Can Burnley stay in the Premier League?

Burnley are back in the Premier League after Vincent Kompany won promotion from the Sky Bet Championship in his first season as a manager in English football.

A 2-1 success at Middlesbrough means the Clarets have bounced back with seven matches to spare, after their six-season stay in the top flight came to an end last May.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at whether Burnley can survive in the Premier League next term.

Have they learned from last time?

It is a case of chalk from cheese at Turf Moor these days. The days of Sean Dyche’s direct style of football are long gone in this part of Lancashire. No one can dispute that Dyche did a brilliant job during a decade in charge, winning two promotions and taking Burnley into Europe for the first time in 52 years. So it will be a case of whether Kompany’s attractive brand of football can prove successful against better quality teams in the Premier League.

Will scoring goals be a problem this time?

Burnley netted 34 goals in 38 games during their relegation season, with only bottom-placed Norwich scoring fewer. Maxwel Cornet was their top scorer with nine, but the Ivorian has since joined West Ham. Nathan Tella has been their top scorer this season with 17, but the 23-year-old is on loan from Southampton and his future remains uncertain. The Clarets have netted 76 times in the Championship this season but Ashley Barnes is set to leave the club and summer investment in a striker or two looks a must if Premier League defences are to be put under pressure by the Lancashire club.

Can the defence cope?

Burnley’s defence is the meanest in the Championship with only 30 goals conceded in 39 games. Kompany has transferred his Anderlecht tactics to Burnley, playing a four-man backline with full-backs used to create overloads. Full-backs Connor Roberts, Ian Maatsen and Vitinho have 11 goals between them but also have the energy to defend. England Under-21 central defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis, on loan from Kompany’s former club Manchester City, has had a fine season in central defence but the Belgian boss will expect defensive reinforcements to arrive in the summer.

Is Kompany the right man for a Premier League campaign?

Definitely. Pep Guardiola has predicted that Kompany will succeed him as a Manchester City manager one day – and not just because of his links to a club where he spent 11 years, most of them as club captain. Guardiola picked out Kompany’s “understanding of the game” and “incredible work ethic” as the main reasons behind his managerial success and there is no doubt those qualities have endeared himself to Burnley fans. Kompany, who is assisted by the fiery former Wales forward Craig Bellamy, has the aura of a Premier League manager and will thrive on testing himself against the best.

So will they survive this time?

The Clarets will need to be clever in the transfer market and hope Kompany’s style flourishes at a higher level. They have been beaten by Manchester City and Manchester United in cup competitions this season, but games against the top teams will not define their return to the top flight. A better gauge was their 4-2 FA Cup win at Bournemouth in January, as it is sides in the bottom half that they must beat to protect their top-flight status. Summer recruitment will be the key for Kompany, but he has shown in his short time in management that he is very much up to the task in that department.