Burnley boss Vincent Kompany believes the Clarets' consistency is the most valuable tool they have at their disposal at this stage, speaking to Lancs Live after his side's 3-0 victory over local rivals Blackburn Rovers.

The former Manchester City centre-back's men go into this World Cup interval five points clear of third place - a very strong position to be in considering how tightly packed the division is at this stage.

Also sitting ten points clear of Queens Park Rangers who are currently in seventh place, it's looking more and more likely that they will be one of the first teams to secure their place in the promotion mix this season.

This start is an impressive one considering the scale of the rebuild Kompany oversaw at Turf Moor during the summer, losing some key players and bringing several in to replace them and improve their squad depth.

Their 5-2 defeat against Sheffield United earlier this month could have been a real setback for them - but they responded well with yesterday's victory - with the Clarets losing just two of their 21 league games so far this term.

That consistency has guided them to their current position - and Kompany believes it's their biggest asset going into the World Cup break.

He said: "This was a good week for us because we had a tough, tough, tough week leading up to Sheffield United and then we got a thumping there.

"They ran all over us so it was good for me to see how we reacted and the team went back to what it has done all season and be consistent and that is what I think is our biggest tool."

The Verdict:

That's the best possible tool to have - because inconsistency has hampered many teams this season in their quest to become promotion favourites and this has separated them from the Clarets who have been superb.

The number of draws they were getting during the early stages of the season was frustrating for them - but the fact Kompany's side have remained unbeaten for large periods of the season will only increase their confidence.

And it may allow them to slip up a couple of times towards the latter stages of the season if they can continue their bright form after the World Cup interval, something that won't be an easy task.

It could be argued that they should become an even more formidable force though because Kompany will have nearly a month on the training ground with his team to put his ideas across.

As mentioned earlier, they had a huge rebuild in the summer and because of that, they are unlikely to be at their peak yet. That's what makes this Burnley side so exciting - because there's so much potential.