Why doesn’t Vincent Kompany get the same scrutiny as Paul Heckingbottom? The big debate on It’s All Kicking Off as Chris Sutton says Burnley are ‘drowning’ in the Premier League

Mail Sport’s Ian Ladyman believes that Vincent Kompany is under less pressure at Burnley than Paul Heckingbottom at Sheffield United as he can ‘bring them back stronger’ in two years time. 

Widely considered the two worst teams in the Premier League, Burnley and Sheffield United face off in a six-pointer at Turf Moor this weekend, although a win will still leave them in the bottom three. 

Both sides have won just once in the league, with the Blades drawing twice and the Clarets once, with a combined goal difference of -45 goals – as many as the other five teams in the bottom seven put together. 

However, there has been far less speculation around the former Manchester City captain’s future than his counterpart for Saturday’s clash. 

Ladyman suggested that the Belgian might be under less pressure at the helm at Turf Moor as the club are looking ahead to the prospect of being escorted back to the top-flight for the 2025-26 season in a ‘stronger’ position. 

Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom is thought to be under heavy pressure at Bramall Lane

‘Maybe we are the hypocrites,’ he told Chris Sutton on the latest episode of Mail Sport’s It’s All Kicking Off podcast

‘People like you and I often sit here on our podcast and talk about the harsh way that managers are treated and the way that managers should be given time and how football clubs are so short term in their outlook and nobody seems to look for the future.

‘You know what? Maybe Burnley are the ones who are getting this right. Maybe they think, “We’ve got a plan here. We’ve got a manager who we like and who likes us. He plays a certain way, he’s developing players. If we go down this season, we get a parachute payment that gives us an enormous chance of getting back up next season”.

‘Look at the teams at the top of the Championship at the moment. They’re the teams who went down last year with the parachute payment. It gives them such an advantage. Maybe they think “we can take a relegation because you’ll bring us back and, and when he brings us back”.

‘”He’ll bring us back stronger and we can build”. Maybe that’s the way to do it. Time will tell. Maybe that’s the way to do it.’

Burnley caught many an eye last season as they stormed to the Championship title 10 points ahead of the Blades with 101 points playing an expansive brand of football. 

Yet with the demands so much higher in the Premier League the worry was always going to be that Burnley needed to recruit a number of players, but by bringing in so many new faces they might struggle for continuity and fluidity this term. 

Burnley have the second-youngest squad in the division at 24.6 years on average, but Sutton suggested that although developing youngsters is valuable in the long term, the short term emphasis needs to be on winning games. 

‘You forget how many changes they’ve made, bringing in young development players who no doubt will have great futures,’ he said. 

‘But the problem is when you start losing at Premier League level, it’s brutal you get found out and the confidence starts to seep. 

Chris Sutton claimed that Burnley’s squad are ‘drowning’ in the Premier League after their woeful start

‘They were all in with this expansive brand of football, but this season they’re at a level where they’re drowning and the players are starting to doubt themselves. It’s a never-ending circle. 

‘This one is very interesting because for the loser it feels like for even the hardcore Burnley fans that have stuck with Kompany it would be a bitter blow to lose at home to Sheffield United, and I’m sure there will be a few fans for whom the doubt starts to creep in about the manager.

‘At this moment Burnley fans are patient and understandably so, but it’s when you play teams around you and if you lose to them the Burnley fans will expect more. Once the fans turn against you – and I’m not suggesting they will in the near future – but eventually that’s what becomes a problem for the manager.’

The two sides face off on Saturday and although neither side will elbow their way out of the bottom three, they can move within one positive result of safety providing fellow newbies Luton Town remain within touching distance this weekend.