KOMPANY LOOKS AHEAD TO CHELSEA TRIP

Clarets boss previews Saturday’s trip to Stamford Bridge

Manager Vincent Kompany says although his side have always kept belief whatever the results and form, the Clarets boss is hoping the win last time out against Brentford can ‘encourage’ his side to go on and claim more points in the final nine Premier League fixtures.

Burnley take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this weekend and Kompany acknowledges his side will face a challenging task against the Blues, but insists it’s a fixture his team will be aiming to take all three points from to potentially close the gap of climbing out the bottom three to just two points.

Speaking to the media on Thursday afternoon ahead of the trip to London, Kompany explained: “It is of that (cup final) importance, but I have to say for us the feeling has been like this already for a while. The Chelsea game you’re playing against a top team but its not a luxury game for us, they’re all-important games in terms of getting points from it.

“We saw the feeling that it gives you when you do achieve it. The West Ham game was unfortunate but in terms of where we’re at at the moment, we hope that we can keep getting results and building on from the last win.

“In tough times we’ve always remained strong, we’ve always kept a belief. So, all of a sudden when you have a win, I hope that kind of encourages that. We’re not really a team that’s too phased, we’re not a rollercoaster team, I don’t think.

“At least not emotionally. So, I feel pretty confident that win or lose, we’re always able to get back on track but it’s about winning at the moment and it’s the same again this weekend.”

On whether the Brentford win before the international break came at a good time, Kompany said: “No, I don’t really think there’s a good or bad time I think it’s good that we won the game. But as well, it’s really clear now, there’s nine games left it’s a run till the end of the season.

“To build up that energy also mentally, physically and go into that run of games. We’ll see, maybe its not the worst thing, we’re very focussed on the games ahead.”

Chelsea sit 11th in the Premier League table, have a place in the FA semi-final at Wembley next month and have won five of their last eight fixtures in all competitions.

Ahead of the visit to the capital, Kompany had high praise for Pochettino’s side and compared the similarity in terms of ages of the two teams.

“It’s a young team so the one guarantee you have with young players is that they will always get better. For them to finish stronger than they started, it makes absolute sense. It’s almost a natural process that they go through and it’s a team with a lot of very good prospects for the future.

“Of course they have the pressure of results also, but in our case it’s no different for us. We have a young team as well and the same need for results.”

Kompany says he has learnt a lot from the experience of this season as manager and says it’s ‘something to turn in a strength’ across the course of the 2023/24 season.

“My mentality is not necessarily, I hope that when I’m the age of Roy Hodgson, I faced him this season, that I’d still be able to tell you that I’m still learning and I’m still improving.

“That’s just something that is always there. I think it’s also something that lives in the building, we want to perform but we also want to improve every day. So, this is for us, not something to shy away from.

“It’s something to turn into a strength and I think you can. Definitely if in your mindset, you’ve always got a little bit of a bigger drive. My ambition for this club doesn’t stop after the next nine games if that makes sense. Its continuous.”