Burnley 'destined to lose' Flemming

[BBC]

[Getty Images]

It took until the 36th game of the season, and the sacking of constraint-inducing manager Scott Parker, for Burnley to finally join the Premier League campaign.

Sunday's draw at home to Aston Villa was well-deserved and actually enjoyable to watch. Under the temporary stewardship of caretaker manager Mike Jackson, the team looked more relaxed, carefree and ambitious in their attack.

Notable performances from Zian Flemming again, plus Hannibal Mejbri and Axel Tuanzebe, set the tone for a good afternoon at Turf Moor.

It is a shame Burnley have come to the Premier League party too late with too little, though.

Flemming has had a good season, despite many questioning whether he would be able to make the step up to elite-level football. He has now become the first player to score more than 10 Premier League goals in a season for Burnley since Chris Wood last did it in 2021.

I wonder why that is? Perhaps because of a lack of options for Premier League strikers within budget? Or perhaps because of a lack of creativity across the team generally, coupled with a coach who was more inclined to play defensively?