During the second half of Burnley’s potential Europe-deciding clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Jay Rodriguez was withdrawn due to injury. The sight of a player leaving the pitch with an injury is never nice but to Burnley fans, it added to an already awkward injury list which included left-back Charlie Taylor, who went off injured earlier in the same game.
The Clarets were met with good news in Sean Dyche’s pre-match press conference, however, as he revealed that Rodriguez would be fit to travel down to already relegated Norwich City, which will have been a relief to both supporters and players alike, but just how important is he to Burnley?
The boy is home
Burnley announced the signing of Jay Rodriguez in July 2019, after 7 years away from the club, and it was like the return of the prodigal son. The buzz was immense, not in the sense that it was a star signing, but it felt like he had come full circle, and could help guide Burnley to the Europa League again. It would mean more.
This sentiment was not shared when it came to team selection, however, as Dyche understandably continued with his tried and tested partnership of Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes, with the former starting the season in stellar scoring form. Rodriguez would be limited to substitute and cup appearances until the 11th January, when he came in to replace the injured Barnes in what was already touted as an important game in the calendar, but it would prove to be Burnley’s last home defeat (and only defeat excluding Manchester City’s 5-0 win) up to this point.
Back in the fold
By the time he came into the starting line-up for the Leicester City tie, Rodriguez had already scored five goals in all competitions, and he would go on to score only twice more before the postponement of the season (including an absolute rocket against Manchester United at Old Trafford).
It is his performances since the restart that have shown his importance to Burnley, however, as Burnley returned to football without either of their typical first-choice strikers as both Wood and Barnes were injured.
The first game that Burnley played after the resumption of the season was an away tie against a Manchester City side who seemed doomed to be handing their crown over to Liverpool, and they showed no signs of letting Liverpool increase their gap at the top of the table. City thrashed Burnley 5-0, with both Rodriguez and Matej Vydra lacking in service and options, so it would be hard to criticise the strikers for not scoring. It was the next game that would be the real tester for the kind of form that Burnley were in after the enforced break, as they faced Watford at Turf Moor.
Rodriguez was the only scorer as Burnley walked out 1-0 winners of that game, and it was a performance that showed that the Clarets might actually be able to cope without their leading goalscorer, as he gave the team another focal point, whilst allowing Vydra to exploit the gaps behind the back of the defence.
Whilst his goalscoring form when he has played in the Premier League this season, Vydra was never going to be Burnley’s main option up-front without Wood and Barnes, so it will have been a relief to many supporters that Rodriguez seemed to have taken up that mantle.
Headed goals are something that Chris Wood seemed to specialise in. Whilst he is more than just your typical number nine, Wood adds brilliant heading ability and aerial superiority to Burnley’s already strong arsenal, but by losing him, Burnley weren’t necessarily left in the lurch. One look at Rodriguez’s highlights this season will show one impressive header away at Bournemouth, and another against Aston Villa, and his header against Watford was just as impressive. Dwight McNeil swung an enticing ball into the box, behind the Watford defenders, and Rodriguez guided a wonderful diving header inside the far post, beyond Ben Foster.
Rodriguez would not score in two fixtures, an away win against Crystal Palace and a home draw against Sheffield United (remarkably, it was both centre-backs that got their names on the scoresheet in those games) but he would be back to score another wonderful header as Burnley travelled to the capital to face a West Ham side that are teetering on the edge of the relegation zone, and a 1-0 Burnley win left them in the thick of the battle.
It was Charlie Taylor’s turn to provide another excellent ball into the Hammers penalty area, where Rodriguez was running onto the ball, sending the header over Lukasz Fabianski and into the top corner of the goal. There is an argument that the ball came off his shoulder, but that doesn’t make the goal any less impressive, thanks to the perfect ball sent in by Taylor, and the metre perfect timing of Rodriguez’s run, to get on the end of the cross.
Rodriguez wouldn’t have to wait very long before scoring his next goal, it would come in the next game as Burnley faced Liverpool at Anfield. Nobody associated with Burnley were expecting much from this game, as they would be facing a Liverpool side that had just won the league, and they were unbeaten at Anfield in the Premier League since 2017.
The home side took the lead thanks to a good header from Andrew Robertson, but Burnley managed to salvage a point when Rodriguez slammed the ball past Allison Becker and into the back of the net. This was a goal that showed that, much like Wood, he is more than just good with his head, he was the ability to strike a ball well (as seen with his goals against Chelsea and Manchester United).
Key player
It is clear to see that the impact that Jay Rodriguez has had on Burnley both since his return to the club, and his introduction to the starting line-up has improved the team.
Whether Dyche was missing Barnes or not, Rodriguez would be a more than viable option alongside Wood, as he offers something a little different. His smart runs in the channel, ability with his feet when running with the ball, and his goalscoring prowess prove that he has been invaluable, and it is relatively easy to see that Burnley would be considerably lower down the table had they not had him to rely on when called upon.
Despite being 30 years of age, he could be a good option in the next couple of seasons, should Burnley lose one of their other strikers, and it would definitely be smart to keep him around. His contribution to the team proves him to be more than just a fan favourite.