Vincent Kompany believes Burnley have “a lot of room for improvement” so won’t draw too many conclusions from Monday’s match at Nottingham Forest.
Burnley have made a poor start to their first season in the Premier League and are bottom of the table after being beaten by Manchester City, Aston Villa and Tottenham.
It was a baptism of fire given City’s treble last season, while Villa and Tottenham are likely to push for a European finish this season.
There is therefore a school of thought that says Forest will be more of a litmus test for how Burnley perform this season, given Steve Cooper’s side narrowly avoided relegation last season.
Asked if he thought that was the case, Burnley boss Kompany said:
“These are the kind of games you want to get results in, there’s no doubt about that, and it will be the same for them as it is for us.
“I still think that our team has a lot of room for improvement and that’s why I can’t say I draw any conclusions. If we win it means it’s a good sign because we will improve.
“verything else for us is an opportunity to obtain results over time. This season we know that the challenge is great to prove that we belong in this competition.
“We also have to imagine how long this season will last. That doesn’t mean every game isn’t as important as a final, but in the bigger picture it’s how we improve and get results.
“We think we’ll get to that point and for us it’s just a matter of time.”
Anass Zaroury has now served a three-match suspension following his red card on the opening day of the season, while Aaron Ramsey and Vitinho are available following injuries ahead of the international break.
Although Hjalmar Ekdal’s knee problem is not as serious as initially feared, he will be absent for at least the next few weeks for Burnley, who defeated Forest in the Carabao Cup last month.
However, with both clubs resting a number of first-team players and Forest strengthening their squad with an influx of signings on transfer deadline day, Kompany insists victory will count for nothing.
Asked if Monday would have any meaning, Kompany smiled: “Things stayed that way until they brought in seven players on deadline day.
“They did some things differently against us in the League Cup, whereas in the Premier League they didn’t do too much. The game is over, it’s a new game now.
