Roles reversed, Championship on high alert and xG peculiarity: Verdict on Burnley's trouncing of Cardiff City

The potential, it has to be said, is utterly frightening. The Championship ought to be on high alert.

Of course it won’t always be like this, the Clarets won’t always be as clinical as they were against Cardiff – scoring an incredible five goals from an Expected Goals (xG) of 0.76, which is pretty much unheard of.

This is the Championship we’re talking about, there will be times – plenty of them too – where Scott Parker’s men will have to grind a result out.

But when you’ve got Zeki Amdouni and Wout Weghorst – two players that featured at Euro 2024, remember – coming off the bench, Burnley might just have the quality in their ranks to edge those tense affairs.

Uncomfortable truth

Without wanting to get too carried away, you do wonder if – just two games into the season – Burnley already find themselves in the awkward position of being too good for the Championship, but not quite good enough for the Premier League. Although one wonders how well they would have performed last season had they adopted a far more pragmatic approach.

I fully expect to be left with egg on my face after making such a statement so early into a campaign. But many observers expected Burnley to compete for automatic promotion and their opening two performances – and results – have only backed up those claims.

Somehow, the misery of last season now seems a distant memory. Last term the Clarets had to wait until December to record their second league win. This season they’ve managed it in the first six days.

And during that whirlwind week we’ve witnessed the feelgood factor come flooding back to Turf Moor – so much so there were people housed in the directors’ box up on their feet dancing to ‘Freed From Desire’ at the full-time whistle while Parker and his men were given a resounding reception as they walked off the pitch.

It’s certainly a far cry from the terraces emptying after 70 minutes having been ruthlessly put to the sword by another Premier League opponent.

Deadly

Ironically, it’s now Burnley handing out the punishment. How refreshing is it for Burnley to be finding themselves on the right side of generous scorelines due to their superior quality?

That’s essentially what happened here against Cardiff, especially during the first half where they were distinctly second best. And yet, somehow, they were two to the good at the break.

They were certainly helped in their endeavours by a Muric-esque howler from Ethan Horvarth, who gifted Burnley an early lead after allowing a routine back pass to trickle under his studs and into the back of his own net.

Both prior to the opener and after it, Cardiff were in the ascendancy though and were capitalising on their extra man in the middle of the park. The Clarets couldn’t quite get to grips with Cardiff’s system and it was all a little disjointed.

Yet a Jay Rodriguez-inspired second, finished by Luca Koleosho all-but put the game to bed. With only half an hour on the clock the hosts had barely threatened yet the scoreline told a completely different story.

The second half, however, was far more convincing. Parker made some slight tweaks at the interval and his side came out much more on the front foot, with Josh Brownhill in particular playing in a more advanced role.

And it was Brownhill who added the third with a calm finish, reminiscent of the goal he scored against Luton on Monday. But Lyle Foster also deserves credit for his hold-up play during the build-up, as does Vitinho for his defence-splitting pass.

From that point onwards, the Clarets were happy to keep the ball, but more importantly keep Cardiff at arm’s length. As good as the Bluebirds were in the first half, in the second they barely created anything of note.

Strength in depth

As if the odds weren’t always stacked in Burnley’s favour, they’re able to bring players off the bench with just as much quality, if not more, than some of those individuals starting.

Amdouni experienced a mixed debut season in the top flight, but there’s no doubting the quality he possesses. Said quality is far too advanced for the Championship, one suspects.

We saw evidence of that two minutes from time when the Swiss international crashed one home from 25 yards via the underside of the crossbar. We weren’t sure at the time if the forward’s shot had crossed the line but the referee’s watch soon confirmed it.

It was all getting a bit silly at this particular juncture, as the returning Johann Berg Gudmundsson – who was making his first appearance of the season, just as Amdouni was – slammed home an emphatic effort from outside the box to add further gloss.

It was that sort of afternoon where everything Burnley touched turned to gold.

So here we are, two games into the new season and Parker’s side are already leading the way at the top of the Championship table.

Sides tipped to challenge them for promotion are already dropping points, with Luton already five points adrift and Leeds four. Middlesbrough, meanwhile, suffered a surprise defeat away to Derby County.

Still, it’s early, early days and there’s a long, long way to go. But after last season, Burnley fans can be forgiven for savouring the moment.