Matt Scrafton's verdict on Burnley's 2-0 defeat to Chelsea
There are times during a season where you might start to get a little bored of hearing the same things being repeated over and over again.
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Scott Parker 'immensely pleased' with his Burnley side despite Chelsea defeat](https://www.burnleyexpress.net/sport/football/scott-parker-immensely-pleased-with-his-burnley-side-despite-chelsea-defeat-5413366 "Scott Parker 'immensely pleased' with his Burnley side despite Chelsea defeat")
Due to the oversaturisation of our beautiful game, hot takes have to be spun out by the minute, new videos need to be shared as reels to go viral on social media and new narratives are required for the always-sane and never-irrational radio phone-ins.
With so much coverage, especially of the Premier League, repeated messages can often be unavoidable – whether that’s from managers, players, pundits or, dare I say it, even journalists.
This was yet another case of so near, yet so far. The Clarets did so much right yet again, but ultimately fell short.
Scott Parker’s side have proven they can compete and stay in games against the league’s bigger and best sides – Manchester City aside, perhaps – but have still yet to take a single point from them.
When that continues to be the case, it might be difficult for some supporters to hear the same platitudes trotted out after games, about pleasing aspects of performances while ultimately coming away empty-handed.
Former Chelsea man Armando Broja of Burnley looks dejected at the full-time whistle (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)placeholder image
Former Chelsea man Armando Broja of Burnley looks dejected at the full-time whistle (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)
But multiple things can be true at the same time. Burnley can be performing well while losing, such is life in the Premier League. But that’s not to shy away from where they need to improve – or to say that Parker and his coaching staff are satisfied.
Improvement
You did get a sense of déjà vu watching this game, although there were subtle differences.
For a start, Burnley were far more adventurous from the off, producing four shots inside the opening 12 minutes – which is more than they’ve managed in the opening 12 minutes of all of their previous 11 games put together.
Jaidon Anthony takes a split-second too long to get a shot off at the Chelsea goal. Photo: Kelvin Lister-Stuttardplaceholder image
Jaidon Anthony takes a split-second too long to get a shot off at the Chelsea goal. Photo: Kelvin Lister-Stuttard
Parker opted to stick with the back four, shunning the more conservative back five approach for the first time against a so-called bigger team this season.
It paid dividends during the first-half, where the Clarets were excellent. They were on the front foot and willing to take the game to Chelsea, rather than just sitting back and accepting their fate.
Not only that, the home side were in total control of proceedings. Chelsea didn’t threaten until the 35th minute, such was the level of Burnley’s ascendancy.
The only issue is, clear-cut chances were in short supply. While there were three or four ‘maybe’ scenarios, half chances or opportunities where they could have done more, it’s not like they particularly worked or tested Robert Sanchez.
Scott Parker vents his frustration with an officiating decision (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP via Getty Images)placeholder image
Scott Parker vents his frustration with an officiating decision (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP via Getty Images)
That’s where the gulf in quality was evident, because better and more expensively-assembled sides would have taken advantage of the situations the Clarets found themselves in, with both Jaidon Anthony and Loum Tchaouna being played in behind Chelsea’s defence on more than one occasion.
While they didn’t necessarily do anything wrong, like skew a shot well over or fail to hit the target, they were just a little indecisive. They took a split-second to make their mind up when the chance was there, allowing a defender to get back and shut them down, or opted to take one touch too many.
If the shoe was on the other foot, you know a Pedro Neto or a Joao Pedro would have smelt blood and got a shot away.
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To rub salt into the wound, Burnley somehow headed into the half-time break a goal down as a result of Neto’s header.
The former Wolves man was allowed to drift in unmarked and unopposed at the back post to nod past Martin Dubravka, with Quilindschy Hartman being forced inside to deal with a threat in a more central position.
Loum Tchaouna has a cross blocked by Chelsea's Tosin. Photo: Kelvin Lister-Stuttardplaceholder image
Loum Tchaouna has a cross blocked by Chelsea's Tosin. Photo: Kelvin Lister-Stuttard
The goal owed a lot to Jamie Gittens’ cross, too, which was of the highest quality.
To prove how unfair football can be, only seven minutes earlier Burnley were denied what would have been a truly bizarre penalty.
But TV replays soon showed Sanchez had actually taken the goal kick, rolling the ball a few yards to his left to Chalobah, who immediately placed his hand on top of the ball. The keeper, meanwhile, then retreated back to his goal, as he normally would after a restart.
After a brief stoppage, referee Peter Bankes allowed the game to resume. Monitors in the press box indicated that VAR had looked at the footage, but confirmation of an official check on the big screens never arrived.
Recent precedent shows that, if we’re doing things by the book, Bankes ought to have awarded a spot kick. It would have been harsh, and common sense perhaps dictates the game should just continue, but Tyrone Mings was penalised for exactly the same incident for Aston Villa in the Champions League last season.
Passive
The second-half, it has to be said, was something of a non-event. Chelsea were much improved, but Burnley did well to stay in the game, taking it down to the dying minutes.
The hosts huffed and puffed a little, only coming on strong towards the final 10 minutes when the crowd sensed a point could be salvaged.
But again, you never truly sensed the Clarets had something up their sleeve from an attacking point of view, which is something of a recurring theme.
The output from their front three, and the wingers in particular, is of some concern. Anthony hasn’t scored in his last six games, while Tchaouna only has one goal to his name all season. Jacob Bruun Larsen, usually the first replacement for the wingers, has yet to score this term. It’s not like they’re creating a bucketload of chances, either.
That has to be the main takeaway from this game: the lack of quality. We can argue about tactics and formations and approaches until we’re blue in the face, but in the key, decisive moments, Burnley are just coming up a little short.
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