Dyche Ready For Reality

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Clarets wait on injury news as focus switches to next test

2021-02-04T14:51:30.751Z

Dyche Ready For Reality

Clarets wait on injury news as focus switches to next test

2021-02-04T14:51:30.751Z

Clarets wait on injury news as focus switches to next test

Sean Dyche is looking forward to swimming in calmer Premier League waters but insists there are no guarantees in the quest for points.

After back-to-back defeats to the heavyweights of Chelsea and leaders Manchester City, the Clarets face Brighton at Turf Moor on Saturday.

The visit of the Seagulls – and an FA Cup fifth-round tie against Bournemouth – is followed by games against Crystal Palace, Fulham and West Bromwich Albion, who are all also currently in the bottom half of the table.

And despite no certainties, the Clarets will be looking to capitalise to keep the relegation zone – which is currently eight points away – at arm’s length.

“We have beaten Liverpool away and Villa at home after turning it around twice,” said Dyche.

“Brighton have just beaten Liverpool away and beat Tottenham at home last week, so it is too simplistic (to say the upcoming results will define Burnley’s season).

“But there is also a fair view that there are certain teams that everyone outside the elite clubs think they should be more competitive against and the margins are tighter.

“You can win any game, but there are some probabilities and some possibilities, as I call it.

“We don’t know the exact parameter of these games, but it suggests the next clutch of games are more in the reality of our world.

“We’ll see, but the next one is the most important one, so our focus will be on a good Brighton side who are coming up to Turf.”

Brighton’s mid-week victory at Liverpool, which came after the Clarets had also won 1-0 at Anfield in the champions’ previous home game, lifted them up to 15th in the table – two points and two places above the Clarets having played one game more.

But the gap between the clubs is narrower than following the first meeting on the south coast in November when the sides drew 0-0.

That result lifted the Clarets off the foot of the table and Dyche’s men have since added a further 20 points to their tally to pull themselves clear of immediate danger.

“I haven’t lost sight of the fact that after seven games we were on two points and now we are where we are, which is a big shift,” added the Burnley boss.

“There is some good work being done. The players are doing a lot, that’s with the injuries the tough game schedules, the lot.

“There is a lot of good work being done and we’ve got to continue.

“We’ve got continue moving forwards and playing better and better and working harder and harder because that’s the only way it is in the Premier League.

“You’ve got to do that to win games.”

The Clarets were missing five senior players for the defeat to City as their resources were stretched – particularly in the front line.

Ex-Brighton strikers Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes were among those absent and they, along with Robbie Brady, Josh Brownhill and Charlie Taylor, will need checks ahead of the visit of their former club.

“I don't think there's a radical shift in it. There are possibilities. We’ll wait and see,” said Dyche.