Can Burnley & Leeds survive in Premier League?
Leeds and Burnley have sealed their places in the Premier League with two games to spare.Both could yet end the season on exactly 100 points - yet will be immediately tipped for relegation next season.For the Clarets it is an immediate bounceback, while the Whites took two years to secure their top-flight return.Both clubs' managers have similar records in English football management - with three promotions from the Championship, but zero seasons of actually staying up in the Premier League.So how will they fare back in the top flight? The past two seasons have shown they will have their work cut out.
Can Parker learn from Kompany mistake?
Burnley's last season in the Premier League was under Vincent Kompany. They had cruised their way to promotion, playing attractive football.But they continued trying to play like that in the Premier League and it did not work. Well it worked for Kompany, who was hired as Bayern Munich manager at the end of the season, but not for the Clarets who went down. However, this promotion campaign has been very different. It was based on a solid defence - conceding only 15 goals in 44 league games so far. They are on a club record 31-game unbeaten league run.Manager Scott Parker had previously won promotion with Fulham and Bournemouth. His record in the Championship is three promotions from three seasons.In his two and a half years with Fulham they were relegated from the Premier League twice, and promoted in between.At Bournemouth he got them promoted in his first season in charge but left just weeks into the following season, after a 9-0 loss to Liverpool.Former Clarets defender Michael Duff told BBC Radio 5 Live: "There are going to be tough times next season [for Parker]. He's proven that he's a good manager, and he's not going to become a bad manager in three or four games."Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart, who played for Burnley from 2018 to 2020, added: "There is no way he is going to come away from that [defensive strategy] next season, absolutely no way, especially after what he has seen in the last two seasons from newly promoted sides."
Can Farke ever compare to Bielsa?
Daniel Farke has managed something only Marcelo Bielsa has done with Leeds since 1990 - winning promotion to the top flight.The German led Norwich to promotion from the Championship twice, but they went straight back down the first time and he was sacked in the November of the second Premier League campaign.They have more points than they did in their 2019-20 Championship title-winning campaign under Bielsa (93) - having lost in last season's play-off final.But no manager will ever compare to the iconic Argentine Bielsa - who was sacked 18 months into his Premier League stint - to Leeds fans.Former Leeds striker Jermaine Beckford said: "When you've got players such as Archie Gray, Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville - three key players leaving last summer, after missing out in the play-offs, who would have foreseen the overturn in fortunes?"The players that came in - man for man - may not have been as good individually as the players that left. But what they did bring was unity and team spirit."We've scored more goals, conceded less goals, we've got more points [than under Bielsa]. It's phenomenal, but those stats do get overlooked because Daniel Farke is not Marcelo Biesla."
How do promoted teams usually do?
Leeds and Burnley will hope they can buck the new trend of promoted teams going straight back down.Only once between the Premier League's foundation in 1992-93 and 2022-23 had all the promoted teams gone straight back down.But it is set to happen for the second season in a row now. Last season it was Sheffield United, Luton and Burnley. This season Leicester and Southampton are down and Ipswich will join them soon.Not only that but, barring a huge turnaround in the final few weeks, they will be the two lowest ever points totals for three relegated teams.It used to be more common for no promoted teams to go back down - happening four times.Hart added: "I think fans are going to have to get on board that their teams are going to be looking to grind out results, earn their status in the Premier League. "I think it has been shown over the last two seasons what an impressive league this is, and you really have to be squeaky clean if you want to play that sort of football - because you will get picked apart and hurt."One thing hindering promoted clubs is the profit and sustainability rules (PSR) - which punishes clubs which post losses of more than £105m over a three-year reporting cycle.Burnley chief finance officer Sasha Ryazantsev told BBC Sport: "A promotion to the Premier League has the obvious positive impact of the higher broadcasting and commercial revenues, yet, Burnley will have one of the lowest revenues."Player wages is the best predictor of on-the-pitch performance in the Premier League. "In 2024, the average wages of the three promoted clubs were five times lower than the average for the top three clubs, and half of the average of the seven clubs immediately below them. "Such disparity means that it has become increasingly difficult for newly promoted sides to stay up, and clubs need to find a way to outsmart the opposition, as outspending them is just not a viable option."
Are their current players good enough?
Leeds have been more impressive going forward this season, with Burnley more impressive at the back."Dan James, Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu look capable of coping with the step up," said BBC Radio Leeds reporter Adam Pope of the Wales internationals.Winger James has played in the Premier League with Leeds, Manchester United and Fulham and centre-back Rodon, also 27, has been there with Tottenham.Captain Ampadu, aged just 24, has already played in the top flights in England, Germany and Italy."There is an argument to suggest Ao Tanaka, Jayden Bogle and Willy Gnonto could follow suit, with the latter pair having had 74 appearances between them in the Premier League already," added Pope."Joel Piroe has the quality to finish at the top level, if not the pace required."Dutch forward Piroe is the Championship's top scorer with 19 goals - including four in Monday's 6-0 win over Stoke.The man who has dominated headlines for Burnley this season has been England Under-21 goalkeeper James Trafford.He has kept 28 clean sheets in 43 Championship games, including a run of 12 in a row, conceding 15 goals - one every 258 minutes.Last season he had conceded 62 goals in 28 Premier League games, with only two clean sheets.Former Clarets keeper Hart said: "I love him, he is so confident and charismatic. He really believes in himself and I know for a fact he has been working hard on his physical development. He will be at the centre of plenty of activity this summer."Ex-Clarets winger Glen Little, who is BBC Radio Lancashire's summariser, says their centre-backs - who like Trafford are both 22 - have been their best two players."I'd have Maxime Esteve as the player of the season and CJ Egan-Riley right behind him. The defence have been really good," he said.
Will they have money to spend this summer?
Both clubs are owned by Americans, with investment from people linked to American football.ALK Capital LLC has majority control of Burnley, with Alan Pace the chairman. Former NFL player JJ Watt is a minority stakeholder in the club.Leeds are owned by the San Francisco 49ers Enterprises group, with investors including American golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.Red Bull has a minority stake in the club.Leeds reporter Pope said: "I expect Daniel Farke will be backed by the owners, unlike his time post winning two titles at Norwich City. "Financially Leeds United are in as solid a position as I can recall."The one concern is that the club has £142m to fork out in unpaid transfer fees, but the profit from the sales of Crysencio Summerville, Archie Gray and Georginio Rutter will offset some of that."Burnley's owners have a decision to make. Two summers ago they spent a fortune and got relegated with 24 points."A couple of years ago they shocked everyone," said Little. "They spent about £100m. It was a disaster. It didn't work. "Will they reign it in a bit this time and go for more experienced Premier League players? Or will they take the money and say 'it's a young team, shall we go with it and see how we get on?'"The one thing they didn't do last time, which was a mistake, was they didn't sign a proper centre-forward. This time around hopefully they've learned their lesson there. That would be my first business."
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