How does the saying go, things often tend to get worse before they get better? Well at this rate Burnley must be preparing a hell of a comeback.
Really, the horror seems like it will never end.
Although the Arsenal humiliation seemed severe at the time, this was worse in many aspects. Everything simply keeps getting worse.
It was accurate to say that the trip to Selhurst Park was a must-win match, or at the very least, a pivotal match in Burnley’s waning survival attempt. Not even Vincent Kompany attempted to downplay its importance.
The Clarets that travelled to South London, probably most of them, did so with hope rather than expectation. That is usually the case when your club has only managed to win three of the last twenty-five games—or, as of right now, 26. Though we didn’t have high hopes, the food once again fell well short of our expectations.
The Clarets that travelled to South London, probably most of them, did so with hope rather than expectation. That is usually the case when your club has only managed to win three of the last twenty-five games—or, as of right now, 26. Though we didn’t have high hopes, the food once again fell well short of our expectations.
Your eyes will tell you how this game transpired without the need for statistics. However, the figures are depressing to read: Burnley’s appalling 0.09 and Crystal Palace’s 2.50 Expected Goals (xG) were in stark contrast. They even scored 0.27 last week against Arsenal.
The only sustained bursts of pressure from Burnley came late in the game, when it was already decided. They could not produce a shot on aim even then.
To be fair, they were wrongfully denied a late consolation goal when Lorenz Assignin was arbitrarily called for allegedly infringing on David Fofana’s close-range header, even though Fofana was standing offside. However, in the greater scheme of things, it wouldn’t have mattered much even if it had counted.
The story of the game will centre on how important the red card was. After all, there were no goals in the score at the time, and Palace’s three goals came from using their man advantage. However, that doesn’t really cover everything.
Because they knew Vincent Kompany’s team wouldn’t harm them, Palace were content to let Burnley have the ball in some areas.
scarcely a formidable force in and of themselves, Palace. They rank among the lowest scorers in the league, or they did, until Burnley arrived. However, you couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that the Eagles would eventually pull ahead, whether it was through a flash of lightning-fast reflexes, a ball that fell to them from one of their many balls into the box, or Adam Wharton—the former Blackburn Rovers player who was always jeered by the away supporters—seemingly breaking Burnley’s backline.
As it was, Burnley deserve some element of credit for resisting for as long as they did once Josh Brownhill was sent off for a real moment of madness.
Suicidal
Not from Brownhill, mind you, but James Trafford. There was absolutely no need to play the ball into Brownhill on the edge of his box, given Jefferson Lerma had already embarked on his press before Trafford had played the pass. The ball just wasn’t on.
This is when ignorance and lack of experience are relevant. Trafford is still demonstrating his skill as a shot stopper, but he is making some unwise and ultimately expensive decisions in crucial situations.
The captain was forced to haul down Lerma after he sneaked ahead of Brownhill to steal the ball, as the Palace player would have had an easy path to goal otherwise. Lewis Smith, the referee, was similarly forced to display a straight red.
Trafford made an act of suicide that ultimately proved to be the game’s final blow. It encapsulated the entire season in many ways.
Another instance was really noticeable, like a sore thumb. Charlie Taylor misplayed a volleyed pass back to Trafford, which bounced over the custodian and nearly found its way into his own net, just one minute into a match of immense consequence. Luckily, it ricocheted a few yards past the post and missed, but wow, that set the tone.
Burnley kept Palace at bay for as long as they could, until the 68th minute in fact. But once the first went in, the floodgates opened and Burnley completely fell to pieces, conceding three times in little over 10 minutes.
That’s entertainment
We’ve now reached that stage of the season when Burnley fans are having to resort to gallows humour to entertain themselves, because they’re not getting any validation on the pitch.
When their team finally had an attempt on goal in the second half, a harmless David Fofana header that dropped well wide, the travelling fans belted out “we’ve had a shot”.
Moments later, when the Clarets finally strung a few passes together, the chant soon changed to “we’ve got the ball”. Inevitably, “we’ve lost the ball” soon followed.
This was the first of four games that were, at least theoretically, winnable, and they lost the first one 3-0 without really giving their opponents a chance. The fans have good reason to feel cheated.
The season wasn’t meant to unfold this way. You don’t go from amassing 101 points while coasting to the Championship championship to managing just 13 points from 26 games. At the very least, you shouldn’t.
It’s obvious that something has seriously gone wrong.
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