Kompany hopes relegated Burnley will bridge gap to Premier League

Burnley boss Vincent Kompany said he hopes his squad learns from their experience of a bitter Premier League campaign and keep trying to bridge the gap after their relegation to the second-tier Championship was confirmed on Saturday.

Kompany's Burnley lost 2-1 away at Tottenham Hotspur which left them five points from the safety zone with only one game remaining in the season.

Although Burnley dominated the 2022-23 Championship season when the second-tier champions gained promotion to the Premier League with 101 points, they struggled to make a mark in the top flight, winning only five games so far while suffering 23 defeats.

Manager Vincent Kompany reflects on this afternoon 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/RokqMiF4Pq

— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) May 11, 2024

"We'll keep trying to bridge it. In my mind Burnley will be in the Premier League again," Kompany said.

"When it'll be we never know, you can't take anything for granted because the Championship is tough. It is an exciting league and you have to keep trying and trying until you bridge that gap."

Kompany tried to make Burnley play the same way as they did in the Championship despite being underdogs in the Premier League.

But the Belgian stood by his philosophy even though it had been questioned and often criticised as a naive approach.

"It's way too early to answer if I'd have done things differently. I'm constantly thinking about what we could do better right now and before," Kompany added.

"But if you treat it as something which improves you, us as a club and a group of players, there is a lot of value in what we have experienced this season."

Burnley spent the entire season in the relegation zone but part-owner and former NFL player JJ Watt asked the squad and fans to keep their chin up.

"No need to hide disappointment or frustration, it should hurt. Boys made a valiant run of it the last few months, just wasn't enough in the end," Watt wrote on X.

"Now we go again in the Championship. Looking to relive these brilliant memories from one year ago. We go together."