There was a time, not long ago, when Scott Parker was genuinely seen as a candidate for the England managerial job. And Parker’s difficult Premier League season with Burnley will, I think, change very little of that.
Is Parker really a great manager who has not yet been afforded a team that matches his talents? Will Scott Parker’s tactics ultimately save Burnley from relegation? That’s what I’m hoping to answer here.
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Pre-managerial career
Polite, sober, and low-key, Scott Parker is something of a hero in England. That’s despite the fact that he has not yet won top-tier awards and prizes.
But I can understand the appeal. Up to one point, he’s living the story of every major football fan. He’s consistently been in the Premier League both as a player and as a manager.
Parker was a highly respected midfielder. What he lacked in skill or physique, he made up for in hard work. He amassed an impressive 18 caps for England and played for Tottenham, Chelsea, or Fulham. Not too shabby!
Parker began football management in 2019. He’s never managed an unimportant team. He’s worked for Fulham, Bournemouth, Club Brugge, and Burnley. Not bad!
Parker guided his teams to promotion three times. He also, technically, was at the helm for two relegations, and Burnley currently sits in 19th place.
Football Philosophy
First and foremost, Scott Parker is a man-manager, and a tactician second. He’s been lauded at every job he’s had for instilling discipline and for setting standards. Really, that’s something that every football board wants to hear. But what about the tactics?
Scott Parker prefers his teams to sit in a low block. He’s always favored a 4-2-3-1 formation, or something similar. And he’s talked in interviews about thinking, firstly, about creating a defensive foundation on which everything else rests. No wonder he could be England manager. He’s a younger, London-born Gareth Southgate.
Burnley in Defence
Look, in the Championship, Burnley showed a fantastic capacity both to defend and score goals. To hit both these targets in EPL was an unrealistic goal.
This is why the team’s style of play is defensive, focuses on sitting in a low block, and on ensuring players know their roles and make as few mistakes as possible.
And while Parker still favors a 4-2-3-1 formation, a string of poor results has led to a five-man defense or a deep-lying 4-3-3 being implemented.
There is very little width created by Burnley’s full-backs. Instead, the team typically tries to overcrowd midfield areas, use pressing triggers, and wait for opponents ‘ mistakes.
The ideal Burnley performance? A goal from a free kick scored in the 10th minute, followed by 80 minutes of compressed spaces, and defending around the box.
Build-up Style
It’s a consequence of not having much of the ball, but Burnley relies, mostly, on short passes played by the defenders (Hartman and Esteve), followed by long balls forward.
The players responsible for finding those pockets of space are the more experienced ones, such as Kyle Walker and Josh Cullen. Success rate, however, has been disappointing in this regard.
Frankly, this direct approach is what might need to be altered. Looking at the stats, it is players like Walker, Cullen, Hartman, or goalie Dubravka who attempt the most passes. However, none has a success rate higher than 70%. While it is true that Burnley is exceeding its goals in terms of xG ratio, 12 to 16, this doesn’t look like a sustainable approach.
Simply put, Burnley either needs better ball-playing defenders or midfielders, or needs better wingers and more approaches down the wing.
Burnley in Attack
How does Burnley score goals? How, indeed? The team has the third-lowest scoring record in the EPL. However, Burnley was a goal machine back in the Championship. It’s simply a matter of not being yet able to adapt to a more difficult league.
While the team is getting some decent returns from Dutch striker Zian Flemming, the team’s attempts to find him with long through balls or crosses from dead-ball situations might not be enough to guarantee enough points to stay in the EPL for another season.
Frankly, I don’t think that attacking players Flemming or Jaidon Anthony have been playing poorly. Together, they’ve contributed nine goals out of the sixteen scored by the team.
If Parker manages to improve the way the team gets the ball into the final third, I still think it stands a chance of saving the team from relegation. However, the disappointment of losing six games on the bounce will affect the morale of even the most experienced players.
What’s Next for Parker and Burnley?
Championship, probably. But while, perhaps, this might be a better choice for all involved, if recent history’s shown us anything is that a Premier League club will want to hire Parker.
Scott Parker’s Burnley did well to promote to the Premier League immediately after dropping down to the second tier. In terms of results, the Clarets aren’t performing much worse than Vincent Kompany’s version of the team. Still, Kompany opted for an attacking approach, while Parker chose a strong defensive one.
Most likely, regardless of the results that come at the end of the season, both Parker and Burnley will quickly bounce back.
