Burnley’s decision to switch to a back four for their clash against West Ham at the weekend didn’t work out as hoped.
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'I will not waver': Burnley boss Scott Parker vows to fight on despite fan disco...](https://www.burnleyexpress.net/sport/football/i-will-not-waver-burnley-boss-scott-parker-vows-to-fight-on-despite-fan-discontent-during-west-ham-defeat-5507397 "'I will not waver': Burnley boss Scott Parker vows to fight on despite fan discontent during West Ham defeat")
Having stuck with the back five for the past few weeks, Scott Parker took the opportunity to go for a more attacking approach for what was a must-win game.
In fact, the system only lasted 45 minutes, with Josh Laurent slotting into a back three for the start of the second-half in place of Florentino Luis.
Discussing the tactical change, Parker said: “It was a decision that you make to go at West Ham.
"Like I said the other day, there's always compromises when you're constantly making decisions. A back four leaves space, a back four leaves certain space and yeah, I think that was the case today, to be honest with you.
"I just thought that the players struggled in the atmosphere today a little bit and I just felt that there was an edginess to us, really, that in the second half was not the case. It was certainly the first half.”
Scott Parker parades the touchline on Saturday (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)placeholder image
Scott Parker parades the touchline on Saturday (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
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What was most frustrating is that West Ham weren’t particularly impressive themselves, yet were still able to coast to a relatively comfortable three points.
They weren’t made to work for their goals either, which came from their only two shots on goal during the first-half.
"Maybe that's the case,” a downbeat Parker replied. “I mean, the ball goes in and he's headed one in from the six-yard box.
“They were clinical in their moments. You could look at it and say that we wouldn't have had to work too hard for the big chances we got. We just didn't manage to put them in and they're the fine margins of football at times and we just felt a little bit short in that sense.”
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