Premier League: Sean Dyche encouraged by Burnley's second-half show in Swansea defeat
Saturday 23 August 2014 19:43, UK
Burnley boss Sean Dyche was encouraged by his side's second-half showing as Swansea City edged them to a 1-0 defeat at the Liberty Stadium.
A first half largely dominated by the hosts saw Nathan Dyer net what proved to be the winner with a low strike beyond Tom Heaton after 23 minutes, but Dyche’s men piled pressure on after the break.
The search for a second-half equaliser saw Lukas Jutkiewicz and David Jones both squander good opportunities for the visitors as Swansea's increasingly slender lead came under threat.
The hosts managed to see the game out and prolong Burnley’s wait for a first Premier League point since promotion, but Dyche saw positives in his side’s display.
He told Sky Sports: "We're hungry for points, we want to get points and we know that we have to. Within that, we have to look at how the team are operating and how they’re growing.
"With two games in the week – obviously Chelsea are a different breed of animal at the moment - I thought they were fantastic against us.
"With all due respect, Swansea are not Chelsea yet, but they're a very good side and I thought first half we showed them a little bit too much respect.
"But second half I thought we were absolutely excellent. I think it would surprise most people in the stadium that we didn't come away with something, a point at least."
Speaking of his side's missed chances, Dyche said: "We certainly created a few today. They had a few it must be said in the first half though.
"There was just a bit too much respect shown and we looked a little bit on the back foot.
"We were almost unsure – unsure do we live here, is this right for us?
"But second half I thought the freedom came back into the team, the energy and the quality of our play.
"Some of our play in the second half I thought was absolutely outstanding and then we were creating lots of good chances."
Dyche wants Burnley to use their underdog tag to their advantage – something he told them at half-time – and he believes they demonstrated signs of that after the break.
"I said to the players at half-time there’s a freedom to what we can do this season because we’re the biggest underdogs I think there’s ever been in the Premier League," he said.
"I think that allows us to play with freedom, I just reminded them of that at half-time.
"I said 'Lads, go and play'. We know how we play. We know the framework of the team both defensively and in attack and it’s using it wisely – the freedom that comes with being massive underdogs.
"I said 'We enjoy that and we take it forward'. I thought in the second half we did. The players played quite clearly and quite freely.
"They've got real quality, I think this group's got quality. We've got to put it in the net, I'm not naive, but I thought there was good signs of our quality and what we can do this season."
