Wednesday 25 March 2015 19:43, UK
Burnley's big-game heroics and impressive running statistics offer encouragement ahead of Saturday's visit of Manchester City - but now they need Premier League points, writes Adam Bate…
The more you beat on Burnley, the better they like it. That’s the spirit Sean Dyche is trying to foster ahead of their run-in. But with his team enduring a sequence of seven Premier League games without a win, time is running out for the Clarets to pull off what would be the astonishing achievement of staying in the top flight.
As a result of their predicament, Burnley cannot afford to be writing off games against the big guns such as their Saturday Night Football clash with Manchester City at Turf Moor. And given their record this season, why should they?
Dyche’s men have already held City at the Etihad, earned a controversial draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and claimed a share of the points at home to Manchester United. With Manuel Pellegrini’s men eyeing a European date with Barcelona, the weekend offers an opportunity.
But if they are to achieve the impossible it will require yet more of the hard work that has become Burnley’s trademark. The Clarets top the stats for distance covered and high-intensity sprints. They’re doing it harder and faster than the next guy.
Scott Arfield and George Boyd epitomise this endeavour. Their efforts ensure that Burnley have the top two sprinters in the Premier League. The presence of Raheem Sterling in a distant third on the list suggests that this is not merely the preserve of athletes but a metric that matters.
While Boyd was a Deadline-Day arrival last summer, the frustration for both manager and supporters may well be that for all their commitment to the cause this is a group that remains too reliant on the players who got Burnley up from the Championship.
That early summer transfer activity has yielded little benefit. Marvin Sordell and Lukas Jutkiewicz have gone goalless in 32 appearances between them - failing to make the desired impact off the bench – while Steven Reid (one start) and Matty Taylor (three starts) have provided experience but little else. Stephen Ward has been no more than a deputy for Ben Mee.
'Tough business'
Help in January was not forthcoming despite the club reportedly having identified numerous targets. “It’s a very tough business,” admitted Dyche. “We are what we are, we’ve gone up a level and the numbers are incredibly large for a club that hadn’t been spending anything. It’s difficult for the board and the club to adjust to that.”
Sean Dyche is trying to keep up spirits, but how many times can his players summon this effort only to be disappointed? The last three games at Turf Moor have seen a late Crystal Palace goal steal the points, West Brom claw back a two-goal deficit and a Kieran Trippier own goal cost them against Swansea. Resolve is being tested in the stands and on the pitch.
But the Burnley boss is counting on determination to see his side through. As other teams can tear themselves apart amid the internal blame game that can become a feature of relegation strife, Burnley’s togetherness could become an important asset.
“As we get further into this run it starts to be more nitty, gritty and rough and tumble where teams are fighting and that bodes well because we are good at that,” said Dyche. “It’s not like we weren’t aware and thought we’d roll into all these places and roll out with the three points. We know the challenge that’s there. We all wanted that challenge.”
The challenge doesn’t come much bigger than the Premier League champions coming to town. Burnley could do with a fillip to bolster belief that their extraordinary efforts will not be in vain.
Watch Burnley v Man City live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 4.45pm on Saturday
