100 PER CENT PRIME BERGE
Burnley star Sander: It has been a struggle but everyone in the dressing room has developed into a better player under Vinny
BURNLEY may be staring relegation in the face after just one season back in the Premier League.
But for Sander Berge, there is a bigger picture - belief in Vincent Kompany ultimately putting the club on the path to better times.
Berge has that conviction in his Belgian manager’s ability and says not only will he be good for the Clarets in the long term but that he has helped develop the Norwegian into a better player already in just a few months.
When they hired Kompany, chairman Alan Pace and his board embarked on a three-year plan to be a Premier League club in 2025 and the Burnley boss can still fulfil that goal if they do down and he wins promotion.
Berge bought into this longterm vision when he joined from Sheffield United for £15million on the eve of this season and says Kompany is improving their young, inexperienced squad.
Berge, 26, is one of Burnley’s elder statesmen, having played in the Champions League with Genk and in the Premier League with the Blades, and says Kompany is bringing the best out of him.
“That was probably one of the main reasons why I came here because I really believe in the project,” said the Norway midfielder.
“I believe in getting young players together, developing them, taking the next steps and being part of a process, where it’s not decided in the short term, win or lose.
“This is a project to get better every day, despite having 14 points.
“It looks like a struggle, and it’s been a struggle at times. I understand people on the outside have been sceptical, but I can say for myself, and everyone in that dressing room, I never developed as much as I have this year compared to all the other years I’ve played football.
“There’s no doubt about that.” Burnley have taken one step backwards in the hope of taking two forwards and their net spend last summer was a staggering £92million - just £1million less than quadruple-chasing
Liverpool.
They face Brentford at Turf Moor today and have the unenviable low of the Premier League’s worst home record with just five points.
Berge insists their young squad, assembled from around Europe, is learning under Kompany in the unforgiving Premier League.
“The Premier League is brutal so the fine margins can make everything look way worse than it probably is,” he said.
“Kompany’s been in and around the game, he’s learned from the best and he manages to look at the depth of it.
“We can lose 3-0, but he can look into it and see small, deciding factors and we haven’t been so far off.
“It may not look like you’ve improved in one month or three months on the pitch at three o’clock on a Saturday, but you’ve improved a lot from Monday to Friday in terms of your knowledge