Scott Parker addressed the media ahead of the crucial match against West Ham at Turf Moor on Saturday, reflecting largely on the importance of his team’s mentality.
The Burnley manager claimed his team were “all good” despite their dismal 3-0 defeat to Sunderland on Monday night, and opted to speak candidly when discussing his team’s need for a reset.
The 45-year-old rejected suggestions that the result called for harsh words towards his players and said he would prefer to strike a balance between criticism and positivity.
He said: “In these trying times, it is necessary to have a clear focus.
“When you’re under stress, under serious stress, the easiest way is probably to try to limit things and be clear about one, two or three things about who we should be.”
He also didn’t get ahead of himself in talking about what a potential win against West Ham could add to Burnley’s momentum tomorrow.
Parker said: “We’ve been in this position at times this year where you feel there’s that momentum and then we’ve let ourselves down.
“I think they’ve had a big improvement in the last three or four weeks, obviously they’ve brought in some players.”
Before playing Chelsea, West Ham had won their last three games in all competitions, including victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland.
When asked about his fixation on the word “resilience,” Parker remained honest by stating that it is what is needed despite everything that has been tested this season.
He credited the leadership qualities shown by the club’s senior signings Kyle Walker and goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka for helping to guide his team through a difficult period, without winning the league since mid-October.
Parker expressed his desire to employ aggressive tactics, but also his intention to make the most of the players he currently has at his disposal.
He said: “You are constantly trying to weigh different things for the game.
“I think this year there have been many games in which we have varied different things. We want to be an aggressive team.
“We’ll try to figure out what’s the best way to play this team in terms of the personnel they have and in terms of where I see the best fit.”
Parker confirmed that there were no new injury concerns ahead of tomorrow’s clash against West Ham, and that, as expected, the current long-term injured players were still absent.
He said: “The long-term guys are still the long-term guys/obviously James (Ward-Prowse) can’t play this weekend due to playing against West Ham.”
The match will take place at Turf Moor on Saturday 7 February with kick-off scheduled for 3pm (UK time).
