West Brom thrashed a sorry Burnley side 4-0 on Monday night at the Hawthorns.
Burnley were unceremoniously thrashed 4-0 by West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns last night in a match which told us a great deal about both sides. Here are five things we learned from the game.
Don’t judge a book by its cover
Many were wondering why Sky Sports had chosen this game as their flagship Monday night game. Unflattering statistics such as the one below were bandied around Twitter as many were expecting a flat, lifeless game.
The spectacle itself was anything but. Both teams appeared intent on attacking with reckless abandon (to the detriment of the actual quality of the football) and West Brom flexed their mid-table muscles to romp home.
Pulis not a one-trick pony
On the subject of unflattering stats, Tony Pulis has cultivated a unique and, perhaps, unwanted reputation as a long-ball specialist reliant on little possession and heightened physicality. This was not the case last night. Two goals in particular were a result of blistering counter attacks and the player such as James Morrison and Matt Phillips were linking and interchanging at will. This was a different Pulis performance from ones we’ve seen previous, and it’d be nice to see it more often.
West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Pulis
Rondon is exceptional
As if it were not already clear, West Brom’s Salomon Rondon is one of the most underrated players in the league. He appears to have it all – winning headers, linking play, bursting past defenders and, most importantly, scoring goals. Pulis will be in for a fight to keep the Venezuelan over the next couple of transfer windows if he keeps this up.
West Bromwich Albion’s Salomon Rondon celebrates scoring their fourth goal
Burnley are the most inconsistent team in the league
Despite being 12 games in, Burnley still remain something of a mystery. One week they can be physically dominating teams at Turf Moor, such as Liverpool and Everton, before going and putting in a dogged display at Old Trafford to earn a 0-0. So it was ludicrous to see Sean Dyche’s men roll over so easily last night against much weaker opposition than they have played previously. If this is a marker of their (in)consistency for the remainder of the season, Clarets fans will be in for some ride.
Burnley cannot chase a game
Another of the more remarkable things to note about the Burnley performance last night was their penchant for leaving absolutely nobody behind to defend when they went forward. The early goal clearly shook them but their tactics going forward were a travesty as they bungled their attempts to chase the game time and time again. This won’t be the last time they fall behind this season so they must improve this aspect of their game.
Burnley manager Sean Dyche
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