Burnley boss Scott Parker admitted his side “lacked nous at key moments” as they slipped to a 2-1 defeat against Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday.
A brace from Danyal Malen put the home side in control before Lesley Ugochukwu’s first goal for Burnley 12 minutes from time gave the visitors late hope. However, the Clarets couldn’t find an equaliser, leaving Parker frustrated but determined to take positives from the performance.
“The break’s come at a good time for us — a good time to review, look over and see where we are,” Parker said after the match. “I feel like I know exactly where it is. It’s a young team, young players, talented. I’m immensely proud of them.
“There’s no denying we’ve had an incredibly tough start. But the huge positive is that, as tough as it’s been, we’ve been hugely competitive. We’re here to win, I’m here to win, and this team wants to stay in this league. We’ll learn from it and improve.”
Scott Parker admitted Burnley’s inexperience showed in crucial moments against a Villa side that punished their lapses in concentration.
“I feel like I’m saying the same things again and again,” he continued. “We were competitive again, like we have been all season, but you can’t afford to switch off in this league. One second, and you get punished.
“At times we were hugely competitive but ultimately we switched off and were naive in moments. We lacked a little bit of nous in managing the game. That was a flaw for us today and that’s certainly an area we need to fix.
“We only really found our rhythm in the final 15 minutes, but it came a little too late for us in the end.”
The defeat leaves Burnley in the bottom three, with just four points from their opening seven Premier League fixtures. Scott Parker, however, remains calm and confident that results will turn.
“I’m a rational guy and perspective is paramount,” he added. “We need to improve in certain areas and that’s something we’ll work on during the break. The challenge is still in front of us — we’ve been right in games, and I’m confident we’ll keep doing the right things.”
Burnley next face Leeds United at Turf Moor on October 18.
