KOMPANY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE RETURN OF CLUB ACTION

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Clarets boss relishing Cardiff trip as club football returns after the September international break

2022-09-30T10:30:00.000Z

KOMPANY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE RETURN OF CLUB ACTION

Clarets boss relishing Cardiff trip as club football returns after the September international break

2022-09-30T10:30:00.000Z

Clarets chief looking forward to North East trip

Vincent Kompany says he’s pleased to have all of his players back from the international break unscathed, and is looking forward to them getting back to action for the Clarets at Cardiff City.

The Clarets head over the border on Saturday afternoon, and boss Kompany spoke to the media at the Burnley Training Centre yesterday to discuss the upcoming jam-packed schedule, how ‘unique’ it is to be involved in English football, and what he expects from the Bluebirds under a new regime.

Kompany on the international break:

“It’s been fine, a different time for everyone. Some [players] have gone with their national teams, some stayed here, and some had time to recover.

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“There’s two sides to it [as a manager]. You see your players go and you’re hoping they come back fit, but in essence they’re going to represent their countries, getting the experience that most players are dreaming of, and we wish them well.

“We’re happy we’ve got everybody back fit, so now we’re happy and I think we can get the benefits from it.

“In all, given how heavy the schedule has been, the international break has been a good time for us. We’ve got no major concerns, so it’s good for us to be able to start a heavy period knowing that.

Kompany on 12 games in 43 days:

“I have no complaints. It’s something I wanted to experience, something I want to do, and something I think we’ve built a squad to do. There’s no hiding away from the time it takes to prepare every game to the standards you want.

“We make players aware of the demands of the schedule, and for them it’s about cracking on doing their job. Our task is to give them a feeling that they’re developing, and their task is to compete and try to be better than whoever they’re playing.

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“The only little detail I would add is to increase the number of substitutes we have on the bench. We want to play these games, but don’t seem to have the ability to bring in as many players as we’d like to. Having a big squad is just a necessity.”

Kompany on football in England:

“Personally, I love it. I don’t think in England you realise how much this is the most special place to be associated with football, it’s unique.

“The biggest difference is in the infrastructure and the organisation, but also in the level of staff and people you come across week in week out. It’s truly unique and the North West in itself is like no other place where football is a pure passion.”

Kompany on the start to the season:

“We’ve stayed calm. There’s been a little bit of a hype around us, but it’s not something that’s lived within the Club. We work hard, it remains about being Burnley here, and to us Burnley is an attitude.

“It’s about the effort we put in, putting the team ahead of the individual, and if we lose or draw, we don’t get over emotional. If we win, we allow those around us to celebrate but we just move on and go to the next game. That’s what happens within the Club.

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“We know what’s hurt us so far, and it’s very solvable, but we know as well how we’ve hurt a lot of teams so far this season. It’s already a step in the right direction because with 16 new signings, we have to become a team.

“I hope that we’re just going to see progress on all fronts now.”

Kompany on the Bluebirds:

“It’s always in the eye of the beholder [as to how you assess a team]. It’s difficult to align reality with ambitions, and to make sure that ambitions are realistic.

“I watched a lot of their games, and it seemed to me that they were doing good things, but it’s like this sometimes. They’ve got a new manager [Mark Hudson], he gets a chance.

“He’s still young and I’m sure he will have a good career now. I’ve done my homework on their players and know the options they have.

“Like every manager, I’m trying to get as much information as I can, but with a new manager across the table from me, there’s only so much you can guess. I fully accept we’ll go to the game with only little pieces of information, and we’ll be ready to adapt.”