Inside Burnley’s pre-season: Dedication, intensity and a non-negotiable style of play

It was June 5 and the 2022-23 season was not yet over. Manchester City were still a week away from winning the Champions League, but a video released on Burnley’s social media caused a stir.

It wasn’t one of their infamous transfer announcement videos — although there have been plenty of them — instead it showed the Burnley squad returning to start pre-season for the 2023-24 campaign.

Vincent Kompany is not the sort of person to relax and let anything drift. He is a manager dedicated to his job. His regular 12- to 14-hour days do not raise an eyebrow anymore. His squad was going to have a ‘pre’ pre-season. Four weeks off was enough.

Getting more time off after an intense Championship-winning season was discussed only jokingly by the club’s players. The season had finished on May 8, three weeks before the end of the Premier League campaign, less than a month later they were back to work.

Kompany and his staff are constantly looking for ways to gain an edge. While everybody in the Premier League was jetting off on holiday, Burnley’s were already over.

Last summer, Burnley was a club full of uncertainty. Kompany’s appointment took longer than hoped while relegation, the departure of players and financial worries were always in the background. Some predicted a season of struggle.

Instead 2022-23 was anything but. Burnley produced one of the finest second-tier campaigns in living memory, which led Tottenham and Chelsea to both show an interest in Kompany. But any speculation was put to bed before the summer when the Belgian signed a new five-year deal the day before the final game of the season.

The buzz and positive atmosphere created following his arrival last summer remains. There is a togetherness and camaraderie between players, coaching staff and club employees.

Burnley are back in the Premier League and Kompany has encouraged his players to embrace the step up and attack it without fear.

Only nine of his current squad have played more than five Premier League games; Connor Roberts, Charlie Taylor, Josh Brownhill, Jack Cork, Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Jay Rodriguez from last season’s success along with new signings Dara O’Shea, Nathan Redmond and Sander Berge.

Many of the younger players Burnley have signed as part of the Kompany revolution are about to realise a dream. As soon as promotion was secured they began to pick the brains of those with top-flight experience.

There is an acknowledgement internally that the squad’s lack of experience could be a disadvantage initially, but that has only increased the desire to find advantages elsewhere.

The 10-day ‘pre’ pre-season camp was planned months in advance. Players returned to the club’s Gawthorpe training ground for initial testing before jetting off to Portugal on June 8 and returning on June 16.

It overlapped with the final international break of the season so some of the players representing their countries did not attend. Players recovering from injury, such as Hjalmar Ekdal, travelled out for part of the camp, before Ekdal joined up with Sweden. Kompany’s thought process was: if some of my players are working then they all should be.

The group that went to Portugal was a mix of senior and younger players. There was a team-bonding element to the trip with gym competitions and players involved in a small-sided version of water polo. The key was to use training time for strength and conditioning work, and individual development, while allowing Kompany to cast an eye over the next generation.

It was the start of a meticulously planned pre-season aiming to get Burnley into the best possible shape physically, mentally and tactically.

Last season, Kompany was a Championship novice. Now he is back at the level he, and assistant manager Craig Bellamy, know inside out. However, from a management perspective it is still an unknown.

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He and his coaching staff have spent the past few months studying Premier League trends and the styles of individual teams to help to quicken the adaptation process. The cup games against Manchester United, AFC Bournemouth and Manchester City from last season have also been useful.

The key theme in the early weeks of last summer was overloading the players with information about Kompany’s philosophy and overhauling the style of play via a lot of detailed meetings and plenty of work on the training pitch.

This summer the style and system is already ingrained across the core of the squad. Would they need to change for the Premier League? “The style is a non-negotiable,” said one club source who wishes to remain anonymous to protect relationships.

The number of meetings, level of detail and the standards and demands expected in every training session remain. The difference is now it is focused on refining what they already know to adapt and evolve, reassessing performance levels and making sure there is no complacency from last season’s success.

After a 10-day break following the first Portugal trip, players returned for pre-season proper on June 26. Those who had been on international duty began to filter back through the door the following week.

Cohesion has been the key word buzzword. There is still plenty of learning to be done. Kompany’s players now know what is expected of them collectively and in the individual roles and tasks assigned to each position. The new challenge is laying down a marker and getting better at what is required.

Kompany likes to change the team’s shape multiple times during a game. He also mixes up his pressing systems. For those who have been with him from the start, solving problems on the pitch has become second nature. More thinking will be required in the Premier League against a higher level of opponent.

Minority investor JJ Watt’s influence is being felt. He joined a Zoom meeting with the coaching staff and discussed different technical and tactical ideas that could crossover from American football to football. It is not the first time the NFL legend has been part of these conversations as any potential marginal gain is explored. Kompany has also taken inspiration from rugby union, via England Rugby’s training methods and culture.

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Kompany keeps his players insulated from the outside world and wants them to ignore distractions. There have been relatively few but Wout Weghorst’s return to training made waves on social media and was met with a mixed reaction.

A section of supporters still hadn’t forgiven him for the manner of his exit the previous summer. That was made clear when he came on as a substitute against Genk and was booed by a section of the travelling supporters, while others tried to drown them out with applause.

He was well received by the Burnley fans who travelled to Spain for the friendly against Real Betis but the Dutchman was an unused substitute and it became clear he was not central to Kompany’s plans.

After internal conversations, it was agreed a departure was best for all parties. Hoffenheim’s loan offer ticked the right boxes and despite a late approach from an unnamed club, Weghorst will spend this season in the Bundesliga.

More training time has allowed time for drills to be tailored to improve aspects of players’ games. The individual meetings that were common throughout last season have continued.

“I’ve always said the more we can spend time on the pitch the quicker we can make the players better,” Kompany said at the start of pre-season

One of the players hoping to make a big leap is Lyle Foster who arrived for £8million ($10.1m) from Belgian side Westerlo in January. It was a slow start for the South African who took time to adjust to the demands of the Championship.

But the 22-year-old went into the off-season motivated and was dedicated to his individual off-season programme. With South Africa having already qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations he decided to miss international duty in favour of being part of the extended pre-season from the beginning.

Kompany has been pleased by Foster’s attitude in his first few months. Areas of his game needed to be ironed out. There was little pressure last season but it is on now. The bedding-in period is over and Foster, who feels settled in England, is feeling confident and ready to make an impact. He has looked sharp in pre-season and the individual work with Kompany and especially Bellamy is paying off.

Burnley’s assistant manager, who leads the attacking-third coaching, has been analysing Foster’s game. Together, alongside his link and hold-up play, they have focused on his movement and breaking into space. The difference has been noticeable.

There is a feeling from those close to Foster that the Premier League may suit his skillset more. Burnley will not have the same control and possession in every game. Transition moments are expected to be more frequent. That’s where Foster can demonstrate his athleticism.

Earlier this year, Foster opened up about suffering with mental health issues and Bellamy, who has endured his own, has offered important support.

Burnley’s friendlies began with four consecutive behind-closed-doors victories against lower-league opposition but there was a sense from some involved that the team were not quite meeting the required levels and they needed to be better. That can be expected at the start of pre-season with intense sessions weighing heavy on legs.

The open friendlies, which were fitted around the second trip to Portugal, saw opponents picked specifically to present the players with adversity. As well as battling heat, travel, intense training and bedding in new faces, their opponents were of a high quality.

They faced Genk, who were much further along in their pre-season and preparing for a Champions League qualifier; Benfica, Champions League quarter-finalists and according to Kompany “the best team in Portugal”; Real Betis, a Spanish top-six side; and a robust Mainz team.

It has been another summer of squad building with 10 signings made and more to come. Aston Villa’s Aaron Ramsey should be next, his move now all but official. Kompany and Burnley have looked to upgrade every department throughout the summer.

Jordan Beyer and Michael Obafemi were familiar faces after their option-to-buy clauses were triggered. They have been joined by James Trafford, Lawrence Vigouroux, O’Shea, Luca Koleosho, Jacob Bruun Larsen (on loan), Zeki Amdouni, Redmond and the latest addition, Berge.

Kompany is central to the club’s transfer business and speaks to every player personally to explain the role he envisions for them as he tries to convince them to join.

Burnley’s manager believes roughly 120 training sessions and 100 meetings are required to see cohesion across the squad and for individuals to get completely up to speed. That requires work over a number of months. The new players are challenged to take as much as they can on board. Naturally some will adapt more quickly than others.

Attention has also been paid to contract extensions. Anass Zaroury and Manuel Benson have penned new five- and four-year deals respectively in recent weeks. Josh Cullen is next in line for a new contract. Initial talks have already taken place and are expected to ramp up imminently. The club are also keen to secure the future of fellow midfielder Brownhill who has less than 12 months, plus a 12-month option, remaining on his current deal.

Cullen has missed the final few weeks of pre-season with a calf issue. It has only been a precaution however and he has trained this week so is expected to feature against Manchester City tonight.

Burnley will not be the finished article in their opening Premier League game. The aim is to improve as the season goes on. Kompany believes he has a number of surprise “Easter eggs” in his squad who will step up at different times throughout the campaign. Amdouni and Koleosho have already shown glimpses of this.

The long summer of preparation is now over and we will soon see if Kompany’s Burnley can make waves with the big boys, starting off with the reigning champions.

(Top photo: Fran Santiago/Getty Images)