Vincent Kompany warns Burnley players not to get distracted by 'outside noise' amid fight for survival

The Clarets resume their Premier League campaign this weekend when they travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea.

Kompany’s men will be out to claim a second win on the bounce after overcoming Brentford 2-1 in their last outing before the international break.

The gap to safety now stands at just five points following Nottingham Forest’s points deduction.

With so much on the line, it’s only natural for all involved to hope results elsewhere go their way, but Kompany wants his players to ignore the outside noise as much as possible.

“For me it’s easy to handle, but how do the players handle it? That’s obviously different,” he said.

“All I try and do is share with them. Whether you’re in relegation or at the top, we can’t control if Luton are going to win or lose against Bournemouth and what the other teams will do around us. We literally have zero control over that.

“You can put your hopes too high sometimes or too low, but what we can control is the next game.

“Nothing else really matters. There’s no point talking about anything else if you don’t turn up on the day.”

When asked if he watches relegation rivals in action when they’re on TV, Kompany added: “No, unless there is a team we’re going to play against I don’t spend any time on it.

“I watch enough games and football every single day.”

Kompany has also stressed the importance of his players dealing with any criticism that might come their way.

Given it’s been a difficult campaign so far for the Clarets, it’s perhaps unsurprising that players might have had to face some disparaging comments, whether it be on social media or otherwise.

But Kompany knows it’s part and parcel of the job and insists his players must learn to deal with it.

“As a group we always have to stick together,” he said. “At the moment my only priority is the group, that’s all it is.

“When you lose you always come under criticism, it’s part of the job.”