When Sean Dyche was dismissed by Burnley in April, it was a shock to many. Dyche was synonymous with the club, having overseen 425 matches, and the team were well drilled in his style of play. However, the decision makers at the Lancashire club decided to pull the trigger, and Mike Jackson took over in a caretaker role until the end of the season.
Jackson implemented a change in Burnley’s style of play, with longer passing moves and fewer direct balls from back to front. This change was visible on the pitch, but it wasn’t enough to keep Burnley up. The Clarets were relegated on the final day of the season.
Ahead of their return to the second tier, Vincent Kompany has been appointed as manager. It’s a surprising move for many. Kompany is best known to English football fans for his time at Manchester City. He left the north west in 2019, returning to Anderlecht, the club where he developed.
Kompany joined in a player-manager role, but the club started the season poorly, and Kompany stepped away from managerial duties while on the pitch. After hanging up his boots the following summer, Kompany was installed as head coach in August 2020.
Kompany reportedly turned down other offers to take the Burnley job, likely due to his ties to the region. Following the club’s relegation, he takes over at a difficult time. Fans who use sites such as Betdaq will know the odds of a successful season aren’t in Burnley’s favour as a number of important players are leaving the club, including the likes of Ben Mee and James Tarkowski.
Burnley retain a number of strong players though, Kompany will no doubt be hoping to either build his team around, or cash in on, the likes of Nathan Collins, Nick Pope, Dwight McNeil, and Maxwel Cornet. The club’s finances are a mixed bag. Parachute payments should help with the adjustment to the Championship, but relegation will see the club having to repay a significant loan, and the board are likely to consider restructuring the club’s debt.
As such, Kompany will be taking over a club in some turmoil. Burnley have had a relatively experienced squad in recent years, and that’s likely to change following the inevitable departures. In addition, Sean Dyche tended to operate with a relatively shallow squad while in the Premier League, and Burnley will need greater depth ahead of the hectic fixture congestion which comes with life in the Championship.
Kompany has a reputation for developing young talent and, with Burnley in need of a reboot, this could be a much-needed string to his bow, with the new manager likely to bring through academy graduates, while also looking to bring in youngsters on loan. Kompany’s stature in the game will help him attract young loanees and open doors that might otherwise be closed to the club.
Kompany, at least in theory, aims to play a style of football that should build upon the foundations Jackson put in place towards the end of their time in the top flight. Kompany’s Burnley side are likely to play a style of football that’s more akin to Jackson’s than Dyche’s, and it will certainly be a change for the fans.
For the young manager, the circumstances of his arrival will be similar to his arrival at Anderlecht. He took over at the Belgian giants at a low point in their recent history. An eighth-place finish in his first season, albeit where he was more player than manager, wasn’t ideal, but that was followed by a finish inside the top four. European football returned to Anderlecht, even if it was the Europa Conference League. He went one better in their most recent season, with the club finishing the season third.
It’s not exactly the kind of league season that Anderlecht fans are going to celebrate, given their rich history, and Kompany certainly has his detractors at the club. However, those who are more generous about his work will point out that the Belgian has managed to steady the ship and get the club pointing back in the right direction, while developing youngsters and trying to play an attractive style of football. For Burnley, that could be just what they need from their new manager as they get to grips with life outside the top flight.
