John Eustace issues “Premier League” verdict on Burnley ahead of Birmingham City clash | OneFootball

Birmingham City boss John Eustace believes Burnley have got a squad worthy of competing in the Premier League and also went on to praise opposite number Vincent Kompany, as he spoke to his side’s media team.

The Clarets looked set to be the strongest side in the division this term with the likes of Nick Pope, Dwight McNeil and Maxwel Cornet all at Kompany’s disposal at the start of the summer, giving the club a real shot at promotion despite losing James Tarkowski and Ben Mee on the expiration of their contracts at Turf Moor.

However, the Lancashire outfit took the brave decision to cash in on some of their key assets with Pope, McNeil, Cornet, Nathan Collins and Wayne Hennessey all departing the club permanently.

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Wout Weghorst also secured a loan move to Besiktas and all of these departures left the club in need of a rebuild, something Kompany was able to do successfully during the summer window with their additions providing them with strength in depth in many areas.

Some would argue that they shouldn’t be expecting promotion this season because of their rebuild.

But that hasn’t stopped Birmingham head coach Eustace from waxing lyrical about them and their manager as he spoke about his side’s opponents ahead of Wednesday evening.

He said: “The boys will be set up; we know it is going to be a really difficult game.

“They are a top team, I went and watched them yesterday. They really blew Swansea away and have got top-quality players in all areas.

“They have got a Premier League squad there and a top manager. We will be ready, and we will be prepared.”

The Verdict:

Their depth in some areas is a key reason why it wouldn’t be a major shock to see them promoted back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

However, they do face some tough opponents with Norwich City and Watford not undergoing a rebuild, potentially enabling them to enjoy a higher amount of consistency in their results because of this throughout the course of the season.

This stability hasn’t paid dividends for the Hornets thus far – but the appointment of Slaven Bilic is likely to make them solid promotion competitors when they approach the latter stages of the season.

They can’t just keep an eye on those they were relegated with – but also Sheffield United and Queens Park Rangers who also look strong despite the fact neither were able to pick up three points at the weekend.

The form of other sides could be crucial in determining their success this season – but they need to focus on themselves with the Clarets performing extremely well at this stage with Kompany doing an excellent job.