Why Vincent Kompany believes the conditions are right at Burnley to overcome huge Premier League gap

It’s been a sobering start to the season for the Clarets, who romped to the Championship title in Kompany’s first season in charge, amassing 101 points along the way.

But they’ve won just one of their opening 12 games back in the top flight, leaving them rooted to the bottom of the table on just four points.

While Kompany concedes the gap between the two divisions is “huge”, he remains steadfast in his view that Burnley can maintain their Premier League status heading into next season.

“It’s easy to look right now at the results, it’s fair as well,” he said. “But if you use every data point available, part of it is the narrative of the gap between the Championship and the Premier League, it’s just huge.

“You are differentiated by one or two points and moments in games where the ball goes inside the post or outside the post, but we’re all in the same boat a little bit.

“That gap is huge, but we have to look at as an opportunity. At this moment in time, our team shows fight, our team shows resilience and we haven’t waited to build it, we’ve built it across last season.

“It’s within the staff, it’s within the place, it’s a calm place so we think we have the right conditions to overcome that gap.

“Not just that, if we get through to the summer we feel we can strengthen again which means it’s just a matter of time until you’re one of these teams that has come through these cycles and becomes this Premier League team.

“But the first promotion up, it’s pretty ruthless.”

The Clarets suffered five straight league defeats prior to the November international break, culminating with the 3-1 loss to Arsenal in their last outing.

Kompany’s men return to action at Turf Moor on Saturday against West Ham, before taking on relegation rivals Sheffield United in what is likely to be a huge six pointer at the bottom end of the division.