As soon as Burnley’s relegation was confirmed, Vincent Kompany began planning their comeback to the Premier League.
After spending just one season in the top division, the Clarets will be competing in the Championship once more the following year.
Despite their understandable disappointment, Kompany maintains that his teammates must immediately focus on returning to the Premier League and that they have no time to “moan” or “sulk.”
With just five victories this season and one game remaining, Kompany thinks the Clarets have learned a bitter lesson that will pay off in the long run.
“Every game is a lesson, every defeat is a lesson, every win is even a lesson,” he said.
“We will absolutely use this exercise—which involves reflecting on where things went wrong—as it is really beneficial. Maintaining a high level of energy is crucial. No matter what lessons you’ve learnt, if the energy wanes, it’s gone.
“There is not the slightest possibility that this will occur while I’m in the building.
We go all out and continue training on the next phases on Tuesday because we have a longer approach to the next game.
“Last but not least, I mentioned last year that we were English club number 21 because everyone wanted to make a huge statement when we won the trophy. We are club number 21, I said.
We are now at number 19. The objective is to try and break out of that middle region where we are at the moment, and perhaps we can stay 21 or 22 next season.
“But the club is still active and aspirational.”
Kompany doesn’t want his players to believe that their summer vacation has started earlier than it has, especially with one game remaining, which is against Nottingham Forest next week.
“Last year, we had two months in which we were already promoted, and we had to play for what?” he continued. We had to maintain our high standards during that time as we prepared for the Premier League, which was the upcoming season.
“Now, nothing has changed. We still need to get better, so I don’t want to hear anything other than that we need to have a good week as we get ready for next season. Next season, with such improvement, we will be able to win games.
