Ahead of Burnley’s midweek trip to Wolves, Vincent Kompany spoke to the media about the Clarets’ return to winning ways, the pressure on Paul Heckingbottom and the impressive mindset of his players to perform under pressure.
‘We just move on’
When asked about how it felt to head into a game on the back of a comprehensive win, Vincent Kompany spoke very modestly about the mood within the camp. He brushed away any suggestions of a large celebration, stating that the team deals with positive emotions ‘the same way we dealt with the other side of it. I think we just move on to the next game now; it’s done.’
He proudly admitted that ‘the lads deserved the performance and the result,’ and encouraged the side to ‘believe that they can do it again’ against Wolves when they meet on Tuesday evening.
He did however take the time to praise his side’s clean sheet against Sheffield United on Saturday, which was their first of the season. Kompany seemed pleased, going on to say that he could imagine that ‘the defenders and the goalkeeper would have taken a little bit more pride in achieving so.’
Embed from Getty Images‘We’re strong enough to deal with whatever comes at us’
Once again, the Burnley boss downplayed any significance that was put on Saturday’s win. He described the three points as ‘valuable,’ but he explained that ‘we’ve put in a lot of good performances recently. We’ve probably not had what we thought we deserved, but even that, it’s life.’
He praised the mindset of the group, saying that ‘mentally we’re strong enough to deal with whatever comes at us.’
Heckingbottom ‘was one of the best managers’
Almost bemused by the situation that Paul Heckingbottom now finds himself in, Kompany chuckled when processing the idea that the Sheffield United manager’s position was under threat. He told reporters that ‘I just know that three or four months ago he was one of the best managers in the league where I was.’
‘I was just at an awards dinner where he was picking up awards for that, so not that much could have changed in four or five months.’
‘Every club will have its own way of dealing with things, but, like I said, last year – the whole of last season – all that’s stuck with me is the amount of praise he was getting.’
The Belgian seemed to speak passionately on the topic, adding that ‘people seem to accept [regular sackings] in football – personally I don’t. It’s not because it’s done everywhere that it should be done this way.’
Embed from Getty ImagesWe ‘believe that we are going to get results’
Kompany was full of praise for Tuesday’s opponents, insisting that he feels as though the Wolves squad has ‘depth in quality’ – but the Belgian was keen to pile on additional praise for Matheus Cunha.
When talking about Wolves’ strengths, he said that ‘you’ve got a 45-million-pound striker up front who is someone that I think is really good.’
He went on to say that the quality at Wolves’ disposal is ‘no different’ to the other teams in the league, however, again emphasising that ‘we’ve been good in many [games] and we have to continue trying to follow that path and believe that we are going to get results.’
‘Still a lot of work to be done to earn’ Premier League status
Plenty of teams in the Premier League are struggling with fixture congestion due to injuries, but Kompany is very happy with the quick turnaround, claiming that he’s ‘happy to go anytime,’ and ‘the more games the better for us.’
In an explanation as to why he enjoys the shorter breaks in between games, he declared that ‘I do believe in our squad, as well!’
‘I know we’re not a Premier League team yet, you know because there’s still a lot of work to be done to earn it, but I have a lot of faith and trust in the squad that we have.’
Embed from Getty Images‘We’re part of the elite, in terms of mindset’
The Burnley manager was quick to praise his players for their mental fortitude during their recent difficult spell. He explained that the match against Sheffield United was ‘one of two games where people will say you may be a little bit favourite here.’
‘To start the game like they did, to finish the game like they did is a lot of pressure, so what I want to say is the mindset within the club to press the reset button and to continue the hard work is incredible.’
‘There’s things where there is a big gap between us and Premier League teams still, but there’s aspects of the club where I think we are part of the elite – in terms of mindset, in terms of what people are doing to deliver their job every day, players and staff alike.’
Kompany justified this by saying ‘I’ve been at a top club, I can benchmark it. That’s something really special here, that lives here every day.’
