Opinion: Aston Villa display shows what Burnley can do, rather than what they can't

Of course, it’s a little rudimentary and ridiculously simplistic. There’s far more to football than running around like a headless chicken and not giving up, otherwise we’d all have a shot at making it to the Premier League.

But on the back of a miserable campaign where the Clarets have been accused of not trying – which I don’t buy, by the way – it was still equally refreshing to witness this performance against Aston Villa.

The result was almost immaterial. Burnley are already relegated and the players still would have deserved plaudits for their approach even had the away side nabbed a late winner. But nonetheless, a point was the least they deserved for their efforts.

But, with the shackles firmly off, the Clarets were more than happy to go toe-to-toe with the Champions League-chasing, Europa League finalists with a ‘we’re going down anyway, so we might as well go down swinging’ sort of approach.

Going back to my previous point, I’m firm in my belief that Burnley haven’t lacked effort nor desire this season, their struggles can mostly be attributed to a lack of quality.

But what this game proved is that perhaps Scott Parker could have been a bit more ambitious, a bit braver. Go after teams, press high, play forward more often and take some risks.

Of course, in the big, bad world of the Premier League, you’ll come unstuck against plenty of sides playing that way. But it’s been clear for a matter of months now that Burnley are going down, so why not alter the approach and be a bit bolder?

From the start of the season, before a ball was even kicked, I forecasted Burnley would probably come up a little short but would give it a good go. Perhaps get to the 30-35 point region. In reality, points-wise at least, it’s not worked out that way, with the Clarets struggling to even match Vincent Kompany’s measly total of 24 points.

While it’s tempting to think ‘what could have been’ had Burnley played like this for the entirety of the campaign, it’s important to note this is a one-off game with its own nuances and context.

Burnley have nothing to lose, so of course they could play like this. Villa, meanwhile, are a side known to play a high line which is easier to exploit (although you still have to do it), plus they’ll have been fatigued, both mentally and physically, from their midweek European celebrations.

But still, Burnley have been in that situation a few times this season – like against Nottingham Forest a couple of weeks ago – and still come up woefully short, so this remains a welcome change.

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Interim boss Mike Jackson spoke in the build-up to this match about the need to get fans back on side.

Under Parker there was a clear disconnect. While the lack of interest has been clear to see for some time now, it was still startling to see the number of empty seats on display on Sunday.

But those in attendance will have been hugely encouraged by what they witnessed, as Burnley went at Villa right from the off.

Led by Loum Tchaouna, who was a huge threat throughout on what was his best Burnley display to date, the Clarets were clearly far more intent on getting up the pitch and not being rooted to the edge of their own box.

It was also noticeable how much more purposeful they were in possession. The sidewards and backwards passing was no more, or certainly limited, as the hosts looked to get the ball through the lines and up the pitch as quickly as possible.

It made for a far more entertaining spectacle, which is probably the biggest takeaway from this encounter. It was just enjoyable again, wasn’t it? For too long now it’s been a chore making the trip to Turf Moor, many doing it out of habit rather than out of any great desire.

End to end

On another day Burnley could have won this game, but equally they could easily have lost it too. They were playing a top side, after all.

But rather than taking the overly cautious approach, with a back five that still gives up far too many opportunities and opting to just hang in the game and hope for a moment of quality or good fortune at the other end, Burnley fought fire with fire and, to put it bluntly, “had a go”.

It was actually the first time Burnley have outperformed an opposition side on xG (Expected Goals) in three months and only the sixth occasion all season.

While the data sceptics among you will inevitably be rolling your eyes at that sentence, it nevertheless illustrates just how shy and cautious the Clarets have been all year long.

While the long wait for a home league win continues, stretching to over 200 days, this performance at least injects some much-needed positivity into a fanbase that has been craving it for some time now.

Next Monday’s trip to North London is inevitably daunting, but with bottom side Wolves coming to town on the final day for the officially-billed ‘Who Finishes Bottom of the League’ showdown, it’s nice to be able to put an optimistic spin on things for a change and to talk about what these players can do, rather than what they can’t.

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