Burnley’s 1-0 home loss against AFC Bournemouth on Sunday marked their 20th Premier League loss of the year. As a result, with the same amount of games remaining, Vincent Kompany’s team is an astounding 11 points from safety.
Conversely, Sheffield United is currently gearing up for an extremely challenging match against Arsenal on Monday night. The Blades’ loss would also be their 20th league setback of the year.
In actuality, many predicted that the Hatters would struggle the most when these two teams were promoted with Luton Town. With a game remaining, Rob Edwards’ team leads Burnley and Sheffield United by seven points at the moment.
So that begs the question, where has it all went wrong for the two sides rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table?
Even if these two teams have both had disappointing Premier League seasons in the past, they have at least shown themselves to be tenacious opponents in the past. But this season, they have been far too easy to beat even at home.
Even for the teams near the top of the standings, Turf Moor has frequently proven to be a challenging destination in the past. But Burnley has only won once at home this season while suffering a staggering eleven losses. After Sunderland and Derby County, Kompany’s team would become just the third to win just one home game this season if they were to lose all of their remaining games.
Both teams could still surpass the record for the most losses in a single season even though they are expected to have 20 losses after 27 games. At 29 defeats, the record is presently shared by Sheffield United, Ipswich Town, Sunderland, and Derby County.
With 89 goals allowed in 38 games, Derby County now holds the record for most goals given up in a Premier League season. Sheffield United, who have conceded 66 goals in 26 games thus far, could challenge that record.
The Blades will eclipse Derby County’s appalling record if they continue to give up goals at their current rate. With games remaining against Chelsea, Newcastle United, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester United, I find it difficult to believe Chris Wilder’s club can maintain a strong defensive.
Burnley, who have given up 60 goals in 27 games, aren’t much better than the Blades in this regard either.
Both teams will eventually be relegated, so for now, their focus will probably be on making sure they go back to the top flight as soon as possible. Even though a few important players have been injured, their season-long play thus far has not been justified.
After the Blades’ appalling start, Paul Heckingbottom was rightfully fired, but Wilder’s return hasn’t made United listen either. Kompany at Burnley can count himself lucky because there isn’t any chatter about his future with the team. But if they want to return to the Premier League, the Belgian might be their best option.
