Defenders Of The Faith

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Mean is magnificent for Brownhill as Clarets look to keep building from the back

2021-01-04T15:37:11.545Z

Defenders Of The Faith

Mean is magnificent for Brownhill as Clarets look to keep building from the back

2021-01-04T15:37:11.545Z

Mean is magnificent for Brownhill as Clarets look to keep building from the back

Josh Brownhill is confident the Clarets can build on solid foundations to keep climbing in 2021.

Burnley reached the turn of the year 16th in the Premier League and five points clear of the relegation places following a storming end to 2020.

After their scheduled New Year’s date with Fulham was postponed last weekend, Sean Dyche’s men play the first of their games in hand on most of the teams around them when they take on Manchester United at Turf Moor next Tuesday night.

And Brownhill believes their current run of form gives the Clarets - who first launch their FA Cup challenge against MK Dons next Saturday - every reason to look ahead with optimism after moving impressively out of the bottom three inside the last month.

“There’s a lot of experience here. It’s never been easy and we’ve always come out on the right side. I don’t think it will be any different this year,” said the midfielder.

“We’ve had our slow start to the season and I feel now we’ve got our confidence back and the points on the board we’ll kick on and get ourselves up the table.

“I feel the results we’ve had in the past few weeks have been really deserved.

“We’ve put in some really good performances.

“We’ve put in some really good defensive performances as well, which is a strength of ours. We all love to defend.”

Only three teams can boast more than the Clarets’ six clean sheets so far this term, with a 1-0 victory over Sheffield United last time out making it three wins and two draws from Burnley’s last six games.

And apart from a 5-0 loss at Manchester City, you need to go back to the end of October for the last time the Clarets – who share with City the best home defensive record in the top tier – shipped more than one goal.

“Not many teams do like to defend, where we pride ourselves on that,” added Brownhill.

“We work really hard, all of us out of possession. A lot of teams in this division keep the ball quite well and our game plan is to stay in our shape, be difficult to beat and not give many easy chances.

“We know what we are and how we go about our business in games. We understand that we have to defend quite a lot and we all enjoy it.

“We don’t create loads of chances but we have people who can score and take chances.

“We don’t score three, four or five goals every week. It might be one or two and we know if we get ourselves in front we are going to be difficult to beat, so that first goal for us is always vital.”

While goalkeeper Nick Pope and Burnley’s back four have taken many of the plaudits for the Clarets’ mean streak it has been a genuine collective effort.

Brownhill boasts the most interceptions in the league as part of the dynamic midfield partnership he shares with Ashley Westwood.

And the 25-year-old is revelling in his season’s work as he approaches the first anniversary of his time at Turf Moor at the end of January.

Dyche hoping to have players back from illness and injury to face United

“The last few months I have been thinking it’s coming around fast that I have been here a year,” said Brownhill.

“I think I have grown massively. Adapting to the Premier League you sort of have to do it quickly when you start playing, otherwise you can get found out quite quickly.

“Also, I am 25 now so I am getting to the age where I am getting into my prime.

“I’m enjoying it a lot. It’s always what I wanted to do – play in the Premier League.

“It was always going to be difficult with the quality of players we’ve got here.

“I knew when I signed, I wasn’t going to go straight into the team. They were on a really good run of form and playing really well.

“I knew I had to learn what it’s about, train hard and get myself up to full fitness for the Premier League, which is a different type of fitness which you only realise when you’re playing.

“It was massive for me to get that under my belt quickly and then everything that went on with the Coronavirus gave me the opportunity to play and I’ve never looked back since then.

“I feel like I’ve taken my opportunity well and hopefully my performances can keep improving.”