Gary Lineker has expressed his confusion at Burnley’s decision to make wholesale changes for their FA Cup upset at the hands of Mansfield Town.
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Scott Parker defends Burnley's decision to ring changes for Mansfield Town cup t...](https://www.burnleyexpress.net/sport/football/scott-parker-defends-burnleys-decision-to-ring-changes-for-mansfield-town-cup-tie-5598559 "Scott Parker defends Burnley's decision to ring changes for Mansfield Town cup tie")
Scott Parker decided to make nine changes to the side that sprung a remarkable comeback at Crystal Palace in midweek.
Given the noise surrounding Parker’s position in recent weeks, Lineker felt it made little sense to take such a risk with his team selection.
He told the Rest is Football podcast: “Do you know what I would say on Burnley? He's been under pressure.
“So you win a game, a big game, and you suddenly get three points. You've suddenly got a little bit of a feel-good factor.
“You get a home game in the FA Cup and you think: ‘oh, I'll tell you what I'll do, I'll make nine changes’. I honestly do not understand the logic behind that.
Lineker was confused by Burnley's decision to make so many changes for their FA Cup tie (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)placeholder image
Lineker was confused by Burnley's decision to make so many changes for their FA Cup tie (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
“I guess he wants to protect it because he feels like the most important thing is staying up, which is highly, highly unlikely. But if it was to happen, it would happen because they grab a bit of momentum.
“So if they go into this game playing their best team and they win it again, suddenly two wins on the bounce, here we go.
“Now it might not happen anyway and it might not make any difference and obviously it's slightly hypothetical, but I just don't get it. It's not like they're playing in Europe. They're not playing in the Carabao Cup. They've only got league games once every week really now. I just genuinely, genuinely do not understand the thinking behind it.”
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Micah Richards, however, pointed out that Burnley still managed to create more than enough chances to get through.
He said: “Can I just give a little bit of context to Burnley though? I actually watched that game and Burnley should have scored three or four goals. It wasn't like they were outplayed.
“Manfield were brilliant as well on the day, but Burnley missed so many chances.
“The goal that they took, they took it really well, but it was a good day for [Nigel] Cloughy, wasn't it?”
Richards added: “The only thing I would say though to counteract that Gaz, is that players who are not trusted in the Premier League, they need to keep fit, don't they? And it's the only game, really, you can use them.
“So if you think there's half a sniff of staying up in the Premier League and you've got all these players and they're not getting a game in the Premier League, it's one where…they're probably not going to win the FA Cup, so I see both sides. I'm probably on your side more.
“That momentum, you win that and then the changing room's buzzing. You know what wins do to a group of players. It just gives you that little bit of confidence. But in terms of when you've got squad players, it's only real time they can get some football.”
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