FM21 Burnley tactic and team guide. Club culture and board requirements, tactics, key players, youth prospects and potential transfer.
Football Manager 2021 Burnley tactic and team guide. Club culture and board
requirements, tactics, key players, youth prospects and potential transfers
in FM21.
Here is a brief analysis of the Burnley squad, their club structure, relationship any potential managers will have with the board, expectations and possible tactics any FM21 manager can use.
About the club
Burnley are a lower mid-table PL Club. They are known as the clarets and are quite famous for their tenacious style of football under current manager Sean Dyche (whom you will be replacing). Burnley have had a roller coaster ride in the PL era but have been firmly in the PL for the past 5 seasons, sometimes punching above their weight. Burnley, interestingly, are the smallest town to host a PL game.
Board Requirements
Burnley finished a respectable 10th last season, however, considering that they have a weak squad, the board requirements will be rather relaxed when you take over,
1. Survive being relegated from the Premier League.
2. Make the 5th round of the FA Cup
3. Make the 4th round of the EFL Carabao Cup.
You will additionally be required to play a defensively solid style of football and focus on being direct. You will also be required to sign young players for the future and develop players using the club’s youth system.
The clarets have adequate training facilities and a pretty ordinary youth setup. You will definitely have to improve this if you wish to build solidity with Burnley.
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Squad, Formation and Tactical Style
There are quite a few tactical setups you could deploy with Burnley. However, a direct counter-attacking style or wing-play is best suited and will play to the strengths of the squad. Be very specific to concentrate on set pieces as Burnley have a lot of tall players in their squad and this will be a very important outlet for goals.
A 4-4-2 is the best way to set up your Burnley squad. Be sure to have the wingers & fullbacks to have increased crossing instructions to make use of the height of both the forwards. Alternatively, you can deploy a 3-5-2 formation as well.
A rough example of what your line-up would look like in a 4-4-2 formation is as follows,
Nick Pope as a sweeper-keeper
Matthew Lowton & Charlie Taylor as the fullbacks, ensure that the crossing instructions are set to maximum.
James Tarkowski and Ben Mee as central defenders with defence duty.
Jack Cork & Ashley Westwood as the 2 central midfielders. Cork needs to be played as a box to box midfielder and Westwood as a playmaker.
Johann Berg Gudmundsson & Dwight McNeil as the 2 wide midfielders, once again with increased crossing instructions.
Chris Wood & Ashley Barnes as the 2 forwards. You can alternate and play one as a target man and the other as a Pressing and aim crosses at your target man.
When you need a creative threat, you can bring in Robbie Brady who is extremely versatile and is an excellent set-piece taker.
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Key Players
1. Chris Wood
The New Zealand striker is the talisman for Burnley up front. In the 2019-2020 season, he scored a crucial 14 league goals which helped Burnley punch above their weight. He will be the main source of goals in the team.
2. James Tarkowski
Tarkowski is a strong robust defender who makes no-nonsense tackles and is extremely good in set pieces.
3. Nick Pope
Pope is an accomplished young keeper who is amongst the league’s elite. He is one of the key reasons for Burnley being stoic in defence.
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1. The squad lacks any creative players and other than crosses they lack the
ability to create clear cut chances.
Weaknesses
2. The formation and playstyle with the available squad of players is very rigid and will take a lot of training to develop alternate styles.
3. With a few key players ageing, there may not be much time to find able alternatives.
Potential Transfers (in)
Burnley have a relatively weak squad but these additions could further improve their depth and performances.
· Andre Gomes
· Olivier Giroud
Potential Transfers (Out)
These players may be surplus to requirements at the club or may not be of the expected quality.
· Erik Pieters
· Jay Rodriguez
Youth Prospects
There are a few exciting young prospects in the ranks who have the potential to be some of the best players in the league. A few examples are,
1. Dwight McNeil
McNeil is the best young player at Burnley. He has a very high ceiling and is a naturally gifted attacking player who is versatile.
2. Bobby Thomas
The 19-year-old centre back is of the same mould as other Burnley defenders. He is tenacious, gritty and is good in the air. He will be an able replacement at CB in the future years.
3. Max Thompson
Thompson currently plays for the u23s and is an extremely fast winger. His versatility is an added bonus. He has all the traits to become an important player at the club in the future.
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Summary
To Summarize, Burnley certainly have more than enough quality for remaining in the Premier League but lack the quality to push for higher positions. Can you bring some quality into the clarets squad and provide them with some much-needed stability?
