Reaction: TC's Honest Burnley Assessment

Tom Cleverley offered a frank analysis to watfordfc.com after his side fell to a 2-1 defeat at Burnley in the Sky Bet Championship.

Read what the Head Coach had to say below:

On the result: 

I think the scoreline flatters us, and I have told that to the players afterwards. Let’s not get in a false sense of security after 2-1 away at Burnley - that could have been a lot more convincing. Nowhere near an acceptable performance from us today.

I think they showed more personality to play, get on the ball, they showed better problem solving, but more worryingly, they ran more and they tackled harder, so it is a really disappointing afternoon. If we are serious about our ambitions, we have to have a better mindset in these away games where you are going to suffer setbacks.

At home we have suffered setbacks and responded to them, but away from home we just don’t show the same character or mindset to be able to come back from any deficits.

On where the game was lost:

After about five minutes. I thought we started the game well, and then a couple of setbacks, lost balls, and lost tackles, their crowd got up, and we struggled to show any sort of personality to turn that around.

I am not saying that is easy. I know very well that it is not easy, coming to a team who are nine unbeaten and who do not concede many goals, but I thought we needed to show a little bit more to compete with the teams at this level.

On whether Burnley stopped Watford playing, or not enough of the players showed their best:

Both. I have always said, when pressure comes strong, have the belief and the mindset to play through that pressure instead of shying away from it, instead of not wanting to receive the ball. That was one key area that we fell short on today, and the others were the basics of football.

The running, the tackling. Tactically I could have changed it after 10, 15 minutes, to be honest, but that would have meant early substitutions, and that would have been a big call to me. It was wrong on every level today.

On the tactical switch at half-time:

Their midfielder runners were too intense, and they had too much control in the game, so they could impose all their midfield runners and they had time to run beyond the striker who dropped deeper. A lot of times they had five on the top line against our back four.

As a result, we had to get an extra number in there to try and tighten it up a little bit, which, in the second half, we improved a little bit, but I still think 2-1 flatters us a little bit.

On Baah’s goal being too little, too late:

It was a great finish, and we showed enough character to keep going and going, and make sure our supporters had something to cheer about, but too little, too late, and we need to see that sort of hunger and desire from minute one.

On the next step being going to promotion contenders and performing:

Yeah, absolutely. I can take losing that game 2-1 if I see the mindset that we want to go to the next level, but we didn’t today, so 2-1 with a performance we probably all regret, it hurts.

We have taken some big strides forward that the players need credit for this season, but until we can say we are a real candidate for the top end of the table, we have to take that next step and come and be competitive in these games.