THE biggest concern from Burnley’s worrying start to the Premier League season is just how un-Burnley they have looked.

Since Sean Dyche put his stamp on the Clarets in the summer of 2013 his side have always had a clear identity. From the fundamentals of commitment and hard work, to tactical and technical aspects of pressing the opposition, cutting off passing options and blocking the posts to make the target smaller.

Dyche’s side have always had a resilience about them, a remarkable ability to stay in games and sense their moment. They so often came out on top in tight games, keeping the opposition frustrated at one end before seizing their opportunity at the other.

But so far this season those traits have disappeared.

You could argue they stayed in the game against Wolves at Molineux last weekend, but that was more by luck than judgement. With better finishing Wolves would have been out of sight.

While Dyche rightly pointed to the disappointing performance going forward on Sunday, it’s the quality of chances they are conceding at the other end that is particularly concerning.

This team finished seventh last season scoring just 36 goals. They’ve rarely been free scorers, instead building success from the back. Last year they conceded just 39.

If that stability disappears then Burnley are in trouble. At the moment teams are finding it far too easy to create clear chances against the Clarets.

The central defensive partnership of James Tarkowski and Ben Mee is the same one that thrived last term, earning Tarkowski England recognition. They’ve not become bad players overnight.

But the organisation that was so apparent for most of last year is missing. It was far too easy for Wolves’ creative players to find space to thrive on Sunday, just as it was for Fulham and Manchester United in recent weeks.

The absence of European football, giving the Clarets more time on the training ground, might offer a chance to rediscover some solidity. A switch to a back three might give Burnley a more secure feel in the short term, but it’s questionable whether Dyche has the personnel for such a move, or the desire to make it, having always opted for a four-man defence in his time at Turf Moor.

That backline will be tested again this weekend, against a Bournemouth side who have looked rampant going forward at times this season.

At the other end, the decision to opt for Sam Vokes and Ashley Barnes together at Wolves didn’t work. Chris Wood and Matej Vydra look Burnley’s most likely source of a goal at the moment. Surely the time has come to start them together.

Skipper Mee said after the game on Sunday that “teams are watching us and maybe sussing us out a little bit”. Overcoming that is going to be a challenge but the return to fitness of Robbie Brady and Steven Defour could be crucial.

The twin losses of Defour and Brady have been hammer blows. Without them the variation in Burnley’s play hasn’t been there and they have struggled. Their approaching returns could have a rejuvenating impact.

And it is an impact which is much needed, Burnley’s long-term form has to be a worry. They went 11 games without a win in the league between mid-December and the start of March, before rousing themselves to string together a stunning five-game winning sequence.

But it’s now 10 league games without success across two campaigns.

Momentum can shift quickly in football though. Burnley need only look at this weekend’s visitors for proof of that. Bournemouth lost their first four league games last term but recovered to finish 12th.

After that fourth defeat, a 3-0 loss at Arsenal, Eddie Howe was critical of the performance and got a reaction. Dyche wasn’t as vocal in the Midlands on Sunday, but he certainly laid down a challenge to his players.

The key point from the Clarets chief was that the feeling within his squad had changed - they have now proved themselves as Premier League players after years of trying. Now they have to adapt to a new challenge.