andrew
Player ratings: Defence on top as attack struggles again
By Andrew Greaves
James Trafford - 7
Not a lot to do for the Clarets keeper apart from one late save which looked good for the cameras. Distribution was decent in horrendous conditions.
Connor Roberts - 7
Not as much of an attacking threat as we’ve perhaps seen in some games but kept Manor Solomon quiet.
CJ Egan-Riley - 8
His partnership with Esteve has had plenty written about it but showed again what a player he is turning into. Distribution tried to get things moving.
Maxime Esteve - 8 (MOM)
Just about pipped his young partner to the man of the match award. Another imperious display at the hear of the defence.
Bashir Humphreys - 7
Another who kept the Leeds threat quiet. Dan James got very little change out of the left back. In-possession work a little sloppy at times.
Jaidon Anthony - 6
Had the beating of his man early doors but didn’t do that enough. Got less involved as the game went on.
Josh Cullen - 7
Did the dirty work well enough but was a little over-run in the middle of the park at times.
Josh Laurent - 5
Struggled to get into the rhythm of the game. Worked hard but precious little came off.
Lyle Foster - 5
Didn’t look at his dynamic best after a third of the game. Lacked a bit of defensive discipline as well.
Josh Brownhill - 5
Another, like Laurent, who struggled at times to impose himself on the game. Plenty of running as you’d expect from the skipper.
Zian Flemming - 5
One header which really should have troubled the keeper and a wild effort that his the roof of the Cricket Field Stand. A night to forget for the in-form man.
SUBS
Jeremy Sarmiento - 4
Barely touched the ball and didn’t have the impact that Scott Parker was hoping for.
Hannibal - N/A
Not on long enough.
Three things we learned from last night’s game…
By Simon Evans
Well, when Greavesy asked me, over the weekend, to write ‘Three Thoughts’ on Monday night’s game, I thought I would be spoilt for choice with a meeting of two promotion chasing teams from The Championship clashing in a game that promised so much.
In the end though, it was, of course, a total anti-climax with both teams looking, in the second half at least, as though each were perfectly happy with the point.
But no game of football is ever without some form of talking points and from a Burnley perspective there were some key take-aways:
Clean-sheets aren’t just down to our outstanding defending
What this game showed, more than any of our other supremely solid defensive performances in the seven straight clean sheet (an incredible 20 in total this season), is that the defensive record is as much to do with the way Scott Parker sets up the team, as the excellent back line itself.
Josh Cullen’s contribution to nullifying Leeds was by no means limited to his superb block inside the box in the second half, because in games of this nature, he operates as a kind of sweeper in front of the back four, snuffling out any hint of chance creation from the opposition. Josh Laurent and Josh Brownhill have shown on numerous occasions that they can get into dangerous positions with well-timed runs into the opposition box, but against Leeds they were restricted to stifling the opposition midfield.
While neither Lyle Foster or Jaidon Anthony were particularly effective in attack, they both ensured, with their tracking back, that the full-backs were never isolated or exposed.
But the benefits of this approach clearly come at a cost to the attacking side of play and that was all too evident against Daniel Farke’s league leaders. Zian Flemming was left isolated in attack and too often, the safety first approach of the midfielders, left our only attacking approach being balls over the top, an approach which proved far from fruitful.
But having said that….take a bow Maxime Esteve….
There has been plenty of praise this season for the surprise rise of C.J. Egan-Riley and he has deserved all the plaudits he has received. But perhaps we have begun to take for granted the quality and class of his partner at the heart of he defence.
The Frenchman was simply outstanding against Leeds. He has the physical attributes you need as a centre-half in the Championship and the grit and determination that are likewise prerequisites but what separates him from most stoppers is his sublime reading of the game. His anticipation of impending danger and his ability to get across and cancel out the danger is a rare quality.
We’ve been blessed with some great central defenders in recent years in Michael Keane, Ben Mee and James Tarkowsi and Esteve’s name can now be added to that list.
What, or who, is the missing piece?
At the risk of stating the bleedin’ obvious, we badly need something extra in attack, someone who can provide that creative spark, that moment of unpredictable attacking flair, who can provide a killer pass, or a dangerous cross, or a shot on goal out of nothing.
Whether that be a winger, a centre-forward or a creative attacking midfielder, I am not sure we have that player in our squad at the moment.
Jeremy Sarmiento was clearly signed to be that player but hasn’t really made the desired impact. The Manuel Benson of two years ago proved to be a difference-maker, but who knows when he will be fit for us again? Luca Koleosho’s pace can make things happen but he has had a tough season against low-block defenses.
Players who can win games with a moment of magic are tough to find, especially in the January window. Perhaps Alan Pace can use his charm to lure Nathan Tella back to the Turf before Monday’s deadline?
Fan pic of the day
A big thanks to John Robertson who sent us this atmospheric snap of the Turf from last night’s game.
We’d love to share more pics of your Turf Moor experiences - drop us a message on Twitter (@BeeHolePodcast) and we’ll include them in the newsletter!
Podcast - mini reaction episode now live!
To listen to our short, rapid-reaction to Monday’s game check out the latest
podcast episode:
Enjoyable read, looking forward to more & the pod growing.