KOMPANY ON UPCOMING TEST AGAINST LUTON

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Manager previews weekend visit to Luton Town

2023-02-16T16:13:14.288Z

KOMPANY ON UPCOMING TEST AGAINST LUTON

Manager previews weekend visit to Luton Town

2023-02-16T16:13:14.288Z

Manager previews weekend visit to Luton Town

Vincent Kompany faced the media on Thursday ahead of the Clarets visit to Luton Town this weekend.

The home side currently sit fourth in the table and the Burnley boss is well aware of the tough test the opposition will pose.

“They’re one of the strongest teams at the moment, I know I keep repeating it, but I think it’s because there are a pack of teams who are really competing, showing good signs of finishing strong. We look forward to this game.”

When asked how he feels his squad will adapt to the physical test of Luton, he added: “The Championship has these kinds of games; you will have to play these types of games in the Championship. It’s something that for us, we don’t really make a big distinction between a more direct approach or a more possession based type of game.

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“We want to go there with the tools that we have and just try and have a good game.”

The home side shared points with Preston North End last night, with Preston cancelling out a 73rd minute Luton Town goal, through a penalty in the 81st minute.

“Yes [I saw last night's game] but they’ve played many more games before that so we’ve had a time yesterday during the day to watch a lot of their games.

“They’re very clear in what they do, they’re very good at what they do and that’s the reason why it’s been really good club in the last few years. It’s a club with a very clear identity and they play to their strengths. Usually for me, as a coach, the clearer the picture is from the opposition, you know that they’ve been working well.”

Following Saturday's trip to Luton, the Clarets are on the road again three days later when they face Millwall.

“I think this is the most difficult part of the schedule for us, that we’ll have all season, but once you get through it, you’re through it as well. So, for us, it’s a just a case of navigating now, the next few games.

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“We’ve had a couple of injuries, a couple of players missing. So far it’s not damaged us too much but it’ll be important now, in this run of games, to recover players and to be at full strength, because you won’t get more difficult than this.”

Tuesday saw Michael Obafemi's late goal secure a draw with Watford at Turf Moor, with the goal the 12th scored by a Clarets substitute so far this campaign.

When asked if this display showed a team that never gives up, Kompany added: “It just shows that there’s depth in the squad which is always a reflection of the recruitment you’ve done over the summer and over the transfer windows.

“In the end the players belief, they believe that they can do something, so you need quality and depth in numbers but then you need the belief. Once you’ve done it once, you should never doubt that you can do it again.”

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Finally, the January signings have found themselves featuring heavily over recent games, including Ameen Al-Dakhil and Hjalmar Ekdal.

“I’m extremely glad we did that. Obviously missing Taylor Harwood-Bellis, missing Jordan Beyer now, that would see a few teams off you know, and in our case - look they’ve still got a long way to go before they’re at the level that we think they can be, but they’ve already helped us massively in this period of time. So, together with Charlie Taylor, I think we still have strength in the position but of course I’ve been in the game long enough to know that you do need that little bit of time. We don’t have it but, they have the talent so that’s a good start.”