Match preview: Burnley v AFCB
Podcast Interview: No Nay Never
Twitter: @nonaynever
I caught up with Burnley podcast site No Nay Never this week. Matt gave me some views about whether Burnley are a long-ball team and if they are does it matter? While Bournemouth languish near the foot of the table, Burnley are in 11th and looking at a top 10 finish, and possible European football next season. So what exactly has Sean Dyche got so right?CC: With Burnley riding high in the top half of the table and European football becoming a possibility - would the club be better equipped at a European campaign next season and what would you need in the summer to cope better?
NNN: The squad is certainly stronger than it was 18 months ago, however this summer is looking like it is going to be an important one in terms of incomings and outgoings. Starting a European qualifying campaign in late July coupled with some players featuring in Euro 2020, it wouldn’t leave a club that does it's business as ‘cautiously’ as Burnley with much time to strengthen further. Last time, Dyche played almost two different 11s for Europa and PL games and our lack of depth of quality was exposed.
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NNN: It’s certainly possible. We are currently 20 points behind 2018’s final total, however the points seem to be being shared a lot more this year with the middle of the table getting quite congested and lots of teams still in the running for those European places.
CC: Sean Dyche's team gets accused of long-ball football, but do you see more adaptability in the current squad?
NNN: There have been moments this season when we have found different ways of a getting a result, which is something we haven’t necessarily done consistently before, with Dyche being criticised for having no plan B. The team does sometimes adapt it’s approach to suit the opponent, being guilty at times of showing too much respect to the likes of City [Ed - we'd suggest that is Man City, calm down you Norwich and Leicester fans!] and Liverpool, but at the same time will come out strongly at home against teams around them in the table and look to get ahead in a game and then see it out.
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CC: Does Nick Pope get the credit he deserves in goal, considering he has had nine clean sheets?
NNN: Not entirely. He’s probably guaranteed to be part of the England squad this summer, but if you look at his stats, he should also be the number 1 keeper. The issue is whether Southgate is brave enough to drop Pickford. I think the test will be the games in March, if Pope features in them then he could have a good chance of being England’s no. 1 this summer.
CC: Burnley have had some unexpected wins of late. Why are the main reasons for the upturn in form compared to the start of this season?
NNN: I’ve said for a while that this team is a team of runs. They are almost always on a bad or good run. The question when they are on a bad run, as happened over Christmas, is where the next win will come from and how they will snap out of it. By all accounts, the squad simply go back to doing the basics well and stay positive and supportive of each other and once 1 result comes, others follow.
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NNN: We’ve come to accept that Dyche clearly prioritises the league over any potential cup run as that’s what keeps us financially stable. He sees the ties as opportunities to give the rest of the squad playing time and as he rarely changes his starting 11 in the league it means that the cup teams haven’t had much game time together to gel and it quite often shows. Our home form is usually what keeps us up, as we generally don’t do as well on our travels, but this is improving, with 4 away wins this season already.
CC: Has there been a particular VAR decision for your team that you were pleased with or really annoyed about?
NNN: The most annoying one that sticks in my mind is the one away at Leicester where Johnny Evans was chasing lost cause, a shot from Chris Wood that Schmeichel hadn’t managed to stop, into his own net and felt the slightest of touches on his heel and went down like he’d been shot. Naturally VAR had a look and because there had been the tiniest accidental contact, ruled it out. Madness.
NNN: Firstly, the history. Founder member of the football league that has sunk right to the point of almost falling out of the league and then risen back to the top flight and is surviving in the toughest league in the world.
Secondly, the community. Burnley is a town team. Regular attendances of 20,000 from a town with a population of a little over 80,000 shows how much the club means to the people. Walk down the street and you’ll see more Claret replica shirts than any other. The club is the town.
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NNN: As I mentioned earlier, we adjust our approach according to our opponents and I guess we see ourselves very much as an equal of Bournemouth, small clubs, punching well above their weights, so the matches are always going to be close.
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NNN: That’s a tough one. There’s a number of players who have maybe stepped up a level from last season, but to single one out, it may have to be Chris Wood, for his consistency of finishing chances that are created for him, or Nick Pope, for returning to the number 1 slot and generally dominating that area.
CC: How do you expect to line up against Bournemouth?
NNN: Dyche doesn’t change a winning team if he doesn’t have to, so assuming Chris Wood isn’t fit enough to start it will be: Pope, Bardsley, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor, Hendrick, Westwood, Cork, McNeil, Rodriguez, Vydra.
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NNN: I think the momentum is with us and we have the ‘finish line’ of 40 points in sight so I’m going for a 2-0 to Burnley.
CC: I can't argue with the confidence that Matt speaks about his beloved Burnley. They have certainly raced up the league in recent weeks and are now only looking upwards. It is going to need something special to slow their progress and it could be considered an upset of Bournemouth did get a win at Turf Moor. But Burnley don't always beat Bournemouth twice in a season and we'll just hope that Burnley have a few problems at home in this game so we can claw a few points back on them and some other teams.
Make sure you check out the No Nay Never site for all things Burnley FC.
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