Scott Parker has rubbished any talk of tomorrow’s first home game of the season against Sunderland being “must win” for his Burnley side.
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Even at this early stage of the season, that puts the pressure on Parker’s men to at least avoid defeat at Turf Moor on Saturday.
They face a Black Cats outfit that have brought in a number of new players this summer, as they look to capitalise on last season’s promotion via the Championship play-offs.
“Good side, yes, definitely a good side,” Parker said.
“Look, it's a totally different team to the one we faced last year. Obviously, they’ve recruited and brought in a lot of players and obviously recruited very well.
“I don't think anything has changed fundamentally in terms of the team and how they play and the structure of their team, but certainly personnel has changed.
Parker's side face the likes of Man Utd, Liverpool and Man City in the coming weeks (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)placeholder image
Parker's side face the likes of Man Utd, Liverpool and Man City in the coming weeks (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
“They’ve brought in added quality, which you can obviously clearly see, and they're coming off the back of a very good result at home, a good start.
“But it's our first home game. It's a team that we're familiar with, albeit different personnel this time. But it's a game we're looking forward to.”
Despite the high turnover of players at the Stadium of Light, Parker doesn’t expect to face any surprises in terms of Sunderland’s approach at Turf Moor.
“I think structurally-wise, Sunderland look very similar to what they were,” he added. “The difference is just the difference in personnel and the quality they've brought in.
“They've brought in a real mix of experienced players along with some players that have been in and around the Premier League and some exciting young players as well.
“It's a big game for us and we understand that and I'm sure Sunderland will be feeling the same way regarding us.”
Given Burnley’s start to the season, and considering their upcoming fixtures include Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City, there’s already a bit of pressure on Parker’s side heading into this fixture.
The Clarets boss was even asked if this game is a must-win, an assertion he quickly shot down.
“Not really,” he replied. “I get that that's the way football is now and I get that's the way that we all want to build that sort of pressure. I understand it as well, of course.
“It's a fixture, our first home game, and I think no matter who we were playing, we'd want to go into this game trying to leave a mark and certainly trying to win the game.
“But we're one game in and we've been beaten at Spurs where there were a lot of positives. We go for our second game now.
“Of course, it's a big game and I totally understand that. It's a game that we need to keep improving, give the best version of ourselves and we'll go into it fully committed to try and get three points and hopefully we come out the better side of that.”
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