‘As debuts go’: Pundit discusses Arijanet Muric’s Premier League bow during Burnley’s win against Brentford
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The Kosovan finally got the nod in between the sticks on Saturday as Vincent Kompany opted to drop James Trafford to the bench.
It was a decision that ultimately paid off as Muric was one of the standout performers during Burnley’s 2-1 win.
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Hide AdDiscussing Muric’s display on Match of the Day, former England women’s international Williams praised the keeper’s impact.
“He was really impressive. As debuts go, he couldn’t have asked for a better one,” she told presenter Eilidh Barbour.
“You see really early on, you don’t want your centre half playing these types of passes but he does well to clear off the line. That was an early one for him to have to deal with.
“His presence was felt. He had a really aggressive start position. He also makes a big save early on in the game [to deny Yoane Wissa]. He kept his team in front.
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Hide Ad“He showed the other side of his game too, the in-possession. We didn’t know much about that from him but Burnley are an in-possession team.
“He commands his box too and the save from Ivan Toney is the pick of the bunch for me. It’s a big save and then the reaction to get it away from Toney and punch it away.
“You see the reaction of his teammates congratulating him because he did keep them in the game in big moments.”
Another player heavily involved in the action was David Fofana, who scored Burnley’s second having already missed two-gilt edged chances.
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Hide AdThe Chelsea loanee was also a little fortunate not to concede a penalty for a foul on Zanka in the Burnley box.
“He had a mixed afternoon,” Williams added. “There was some good stuff, but there was some other stuff.
“In between the sticks is where I think you’re going to see the best of him. He worked the space really well and got himself into a good position [for the open goal miss], but for me it’s got to go in the back of the net. It’s a must-score opportunity.
“He shows he’s a bit clever as well [when he robbed the goalkeeper of the ball]. He had a few options here, he could have passed it, of course we see him slip, but that needs to be better.
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Hide Ad“But what he did show was that consistency to try and get in those good areas. He tried to do that until the end.
“I’m not too sure about the finish for the goal. At first I thought it was a dink but the more and more you see it he scuffs it a little bit, but it went in the back of the net and it’s given his team a 2-0 lead.
“We also saw the penalty he could have given away, so he definitely got the rub of the green in the end.”
Despite only joining Burnley on loan in January, Fofana is already the club’s second top goalscorer on four goals, one behind Zeki Amdouni.