Vincent Kompany discusses major Burnley problem in Sheffield United defeat | OneFootball

Burnley boss Vincent Kompany has suggested that his side won’t ship goals often from set pieces after coming up against a physical Sheffield United side.

The Clarets were beaten 5-2 by Sheffield United on Saturday having twice led before conceding four unanswered goals in the second period.

It ended Burnley’s lengthy unbeaten Championship run and saw their lead at the top cut to two points ahead of the weekend derby with second-placed Blackburn Rovers.

Kompany’s side were undone by set-piece defending in Yorkshire with Burnley failing to get to grips with the home side’s delivery.

The first four goals from the Blades all came from set plays and while Kompany was disappointed with the manner of the defending, he firmly believes the solution is for the Clarets to control proceedings and limit opposition opportunities rather than find a new blueprint.

Speaking to Lancashire Live, the former Anderlecht boss said: “When we have the ball we look after the ball which makes it difficult to get to the areas to have crosses and set pieces. So a big part of our game disappeared in the second half because we couldn’t go after them any more.”

Kompany went onto admit the early second-half goal didn’t help as his side struggled to physically compete with Sheffield United.

“With conceding the goal so early in the second half the momentum just shifted and it was a tough second half.”

Attention now turns to the game against fierce rivals Blackburn Rovers at Turf Moor next week.

Quiz: Which British club did Burnley FC sign these 26 players from?

1 of 26

Scott Twine

Cambridge MK Dons Peterborough Swindon

The Verdict

That was a concerning second half display from Burnley, who were outran, out fought and out battled by a side who were hungry and the inability to match that was a worry.

They will come up against plenty of other teams in the Championship who will follow a similar formula and it’s something that Kompany needs to get right.

However, it should be noted that this was a one-off bad 45 minutes and the Clarets have been outstanding for much of the campaign, so the boss will want to return to those levels in the derby next week.