Vincent Kompany is not lacking any drive or desire when his Burnley side travel to Crystal Palace in the Premier League this Saturday. The Belgian spoke to media about why he will not give up the fight with his relegation-threatened side ahead of their trip to London.
He began by saying: “It’s where I’ve come from and the challenges I’ve experienced, and then you say, where does the drive and the desire come from? I have so many reasons to have that fire in me every single day. I have so many reasons why I can’t ever, ever do less. It comes from a genuine place, and it is far bigger than one result or a bad month.
“It is where you come from. Where I come from, my dad was a political refugee and had to flee a country not just at war but in a dictatorship where he was getting whipped in his 20s because he was against the regime over there.”
Although Kompany admitted that he did not have to overcome struggles similar to those of his father, he has faced his fair share of challenges.
The 37-year-old has used these experiences to help him look for possible ways to overcome the challenge he currently faces following Burnley’s 5-0 defeat to Arsenal.
He said: “The strength of a team is when you are able to move past this, not let it define you, and continue on your path.
“The answer is on the pitch; it is the next game and the game after that.
“Keeping perspective can be difficult, so to have that discipline to remind yourself to do that is really important.”
Embed from Getty ImagesThe four-time Premier League winner declared that the match at Selhurst Park is a must-win for the Lancashire club, but there is a need to change the focus of his tactical analysis following the appointment of Oliver Glasner as the Eagles’ new manager this week, which is not helping his plans.
He said: “I think we have to have the approach that every game is a must-win. The truth of it is, it is never as black or white. It is really about getting a run together; it’s a must to get a run of results together that’s the must.
“Every game is tough for us; they are a good team with good players, and saying it’s a must, it’s a desire, let’s put it this way. We face a good team, and we are building up towards this game to have good energy for the game.
“With a new manager, you have to take a slightly different approach.”
However, with modern-day resources, the former Manchester City captain has done his homework on his Austrian counterpart.
He said: “We get the chance to thoroughly analyse teams and whatever we want to, so of course we’ve done that, and he is a coach with a lot of clarity in what he does. I think everything he has set up so far is set up in a very clear way with a lot of intent as well in their game.”
Kompany admitted that his side needed to ensure they were winning the battles in both boxes to bring about the possibility of Premier League football next season, but his Burnley side would continue to put in what they have done this season, with the belief that it will eventually come together.
He said: “In the 16 games we have played (since they last played Crystal Palace), 12 of those games, you could have said it was a performance that can give you a result in the Premier League. The performance hasn’t been the issue at the centre of those last 16 games; it is the results.
“It is about putting the ball in the back of the net and keeping it out of your net.
“You never know when it might click or when it will happen, but you have got to have the belief that the next game is when it happens, and then each game after that.”
Kick-off for Burnley’s clash away to Crystal Palace is at 3pm on Saturday, with many intrigued to see how the Eagles perform in Glasner’s first fixture at the helm, and if the Lancashire side can correct their poor run of form.
