Burnley’s return to top flight falls a little flat
but it was definitely a game we should have won, given the run of fixtures we have coming up. Liverpool at home next weekend would usually be no easy feat, and it’s even more of a worry given their outstanding performance against Arsenal on Sunday.
If we look at our Premier League run from last time, we tended to give the bigger sides a good run for their money (beating City, anyone?) but I’m not sure we can rely on that this time. We need to utilise all the hard work and effort into getting the ball up to Gray to score.
Dyche, in my opinion, didn’t make that many inspiring signings pre season, but other fans seem to think Gudmundsson can do the job. As much as I’m hopeful, he needs to be given more than 10 minutes on the pitch to prove himself.
At the moment I’m not sure where Dyche thinks he’s going to put Flanagan, which could be a very decent signing for us.
Earlier this week it was confirmed that we’ve signed Steven Defour for a club record £7.5m. It may well be just what the team needs, seeing as we lost Joey Barton to Rangers over the summer. He seems a similar character and a good person to have on your side.
We’ve also just sold the long-standing David Jones to Sheffield Wednesday for an undisclosed fee, sparking rumours that Defour might not be the only signing we make in the next few weeks.
In all, the first match of the season just fell a little bit flat for us. Perhaps nerves kicked in or we need the team adjusted to suit our new signings, but it’s difficult to tell what the season will bring from just one match.
I’m hoping above all that we don’t see any embarrassing defeats, and I’ll be happy if we attack at Liverpool, but importantly hold our own against the driving force they have up front.