Verdict: Burnley could still achieve something special this season, but FA Cup exit to Preston North End should sting

Following Saturday’s frankly abject display at Deepdale, it remains the case that Burnley have reached the last eight on just one occasion in the last 22 years. That proves how much of a rarity it is.

A fifth round tie against Preston North End is far from a gimmie, of course it’s not. The two sides were unable to be separated during their two league encounters, after all.

But heading into the tie as favourites, and with a number of top sides already out of the competition, Scott Parker’s men had a priceless opportunity to achieve something special in the cup this season. Go deep, get to Wembley, dare to dream...

Now there’s every chance they still go on and achieve something special during their final 12 games of the season as their sole focus turns to their promotion charge. But that’s not to say this defeat shouldn’t sting, because it should. Especially the manner of it.

To change or not to change?

Much of the debate post-match has inevitably centred around Parker’s decision to make nine changes to his side. I have mixed feelings on the issue.

On the one hand, the Clarets made all 11 changes for their third round tie against Reading, albeit that was League One opposition, and still got through. In the last round Parker made eight changes against Premier League outfit Southampton and that didn’t seem to make much difference.

Burnley have a plethora of options at their disposal and it’s not like the side that took to the pitch on Saturday was a weak one, because it wasn’t.

It’s not the fact that Burnley made changes I had an issue with, per se. It was to be expected, after all, Parker told us that would be the case during his pre-match press conference on Thursday.

With a long trip to Cardiff on the horizon on Tuesday night, Burnley were always going to shuffle the pack.

There’s also a number of players waiting in the wings who are desperate for game time and, in reality, cup games provide the only opportunity for Parker to satisfy their needs, so to speak. But nine did seem a bit excessive, I was expecting perhaps five or six.

While Burnley’s starting XI was still a strong one and was more than capable of going and getting a result, when you change near enough the whole side you inevitably change the whole flow and structure of the setup and approach. All those partnerships and patterns of play are built up over time. It just felt like two or three changes too many.

In the end, Burnley resembled a side that had made wholesale changes and were made to pay the price.

While the changes in the previous rounds seemed to bizarrely give Burnley more freedom, on this occasion it had the opposite effect. The Clarets seemed creatively stifled and devoid of ideas.

Second best

Let’s take nothing away from Preston though. They were the better side from the first minute to the last.

They were far hungrier, showed more desire and were first to every ball and refused to give Burnley a moment’s rest.

While the Clarets were clumsy and wasteful in possession, the hosts simply never allowed them to settle. Out-of-possession the Lilywhites were every bit as good as Burnley have been for much of the season, albeit with more aggression.

Skipper Josh Brownhill said it best when he bluntly described Burnley’s display as “embarrassing” and nowhere near good enough.

The visitors barely created anything of note, other than a couple of half-chances for Luca Koleosho during the first-half, both of which failed to find the target.

Defensively, however, it’s been a long time since the Clarets have looked so rattled, hence why they conceded three – a first for the season. In fact, it’s the first and only time they’ve conceded more than once in a game since the 2-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Wolves back in August.

They also conceded more goals during that torrid first-half – where PNE led by two at the break – than they have in their last 14 games combined.

While that shows just how remarkable their defensive run has been up to that point, it also proves just how off their normal game they were.

The three goals conceded were all as equally disappointing as the next. While there’s not much Burnley could have done to stop Robbie Brady from curling a sublime free-kick into the top corner, it was a needless foul to give away from Lucas Pires in the first place.

The previously impenetrable backline was then scythed open for the second, as Milutin Osmajic predictably added his name to the scoresheet before his equally predictable celebration in front of the away end.

The third was also worryingly simplistic in its execution, as Will Keane had the simple task of steering home from close range.

Putting it right

These players deserve the benefit of the doubt though. Let’s be honest, this is the first time this season, or at least for a long, long while, since they’ve dished up such a disjointed performance.

Whether they did or not, we’ll never know, but it appeared that Preston just wanted it more. Physically they were too much for the Clarets and they didn’t have an answer.

It’s also telling that, following the three games they’ve played this season, Burnley have still yet to score against them. It perhaps shows they struggle with that in-your-face, aggressive approach. And when Burnley did have spells where they kept the ball, there was nothing of real substance.

It can only be a positive that Burnley are back in action so soon with a trip to Cardiff on Tuesday night. They must put things right with 1) a performance but more importantly 2) all three points.