Burnley manager Vincent Kompany in danger of being axed
It will be a big five days for Vincent Kompany (main image) as his Burnley side faces fellow stragglers Sheffield United and Wolves today and Wednesday.
At the bottom of the English Premier League, Burnley only has four points from 13 games, recording just one victory and suffering 11 defeats.
Only the Sheffield United team from the 2020-2021 season had a lower total – one – at this stage.
Burnley fans are losing patience with the man who guided the club back to the top flight last season, and Kompany is the odds-on favourite to get the sack if the Clarets fail to beat Sheffield United today (11pm).
Like Burnley, Sheffield also came up from the Championship, and like its rival, only has one win.
Its manager, Paul Heckingbottom, is under less pressure as so much more was expected of Burnley, although he too, would be worried about the dreaded “vote of confidence” should Sheffield lose today.
Remarkably, despite a poor start for all three promoted sides – Luton has two wins – no EPL managers have lost their jobs.
A year ago, six English Premier League managers were gone by Nov 30, and a further eight before the end of the season.
Things could change very quickly, and Burnley can climb out of the relegation zone if it can collect six points from Sheffield and Wolves.
It has been a strange season for Wolves as it lost two of its last three matches but defeated high-flying Tottenham before the November international break.
Kompany can take heart from his team’s performance against West Ham last week, which it led 1-0 until the 85th minute before losing 2-1.
While it was a painful defeat, Kompany saw glimpses of what his team was capable of, and in its last three games, Burnley created more chances from open play (7.3 per 90 minutes) compared to only 5.7, from its opening 10 matches.
Despite that improvement, Burnley only has 10 goals thus far. Kompany, an established centreback for Belgium and Manchester City, must work on his team’s defensive frailties as it has conceded 32 times.
Separately, Manchester City and the Premier League have agreed on a date – late Autumn 2024 – for a trial over 115 financial rule-break charges.
A verdict would likely be around the summer of 2025 – after manager Pep Guardiola’s contract ends.
Earlier this season, the Premier League docked Everton 10 points for one financial rule-break charge.
The club faces further punishment.
FIXTURES (Malaysian time)
TODAY
Brentford vs Luton (11pm)
Arsenal vs Wolves (11pm)
Burnley vs Sheffield United (11pm)
TOMORROW
Nottingham Forest vs Everton (1.30am)
Newcastle vs Manchester United (4am)
Chelsea vs Brighton (10pm)
Liverpool vs Fulham (10pm)
West Ham vs Crystal Palace (10pm)
Bournemouth vs Aston Villa (10pm)
Manchester City vs Tottenham (12.30am)
WEDNESDAY
Wolves vs Burnley (3.30am)
Luton vs Arsenal (4.15am)
THURSDAY
Sheffield United vs Liverpool (3.30am)
Fulham vs Nottingham Forest (3.30am)
Crystal Palace vs Bournemouth (3.30am)
Brighton vs Brentford (3.30am)
Manchester United vs Chelsea (4.15am)
Aston Villa vs Manchester City (4.15am)
FRIDAY
Everton vs Newcastle (3.30am)
Tottenham vs West Ham (4.15am)
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