Rooney reacts to narrow Burnley defeat

A second-half improvement was not enough for Argyle as they lost 1-0 at Burnley on Tuesday night.  

Josh Brownhill’s penalty was the nominal difference between the teams, although the Clarets’ first-half superiority was not so visible after the break, as Argyle sought to claw back their deficit.  

However, despite the improvement following the interval, the Pilgrims lost at Turf Moor, leaving Head Coach Wayne Rooney rueing their slow start.   

He said: “Burnley are a good team, and in the first half we tried to be organised. We know their wide players are threatening so, from our shape, we wanted to get pressure on the ball. We didn't quite press the ball well enough in the first half. 

“Our energy was a little bit missing in the first half. We addressed it at half-time and I thought we came out for the second half a lot better, with more energy.  

“We didn't take the ball as well as we'd have liked in the first half. In the second half, we took the ball, played around them and made it difficult for them.  

“Composure, belief and energy were the main things I wanted, that was the message of half-time. We had to get to the ball, we can't let them dictate it as much as they did in the first half, so we came out with a better energy about us. 

“Being brave on the ball is the message we’ve being saying to the players from pre-season. When we take the ball, move the ball and we play through their press, it makes it very difficult for teams to get hold of us, as it showed again against Burnley, in the second half.  

“I think with a little better decision-making in the final third, we maybe get an equaliser.  

“There's a lot of positives from the game but, ultimately, we’ve come away with a defeat, so we’re disappointed.” 
 
There have been four games since the last international break, and Saturday’s home game against Blackburn will be the last before the next pause in Sky Bet Championship action.   

The block looked an intimidating one for the Pilgrims, but a return of six points from four games feels acceptable, with wins at home against Sunderland and Luton Town interspersed with 1-0 defeats at West Bromwich Albion and Burnley.  

“The last four games have been very difficult games,” said Rooney. “I think the pleasing thing, for the fans, for the players, for the staff, for everyone at the club, is that I think it's evident we can compete with the best teams in this league. We've shown that over the last four games.  

“A little bit more knowhow, at times, will help us, but we're a young team. The lads are still learning the game. Over the last four games, I've been delighted with the performances, we’ve had some good results. Hopefully we can put this little run of games to bed before the international break with a victory on Saturday.”