Dyche: We Need Deep Fitness For Returning Players

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2020-10-03T20:30:00.000Z

Dyche: We Need Deep Fitness For Returning Players

2020-10-03T20:30:00.000Z

Sean Dyche vowed to work hard to get his walking wounded fit again following the 3-1 defeat at Newcastle.

The Clarets welcomed back wide men Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Robbie Brady to his stretched squad for the trip to Tyneside, where a first half goal from Allan Saint-Maximin was cancelled out by Ashley Westwood after the break, before two Callum Wilson strikes sealed a third straight league defeat for Dyche’s side.

And with no further incomings expected ahead of Monday’s top-flight transfer deadline, the Burnley boss set his sights on using the international break to bolster his ranks from within.

Dyche: We Need Deep Fitness For Returning Players - Image 1

“You can’t wait in the Premier League and that was my message at half time. You can’t just give a half away because if you do, you have a lot of work to do.

“The second half was much better and we really need to get players fitter,” said Dyche, who had James Tarkowski and Ashley Barnes starting their first league games of the season.

“We’re slowly getting bodies back and it’s almost like the end of our pre-season, bizarrely, because we’ve had so many injured.

It’s a bit like the Europa League season, when we had people injured and playing too many games.

“So when it calms down and we get back to week to week and we put some real work into the players, we’ll see a difference.

“There are players out there who are not truly fit yet and we are asking a lot of them. We have four back at home who will get stronger, and hopefully might be available after the break – or certainly close.

“Corky is the one who is a bit of a slow burner at the moment, but they are important players for us and that will make us stronger.

“But we have to get that true, deep fitness into them and once we do that, and we look at the group, I hope, I think and I believe we will look a different group when everyone is fit and well.”

Dyche added: “I don’t expect anything to happen before Monday. But it is skewed by the injuries, because when everyone is fit you would look and think it’s certainly a capable group.

“Could we activate the market and do with one or two more? Yes, I believe we could.

“But when everyone is fit you may look at that differently and they have to be good enough. There’s no point in just bringing someone in if they are not good enough to activate us now on what is a big stage, so we’ll give the players a few down days now – other than the ones on international duty – and then they will be working hard after that, which I have just assured them of!”

Westwood Confident Of Net Gains - Image 1

Saint-Maximin opened the scoring 15 minutes in, squeezing a shot into the bottom corner after the hosts gained a fortuitous decision that Dyche was adamant was a foul on Kevin Long in the build-up.

Westwood – making his 100th Premier League appearance for the Clarets, deservedly levelled things up with an hour gone, as Burnley started the second half the stronger.

But a Wilson tap-in from Saint-Maximin just four minutes later, followed by a penalty following a rare Nick Pope mistake, sealed the Clarets’ fate.

“In the first half we were miles off it,” admitted Dyche. “We corrected it at half time and deservedly got back into the game.

“We looked bright and sharp and the energy was flooding back into the side, but unfortunately we are making too many mistakes and we are getting punished for them.”