Opinion: New face in the dugout, but same old failings for Burnley at Leeds

Perhaps we shouldn’t be too harsh on the players, given just 36 hours had passed between news of Scott Parker’s departure and kick-off at an already febrile, hostile Elland Road.

But what we witnessed in Yorkshire on Friday night wasn’t new, it was the same old repetitive failings we’ve had to endure for much of the season. Perhaps we’re at fault for expecting anything different.

But then again, the tone was set before the game even got underway when the same XI and the same formation was utilised from Parker’s last game in charge.

Again, we shouldn’t be too harsh, caretaker boss Mike Jackson and the players barely had a day to work on their preparation after what was supposedly an emotionally-charged Thursday morning down at Gawthorpe.

From all accounts, several players were left in tears when Parker broke the news to them first thing, so perhaps it should come as no great surprise they weren’t exactly at their optimum at Elland Road the following day.

But as we’ve seen for the majority of the season, it doesn’t seem to matter what players the manager picks or what formation they’re lined up in, the end result – and the manner of those results – is usually the same. The players, quite simply, aren’t up to the job.

That’s a damning indictment in itself given Burnley were facing a Leeds side they went toe-to-toe with in the Championship last season. Ultimately, only goal difference could separate them during the final seconds of that 46-game campaign, in which both sides sealed automatic promotion on 100 points.

But while already-relegated Burnley continue to lick their wounds from a miserable run, which has seen them win just one of their last 26 league games, Leeds are ending the season on a high, moving onto 43 points – a whole 23 more than the Clarets – to surely secure their Premier League status with three games still remaining.

I don’t profess to be an expert on Daniel Farke’s side, but I suspect they’ve played a lot better than this, this season. But in fits and spurts, they were simply too good for Burnley, who had no response.

The hosts overpowered them. The Clarets simply had no response to their man-to-man approach because Leeds’ players were simply bigger, faster, stronger and ultimately better. As a result, Leeds appeared hungrier.

Again, Leeds didn’t have to be at their best to beat Burnley yet still came away with a comfortable three points, which is another familiar tale from this painfully forgettable season.

To continue the themes, Burnley only mustered some fight and promise once the game was already beyond them at 3-0 down, having crumbled at the start of the second half.

It was a similar affair to Nottingham Forest a couple of weeks ago. As soon as the opponents ramped up the pressure and stuck their foot down on the pedal, Burnley simply didn’t have another gear to go to. They were stuck gasping for air.

We’ve seen what the Burnley players are capable of this season and, by Premier League standards, it’s clearly nowhere near enough. The dismal stats and facts don’t lie.

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If we’re going to actually analyse the game, nothing of note happened for the first eight minutes until Burnley were undone by one simple pass through the middle of the pitch. Anton Stach had the time and space to turn 30 yards from goal and drill a low effort into the near post, seemingly taking Martin Dubravka by surprise. The Slovakian’s footwork and positioning also left a lot to be desired.

The first-half was otherwise a non-event of sorts. Leeds threatened a couple of other times, mainly from forcing Burnley errors with their high pressing, buoyed on by a ferocious home crowd. The Clarets, meanwhile, ended the half without attempting a single shot on target and with an xG of just 0.03.

That ‘chance’, if you can barely call it that, also summed up their night, with Jaidon Anthony’s backpost effort being blocked by his own teammate Zian Flemming.

It was one of two comical moments that almost left you chuckling, the other coming in the second half when Kyle Walker’s header – supposedly back to his keeper – almost looped over Dubravka and into the back of his own net. It was the deadliest Burnley had been in front of goal up to that point.

Burnley showed a smidgeon of a response following the restart, but that’s being generous. But they only served to shoot themselves in the foot when Bashir Humphreys, who endured a torrid night, gave the ball away in a really poor area, leading to Noah Okafor doubling Leeds’ lead after an admittedly well-worked attack from the home side.

Two minutes later, two quickly became three as Dominic Calvert-Lewin poked home after Dubravka had spilled Ao Tanaka’s low drive, which certainly wasn’t the first time he struggled to keep hold of a shot that night.

Dubravka took a slight knock in the melee, resulting in a short stoppage as he received medical attention from the Burnley physios. During that time, “he’s had enough” rang around Elland Road. He’s not the only one.

That was pretty much all she wrote, other than Burnley causing one or two late nerves with a consolation strike from Loum Tchaouna, after Lucas Pires had a first goal in Burnley colours disallowed for offside.

Other than that, the only real positive on an otherwise miserable night for Burnley was the long-awaited return of Zeki Amdouni, who looked bright off the bench on what was his first appearance for the club since that debacle at Sunderland in August 2024.

Hannibal’s introduction, on his own return from injury, also brought an element of entertainment as he attempted to respond to the baying home crowd.

But aside from that, this was nothing new. This was the same old Burnley, certainly from this season anyway. A long road lies ahead.

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