Can Burnley break Chelsea's defensive record?

Currently sitting third in the Championship table, Burnley have cemented themselves as title contenders under Scott Parker. The Clarets have won 15 of their 29 matches this campaign, losing just two games in the process.

With just the 10th best attacking record in the league this season, many would be surprised to see Burnley having a legitimate shot at winning the Championship title. However, the Clarets are being led by a defence which has a chance to create history.

After 29 league games, Burnley have only conceded 9 goals.

The next best in the Championship is Leeds with 19.

Scott Parker's Burnley are a lot more solid, but a lot less entertaining... pic.twitter.com/oiIQsUftFA
— The #EFL Zone (@TheFLZone) January 27, 2025

Having conceded just nine goals this campaign and keeping an impressive 20 clean sheets in the process, Burnley have the best defence in England’s top four leagues - besting Birmingham City by a nine goal margin.

Burnley have kept seven clean sheets in a row and have not conceded more than once in a league game this season.

How have Burnley managed to do it?

Having sold 21 players in the summer transfer window, Burnley were forced to find replacements across the board. The likes of Dara O’Shea, Vitinha and Ameen Al-Dakhil had become staples of the clubs backline and were hoping to fend off interest in an attempt to secure promotion back to the Premier League. However, keeping a hold of your most important players in the Championship is an extreme sport, especially off the back of a relegation.

The sale of Arijanet Muric to Ipswich Town also left Burnley without their starting goalkeeper heading into the campaign.

In what seemed to be a gloomy transfer window for the Clarets, was actually a blessing in disguise as opportunities were given to outsiders among the squad.

The back-line

James Trafford was reinstated as the number one at Turf Moor, having lost his starting spot during a traumatic Premier League season.

Despite interest from the likes of Newcastle United, the England U21 international remained with the Clarets in an attempt to play consistent minutes, a decision that has more than paid off. Trafford is leading the race for the Golden Glove, having kept 19 clean sheets in 28 games this season - bolstering a 67.9% clean sheet percentage.

Connor Roberts was also retained by the Clarets, despite not being a regular for the club a season prior. The Wales international has appeared in all but five fixtures for Scott Parker, having replaced the departed Vitinha at the right-back position. While being key for the best defence in England, Robers has excelled on the offensive end, registering one goal and three assists.

Bashir Humphreys holds down the left-hand side for Burnley, having joined in the summer on loan from Chelsea. Having made his debut for the Blues against Manchester City in 2023, Humphreys found himself on the third loan spell of his career linking up with Scott Parker. Humphreys had previous loan spells with SC Paderborn and Swansea City.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🌟| Bashir Humphreys (21, LB) put in a solid shift for Burnley against Leeds:
▫️ 83% Passing Accuracy (43/52)
▫️ 6 Passes into the Final Third
▫️ 6 Accurate Long Balls
▫️ 6 Recoveries
▫️ Fouled Twice, 0 Fouls Committed

A composed and reliable performance on the left… pic.twitter.com/cW4bI3OiPc
— U21 FC (@TheU21FC) January 27, 2025

CJ Egan Riley has been somewhat of a revelation for Scott Parker. Joining from Manchester City in the summer of 2022, the England youth international was given just six appearances before being sent out on loan to Hibernian and PSV - being assigned to play for the latter’s reserve team.

Having made his debut for Manchester City at the age of 18, Egan-Riley seemed to be an outcast at Burnley by the age of 21. However, departures left the Clarets with no choice but to give the young centre-back a chance and haven’t turned back since. Making 24 appearances in the Championship this season, Egan-Riley has impressed with his ball-playing ability and range of passing, alongside his defensive abilities.

Pairing Egan-Riley at the heart of the defence is Maxim Esteve. The France U21 international joined Burnley on loan from Montpellier in February 2024 and was one of the few standouts in the clubs Premier League spell, garnering interest from clubs across Europe. However, Burnley were able to make his stay permanent activating the buy option inserted into his contract following the completion of his loan deal.

Your @SkyBetChamp Player of the Match from last night 🧱🏆 pic.twitter.com/erlTgN4dWF
— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) January 28, 2025

Tactics and Statistics

Scott Parker rarely changes his backline, which is a credit to his team's durability. A clear emphasis on the importance of structure, organization and a defensive foundation is vital for the Clarets, who often build from the back in order to create offensive actions.

Burnley’s defensive record sees them averaging a goal against every 260 minutes, roughly one goal conceded every three games. A drastic improvement from the 35 goals they conceded the last time the Clarets were in the division.

Scott Parker’s side are currently conceding an average of 0.35 goals per game. If they manage to keep this consistency going over 46 games their average will result in just 15.9 goals conceded.

Records in sight

With just nine goals conceded after 29 games, Burnley hold the record for the fewest number of goals allowed at this stage of the season since the Championship era began in 2004.

Even more impressive is that Burnley are currently on pace with the infamous 2004/05 Chelsea side that conceded just 15 goals across a Premier League season, having both conceded the same number of goals at this stage.

Burnley have now kept 20 clean sheets in 29 league games this season. ⛔️

For a bit of context, that’s more clean sheets than any side managed in 46 Championship games last season! 🤓#UTC #TwitterClarets #EFL pic.twitter.com/U1O3QgDFkP
— Not The Top 20 Pod (@NTT20Pod) January 27, 2025

It’s hard to see Burnley break the Blues’ record due to the Premier League playing fewer games than the Championship. However their 20 clean sheets are more than any team managed in the Championship across 46 games last season.