Potent Players vs Fulham
Welcome to a series called potent players, where I look at
the players who stood out for Burnley in the previous game.
Today’s edition will be paying attention to Burnley’s home
game with Fulham on Wednesday evening where both sides drew 1-1 in a result
which suited Sean Dyche more than Scott Parker. The point saw Burnley move on
to 27 points for the season and just 12 more will see them hit the magic 40-point
mark. Here’s who I felt made the difference in the draw:
Jay Rodriguez
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| Clive Brunskill gettyimages |
Home-grown talent Jay Rodriguez has gained recognition for
his performances over the past two games and his assists against Crystal Palace
and Fulham are examples of the different dimension that he brings to the
forward line.
Rodriguez can drop off and provide an option to feet for the
central midfielders allowing Burnley to move the ball quicker.
This was evident in the equaliser on Wednesday night when
the forward possessed the awareness to let Ashley Westwood’s pass run through
the legs of Tosin Adarabioyo before spinning the centre back which afforded him
the time and space to pick out Ashley Barnes.
An injury to Chris Wood has meant that the 31-year-old has
been able to showcase his talents from the off in the past two weeks and Dyche
praised his ability to be an all-round threat to Premier league defences:
He has been a bit up and down with injuries,” said Dyche.
“He has had a few injuries which have upset his true run in the side in terms
of playing every week.
“But he is a very good player and a well-rounded
centre-forward. He offers more to us than just goals, which is the same as all
of our centre-forwards.”
Rodriguez looks in line to face his former club West Brom on
Saturday and Sam Allardyce’s side may be the perfect opponent for him to score
his 100th league goal. The Baggies have conceded 55 goals so far
this term which is the most in the league.
If Rodriguez were to get on the scoresheet and guide Burnley
to a win, it would all but secure their place in the Premier League for a sixth
consecutive season.
Ashley Westwood
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| Simon Stacepoole /Offside gettyimages |
Westwood put in a shift against Fulham demonstrating
an excellent passing range, most notably with his superb one-touch ball over
the top to Barnes.
The central midfielder is also capable of hitting a mean
strike from distance and did so on Wednesday picking the ball from out of the
sky and volleying it at Alphonse Areola.
Areola gathered the ball in his gloves, but had it gone a
few inches in either direction it may have been a different story.
Dyche can rely upon Westwood to be a leader within the camp
who constantly bellow’s out instructions to those around him and has also
stepped into the role of captain in the absence of Ben Mee in the past.
Since the return of Jack Cork to the starting 11 Westwood
has been able to venture forward more as Cork is primarily a sitting midfielder.
The engine that Westwood has at his disposal means he often finds himself in
a variety of positions ranging from deep in his own half to sometimes on the
wing depending on how the play progresses.
The former Crewe Alexandra man could come up against Jake
Livermore on Saturday in an intriguing midfield battle where the result may
depend on which player is able to see more of the ball.
James Tarkowski
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| Lindsey Parnaby gettyimages |
Although Tarkowski looks set to depart Turf Moor in the
summer he is not letting his future affect his performances in the present.
The centre back captained the side on Wednesday whilst Mee carried
out the mandatory 6-day concussion recovery period due to his nasty collision
with Jordan Ayew at Selhurst Park last Saturday.
Tarkowski gave the ball away in the middle of the pitch but quickly
made up for this mistake by making an excellent recovery tackle swiping the
ball from the feet of Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
His diagonal passes from the back are an effective way of
getting the ball up to the front men and his crossfield ball to Matt Lowton
enabled Westwood to glide the ball over the top to Barnes in a move which
consisted of three touches.
It has been argued that had he played for another team with
a more attractive style of play he may have nailed down a regular place in the
England squad by now. This may have an element of truth to it with Burnley
being notoriously tagged as “anti-football” by David Luiz in April 2019.
The phrase ‘mud sticks’ springs to mind with Gareth
Southgate opting to play a possession-based style in his time as Three Lions
manager. But, if the 28-year-old was given the chance on the international
stage, I’m certain he would deliver.
Unfortunately for Burnley Tarkowski has made it known that
he sees his future elsewhere in an interview with The Daily Telegraph back in November citing
his desire “to play at the top level” as a reason for wanting to leave The Clarets.
However, he also told The Lancashire Telegraph in the same month that
he remains committed to giving his all for Burnley throughout the remainder of
his stay in Lancashire:
I’ve got relationships at Burnley that I will want to keep
for the rest of my life, so for me to just down tools and say, ‘this is it’, it
wouldn’t be right and I wouldn’t want to. I want to perform for Burnley, they
have given me a great opportunity to play in the Premier League, something
which I’ve loved over the last four years.
“I signed a contract and I’ve got to stick to that and play
it out, and I want to give my best for Burnley. I’m not just going to let it be
a case of getting the next year or whatever out of the way.”
One thing’s for sure when Tarkowski and Mee sit alongside
each other at the back, The Clarets make for a solid outfit and with Mee likely
to be back in the side against West Brom it gives Burnley the solid foundations
for a clean sheet.
My prediction
I predict tomorrow’s game to be a tight affair with West
Brom out for whatever they can get, they will make it difficult for Burnley to
find a way through. But that being said, I just feel performances in recent
weeks give the home side the edge in this fixture and I’m going for a 1-0 win for
Burnley… Let me know your thoughts!
Sources
https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/18863482.tarkowski-explains-turned-new-contract-burnley/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2020/11/11/james-tarkowski-exclusive-refusing-sign-new-burnley-contract/
https://www.premierleague.com/stats/top/clubs/goals_conceded?se=363
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