Burnley F.C. are back on the promotion trail in the English Championship and the Clarets’ pursuit of a return to the Premier League after a 12-month hiatus has been built on rock-solid defensive foundations.
The Lancashire-based club are currently locked in a four-way battle for the title in England’s second tier alongside Leeds, Sheffield United, and Sunderland, though Burnley’s incredible work at the back could give them a crucial edge over their rivals.
Burnley hunting down new record
Burnley have been watertight in their own third this season, shipping just nine goals in 28 Championship fixtures since August and if their current form holds, they could set a new all-time record for the English Football League for the lowest number of goals conceded.
The current EFL record is held by Port Vale, who conceded just 21 goals over the course of a 46-game campaign in 1953/54, while keeping a sensational 30 clean sheets along the way.
Burnley have been conceding just 0.32 goals per 90 minutes during the current season and if that average is maintained they will smash Port Vale’s long-running record with room to spare.
Chelsea hold England’s best overall record for the fewest goals conceded in a single season, however. The Blues shipped just 15 goals under Jose Mourinho in 2004/05, though that was over a span of 38 Premier League matches, compared to the 46 Burnley will contest in the Championship between now and May.
Scott Parker’s defensive revolution
Burnley exited the Premier League in the summer of 2024 having conceded a mammoth 78 times in 38 matches before their relegation, so huge credit must go to head coach Scott Parker for turning the Clarets from a leaky outfit into a well-drilled defensive unit.
As one of the pre-season favourites for promotion in the bookmakers’ outright Championship markets, Burnley were always likely to make a splash on their return to the second step of the English football pyramid, though few would have anticipated the Clarets’ incredible improvements in defence.
Burnley managed to keep just one clean sheet in their first five league games of the new campaign and in the season’s early throes, matched betting regulars found value in opposing the Clarets on betting exchanges.
However, their early defensive wrinkles were soon ironed out and between September and October, a more confident Burnley enjoyed a run of six clean sheets in eight assignments in the Championship, setting the tone for the rest of the season.
Youthful axis starring at the back
A trio of young players have been providing the framework for success at the back for Burnley this season and despite their relative lack of experience, defenders CJ Egan-Riley and Maxime Esteve along with goalkeeper James Trafford have been vital cogs in the Claret’s well-oiled defensive machine.
Trafford, who turned 22 back in October, has been impressively well-protected between the sticks, though the youngster has been responding with rapid reflexes when called upon and the former Man City academy starlet has become something of a penalty-kick-saving specialist at Turf Moor.
Ahead of Trafford, CJ Egan-Riley and Maxime Esteve – who are both also just 22 – have formed a fantastic partnership at centre-half.
CJ Egan-Riley, who also came through the youth ranks at Manchester City, provides most of the brawn and the combative character has been averaging 1.70 tackles per game for Burnley in the Championship.
Maxime Esteve, meanwhile, is the more cultured ball-playing member of the duo and has completed 90.6% of his attempted passes in the league this term.
Together, Egan-Riley and Esteve have dovetailed beautifully at the back for Burnley with fullbacks Connor Roberts and Lucas Pires providing extra security from the flanks.
Ahead of those four, streetwise pair Josh Cullen and Josh Brownhill play the role of screening midfielders to complete Burnley’s solid defensive package.
Can Burnley prolong their promotion push?
A new defensive record will mean very little for Burnley if they can’t secure promotion back to the Premier League along with it.
The Clarets have lost fewer games (two) than any other team in the Championship so far, though unlike some of their rivals, they are already into double figures for draws and Burnley have been sharing the spoils with visitors to Turf Moor far too often for their liking.
Burnley’s focus on defence has come at a cost further up the pitch and they rank as a mid-table side in the Championship for goals scored and for average shots mustered per game (12.30).
With the Championship campaign approaching its final few months, perhaps the time is right for Scott Parker to loosen the defensive shackles a little and for Burnley to play with more risk.
Their recent 5-0 win at Plymouth suggested a tweak in that direction, and with a little more attacking impetus, Burnley could seal one of the Championship’s two automatic promotion places before June.
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