Rumors about NFL Comeback
Burnley is back to their best on defense. They have not allowed a goal in their last 12 Championship games. This streak has started some fun talk about the NFL. Goalkeeper James Trafford joked with former player JJ Watt about his NFL team, the Cincinnati Bengals. They’re trying to bounce back into the Premier League, and their defense is the topic of discussion in English football. Burnley’s Record Sparks NFL Return Rumors.
ICYMT: Arsenal Legend Slams ‘Terrible’ Decision
Clean Sheet Streak
Since Christmas, Burnley has not let in a single league goal. They’ve gone through January and February without conceding. This amazing streak puts them close to breaking records in English football.
Trafford, a big NFL fan, reached out to Watt back in December. He made a lighthearted request for Watt to come out of retirement. Watt replied, “If you don’t let in any goals for the rest of the season, I’ll think about it.” Since then, he’s joked about getting ready for a return to the field.
Trafford started this streak with a 2-0 win over Sheffield United. Since then, he’s added 11 more shutouts. He hasn’t let in a goal for 1,172 minutes! The current record for the longest clean sheet streak is 14 games set by Edwin van der Sar in 2008-09.
Burnley also did well in the FA Cup, winning 1-0 against Southampton. The last player to score against them was Lewis Wing in the FA Cup third round. In the league, they last conceded a goal on December 21.
Burnley’s Impressive Defense
So far, Burnley has only let in nine goals in 34 Championship matches. That’s just 0.26 goals per game, which is really good. If they keep this up, they can break the record for the lowest goals allowed in a season (0.38), held by Liverpool from 1978-79.
If Burnley stays on this path, they’ll end the season with 12 goals allowed over 46 games. That would beat the old record of 15 goals, held by Preston North End and Chelsea.
It’s a big change for Burnley. They had a tough time in the Premier League last season, giving up 78 goals. But now with Trafford in goal, their defense has really improved.
Burnley has 25 clean sheets in the league, just one short of the record for the second tier, which is 26 set by Sunderland. The overall record for a single season is 30 by Port Vale in 1953-54.
Goal Scoring Issues
Even with a great defense, Burnley struggles to score. They recently won 4-0 against Sheffield Wednesday, but they’ve only scored 43 goals in 34 league games. That’s an average of just 1.52 goals per game, one of the lowest in history.
The lowest average in recent memory was Gillingham’s 1995-96 season with 1.50 goals per game. Burnley’s current pace could give them only 58 goals by season’s end, the lowest for a promoted team since Huddersfield in 2016-17.
Among the teams promoted recently, Watford scored the fewest goals at 63 in 2020-21. Burnley’s top scorer this year is Josh Brownhill with 10 goals. The forwards haven’t scored much, with Zian Flemming at seven, Jaidon Anthony at three, Luca Koleosho with two, and Lyle Foster with just one.
What’s Next for Burnley?
Next, Burnley will try to keep their clean sheet streak going when they face Preston North End in the FA Cup. Fans in Australia can catch the game live on Optus Sport. With records to break and some NFL fun on the side, Burnley’s season is turning out to be quite interesting! Burnley’s Record Sparks NFL Return Rumors.
