Feature

Can Muric continue to repay Kompany's faith against Man Utd?

By Adrian Kajumba 24 Apr 2024

Burnley goalkeeper travels to Old Trafford having justified manager sticking with him despite two high-profile errors

Burnley took a big step forward in their bid for safety with last weekend's 4-1 win over Sheffield United, and the man at the heart of the victory has justified the faith put in him by his manager.

It has been a rollercoaster few weeks for goalkeeper Arijanet Muric.

Promoted to the starting XI last month in place of summer signing James Trafford, he enjoyed a positive start, with a 2-1 win against Brentford and then draws against Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

But at Everton Muric made a costly mistake, allowing Dominic Calvert-Lewin to close him down and deflect his clearance into the net for the only goal in a relegation six-pointer.

It then got worse in the following match against Brighton & Hove Albion as Muric let a backpass roll under his foot for a late equaliser.

Yet his boss, Vincent Kompany, stuck with the goalkeeper for the trip to Sheff Utd.

When asked after the victory over the Blades if he had a difficult decision to make over who started in goal, Kompany said: “No, it’s not a difficult position at all.

“I’ve had this type of season with my players where I’ve had to back them, otherwise you end up with no players left on the pitch. You have to back them and you have to support them.

“It’s the same with 'Aro', same with 'Traffs', same with so many players in our team. It’s the nature of the season we’re in.

“We can either give up or you support them and back them and you get the rewards at some point. That’s what we’ve done this season with many players.”

Redemption

Kompany certainly got his rewards as Muric delivered a man-of-the-match performance at Bramall Lane. He made 10 saves, the third-most in a match this season and just one short of the record for a Burnley 'keeper in the top flight.

Sheff Utd's Expected Goals (xG) tally was 2.92 compared with Burnley’s 1.94, but the Kosovan was beaten just once.

Two of his biggest saves in the match came when Burnley had a lead to protect, helping them avoid dropping more points from a winning position, having previously let slip 24, the second-highest total in the league.

Since Kompany turned to Muric, Burnley have earned two wins and three draws from six matches, securing nine points, the seventh-best tally in the league over that period.

Burnley before and after Muric became No 1

	Without Muric starting	With Muric starting
Matches	28	6
Goals conceded	62	7
Goals conc. per match	2.2	1.2
Points	14	9
Points per match	0.5	1.5

Burnley’s Expected Goals Against (xGA) has also taken a massive swing in a positive direction with Muric between the sticks, going from -8.44 to +3.26.

Muric could now be a key figure again as Burnley travel to Old Trafford, potentially facing a barrage of shots from a Manchester United side who have scored 19 goals in their last seven matches in all competitions.

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If Muric can perform more heroics and Burnley can grab a win against the Red Devils, they would move level on points with 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, who have a tough home fixture against Manchester City on Sunday.

Crucially, Burnley host Forest on the final day of the season.