Matt Scrafton's verdict on Burnley's 3-2 defeat to West Ham
Burnley boss Scott Parker discusses how he will need everyone in his squad to be involved during the busy Premier League winter period.
Scott Parker believes he will need all of his Burnley squad to participate to get through English football’s regular busy winter schedule.
After this weekend, there are no more international breaks to give gaps to reflect on the state of play for teams until March and the fixture list ramps up for clubs up and down the country when club football returns towards the end of November.
When asked if even the players on the fringe of his squad will be needed during this period, Parker said, “Oh, for sure, yeah.
“As always, you have a squad of 25 players and you're going to need all of them. At this moment in time, we've been pretty good regarding injuries. But like I said, I was hugely pleased with the subs that came on the weekend.
“I thought they made a massive impact in the game, showed their quality as well. So yeah, I was pleased with that.”
From the first week of December to the end of the first week of January, the Clarets play eight times in the league, and this is one of the least congested schedules in the top-flight, as Parker’s side are out of the League Cup, which other clubs have slotted into the calendar before Christmas.
Burnley players celebrate the victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.placeholder image
Burnley players celebrate the victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers. | Kelvin Lister-Stuttard
The club will be hoping to benefit from playing five of those eight fixtures in front of their fans at Turf Moor and there are some big bottom-of-the-table clashes during this period.
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In a quirk of the fixture list, the Clarets will face Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United twice in December, on 6 December and 30 December. The Magpies have struggled so far this season and currently sit in 14th place and only two points above Burnley, so these two clashes could be crucial. If Parker’s men manage to get two positive results from those games, then they could get closer to a side near them and drag the Champions League club into real relegation danger.
They also face Fulham at Turf Moor on 13 December, who are also in dire straits at the moment and sit just one point and two places above Burnley in the table. Then, after facing Bournemouth away on 20 December, their first fixture post-Christmas is at home to Everton on 27 December. The Toffees are a bit further away in 13th and five points clear of the Clarets, but all could change before the game takes place. And the Burnley faithful will be hoping that could be one to win with the first fixture after Christmas always in front of a buoyant, festive crowd.
This period could be crucial for Parker’s side come the end of the season if they want any chance of avoiding bouncing back down to the Championship, and the boss wants every player in the squad to be ready to embrace the busy schedule.
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