Fabio Celestini reveals his first impressions of his new Burnley side
Fabio Celestini reveals his first Burnley impressions
Burnley weren’t quite as “fragile” as Fabio Celestini was expecting during his first game in charge.
It comes after the Clarets were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw at home to Portsmouth on Saturday.
Despite it being another home league game without a win, Burnley performed well in the main and were unfortunate not to take home the three points.
Coming into the fixture off the back of a disastrous start to the season, Celestini can be forgiven for expecting his players to be a little frail - but he was pleasantly surprised by what he witnessed.
“Now I see very, very many things,” he said, when asked about the lessons he took from his first game in charge. “In defensive phases, in offensive phases, I see very good things.
“I don't put too many because in 48 hours, you can't put all what you want because otherwise you have a team that is completely confused. It was very simple.
“But what I said to the guys was more the energy because it was a tough time. It's a tough time in this moment and it's normal to be a little bit fragile. But I don't see the team so fragile.
“Some moments, maybe. Some moments. But very, very, very short moments. For that, I see a stable team. It's a good step.”
Perhaps the biggest positive was how well the Clarets defended, particularly as a team unit as they stopped Portsmouth from producing a single shot on target.
The visitors never really looked like threatening either, which is a huge plus for a Burnley side that has conceded more goals in the division than just two other sides.
“We work to be a team,” Celestini added. “I like my team to play like a team, to defend like a team and I see that.
“I see collaboration. I see communication. I see energy. I see a team that doesn't want to concede one goal. That's the most important.
“I say the spirit is the most important in the end and that I see on the field. I see for one hour of the game, one hour and a little bit more, a very good energy together and for that, it's very positive.”