One game at a time is the mantra - Scott Parker
Axel Tuanzebe had to remain patient for his opportunity at Burnley – but he’s since taken it with both hands.
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Following his summer move from Ipswich Town, the 27-year-old wasn’t involved at the start of the season after suffering with a niggling injury.
The defender had to work hard to get himself up to speed, something Scott Parker demands of all of his players before they’re even considered for the first-team.
That spot next to Maxime Esteve at the heart of Burnley’s defence now appears his to lose.
Reflecting on his slow start to life at Turf Moor, Tuanzebe said: “It was a case of building up fitness and getting up to match speed.
“Obviously the manager's got certain regiments and standards that he wants everyone to acquire before being available for selection.
Tuanzebe has started the last three games for Burnley (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)placeholder image
Tuanzebe has started the last three games for Burnley (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
“There's no excuse for anyone, wherever you come from. I love that about the manager in terms of everybody's got the same playing field.
“If you want to play, you've got to have a certain level of fitness, so it was just about building up fitness, building up that trust and trusting the body to compete at this level.”
Survival hopes
Tuanzebe heads to East Lancashire looking to avoid a second straight relegation, having suffered the drop back to the Championship with Ipswich last season.
Kieran McKenna’s side put up a good fight, but ultimately fell short.
Discussing what needs to be done to ensure Burnley don’t suffer the same fate, Tuanzebe added: “I mean, how long is a piece of string?
“First and foremost, I think you need an understanding of where you can capitalise and really focus on them as the biggest points of your season.
“That’s not to say that you sort of forget the games that might perhaps be out of reach, but games like Wolves last week, we definitely need to be winning them. They’re the games that really matter.
“That's the first step you've got to take each season as you climb. I'm sure every team that comes up are desperate to stay in the league, but I think Burnley are thinking past that, not only staying in the league, but how to grow.
“The first step of that growth is beating teams like Wolves and West Ham in two weeks and then trying to get a point, or if it's three points against Arsenal.
“You see games like against Liverpool and against Man Utd, you can see we're in the games and we're finding a way to battle. It's not in terms of possession of the ball, they might dominate possession, but in terms of the scoreline, it's very much neck and neck.”
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International ambitions
One slight frustration for Tuanzebe is that, just as he’s beginning to get a run of games at Burnley, he may soon find himself out of the team through no fault of his own.
Since 2024, the defender has been a part of DR Congo’s setup, having been born there before moving to England at the age of four.
Capped five times by his country, Tuanzebe will be looking to add to that later this month when they face Cameroon in a play-off semi-final for next year’s World Cup.
Beyond that, DR Congo are also in African Cup of Nations action in December - and Tuanzebe will be one of three Burnley players in action, with Hannibal and Lyle Foster also expected to feature.
Focusing on November’s World Cup qualifiers, Tuanzebe said: “It'll be massive. Massive for the country. A big point in our history, because it's been 50 years since we've featured in the World Cup.
“It would bring a lot of joy for the people. We've had a lot of political hardships that we've had to endure in the country and something like this will just give us a massive lift.”
He added: “Anytime we represent our country, it's definitely something that we give 100 per cent effort. Our manager is adamant in letting us know that in every meeting.
“AFCON is no different to the World Cup qualifiers. We’re going to give it 100 per cent and see where we get to.
“Of course it will be a shame to miss games for Burnley, because I think we're having a good campaign so far. But the group is so well intact. If I'm out of the picture for a bit, I'm sure somebody can step in and try, hold a torch and keep it burning and hopefully still be in a good position.”
Arsenal memories
But for now, Tuanzebe has a job to do as Burnley focus on this afternoon’s clash against Arsenal, the league leaders.
The defender actually made his Premier League debut against the Gunners, all the way back in 2017.
“I started at right-back and was given the big challenge of stopping Alexis Sanchez, who was flying at the time,” he said.
“It was a bit nerve-wracking before the game, but it was a good game. They ended up victorious in the end, winning 2-0.
“But there were some good guys in the dressing room, people like Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick, and they spoke to me before and said: ‘just enjoy the game, enjoy the moment, don't think too much of the situation’. I think I ended up having a decent performance.”
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