Clarets are adding more strings to their bow - Tarky

Sean Dyche’s side commanded possession in the opening half against Southampton at St Mary’s, crafting a number of opportunities which saw Aaron Lennon, Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Jeff Hendrick go close to opening the scoring while Jack Cork had a strike chalked out, dubiously, for offside.

Burnley completed 408 passes on the South Coast, the 12th best return in the top flight on the opening weekend, compared to the home side’s 371, adding 20 crosses, the sixth best figures in the division.

“We were terrific in the first half,” said Tarkowski. “We could have been one or two up but in the end you take the point.

“It (our passing game) is something we’re always looking at. Most teams will look at us and think we’re quite direct, which we can be, but if we’re direct all the time then people will adjust and know how we play.

“We have to change it up and first half we played really well. It’s something the manager has mentioned quite a few times, about us improving our play on the ball.

“In the Premier League if you just keep giving the ball away it’s tough, teams will punish you, so the more time we spend on the ball the less chance they have of scoring and we can create chances and score goals as well.”

The Clarets have already shown in games against Istanbul Basaksehir and Southampton that they’re going to be tough to break down again this year.

They conceded just 39 goals last season, keeping 12 clean sheets in the process, with Joe Hart remaining unbeaten in his first couple of competitive starts for the club.

“It’s nice, especially with me, Ben and Harty playing the last two games together, so to get two clean sheets in a row is nice.

That’s what we’re there to do, to stop the other teams from scoring. That’s what we’re built on, we pride ourselves on being good defensively, but we want to score goals as well so at both ends of the pitch we need to be ruthless.”