The three-month football-drought has ended, as the Premier League marked its return with a goal-thrilling match between Liverpool and Norwich. Saturday night football also returned with a series of interesting ties, which included Southampton’s journey to Burnley’s Turf Moor. Three of their last meetings in the league ended with a draw, and some fans were expecting something different this time.
After they couldn’t advance further in the Europa League and had to battle for relegation, Burnley surely want to end with a better record. A race to a place for the European competition might be a bit too positive, but if every player performs at their best then a top-half finish is possible. As they welcomed Southampton to their home ground, Sean Dyche’s expectation was to secure three points.
Ralph Hasenhüttl has had a very difficult challenge at Southampton, saving the club from relegation and reclaiming their spot inside the top-half. He has done the first part after finishing at 16th last season and with a very positive pre-season and summer window, they are confident of achieving the target. Although the first half hadn’t separated the two sides, the second period saw a different story. Ashley Barnes’ brace and a dramatic solo effort from Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson secured three points for Burnley.
This tactical analysis will provide an analysis of Burnley’s dominant 3-0 win over Southampton. Meanwhile, using statistics, we will point out how Southampton’s tactics fell short in the second half to Burnley’s tactics.
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