Whilst some may call Sean Dyche a defensive genius, I think his time should be up if Burnley want to pursue a positive future in the Premier League.
Sean Dyche will have to improve Burnley’s record to win over the club’s new owners. Taken from Sky Sports article ‘Burnley Takeover: Impact for Sean Dyche of new ownership’ by Johnny Phillips, 5 January 2021.
After deserving credit for guiding a low-budget Burnley side to two promotions to the Premier League (in 2013/14 and 2015/16), Sean Dyche is now into his fifth consecutive top-flight season with the Clarets. In the process, the Burnley boss has forged a reputation for himself with his defensive style of play. After coming seventh in the 2017/18 season, the future was looking bright for Dyche and the club with a new era of defensive football looking to rock the big Premier League clubs. However, it just hasn’t quite clicked since that overachieving season. Here’s a judgement as to why:
The competition is running at a speed too fast for an old-fashioned club like Burnley to compete in the top half of the Premier League. More recently, promoted teams such as Leeds and Aston Villa are showing how far a large amount of cash can really set yourself up in the league, as it looks like both clubs are eyeing up a long stay back in the top division. Meanwhile, Burnley have spent just £990,000 this year, with that coming on a 31-year old, mediocre Dale Stephens. Stephens has failed to register a goal contribution so far this year, in an injury plagued season. Dyche has gone on record to suggest that Burnley’s recruitment focuses on finding players that have a “professional outfit” and those who “work properly”. But does being a stereotypical ‘good lad’ really remove the need for a talented player that can improve the squad rather than just fit in?
Dale Stephens signed for Burnley, who made two 2016 bids for him, in September 2018. Photo from Burnley Official.
There’s no doubt that Burnley are dying for some creativity in the final third of the pitch; the side have scored a league low 15 goals this season, and fielded a starting 11 against Manchester City last wednesday that have combined for just four goals – after 22 games this is unacceptable. If youngster Dwight McNeil is going to develop into the Premier League starlet he’s tipped to be, you might want him to contribute more toward winnings games for the club like existing stars at ‘lower clubs’ such as Grealish, Bamford, Eze and Zaha. However, McNeil’s single goal and two assists in 18 matches fall short of these expectations. The clubs around Burnley made some interesting moves during the recent loan-heavy January window, with creative players jumping ship, such as Takumi Minamino to the Saints, Joe Willock to Newcastle, Josh Maja to Fulham and Ainsley Maitland-Niles to West Brom But we saw nothing from Lancashire but a Josh King rumour, who ended up an Everton player on the cusp of midnight.
There’s no denying Burnley get results, such as the 1-0 victory away from home to current champions Liverpool, but the consistency is not there for them to progress any further and you have to argue a lack of transfers do not help. The lack of creativity leaves Dyche with no other choice but to sit deep and hope for a chance goal via hard work and commitment. In fact, Dyche seems rather comfortable in pursuing that game plan every game. After four years in the Premier League, you’d expect the club to be slightly more progressive in their playstyle – the argument they are just ‘bedding in’ is now void.
Two tables showing the lack of creativity in Burnley’s matches, with none of their wins coming by more than one goal. Incidentally, 9 of their 22 fixtures have featured just one goal. Tables sourced from sfstats.net
We’ve become accustomed to results like the goalless draw against West Brom and the 3-1 loss to Newcastle, but surely, they are games they must be looking to win to just keep their status as a top-flight team. A proven Premier League attacking talent, such as Josh King, can provide that next step for a club like Burnley to maybe one day put them back in the top 10, or even a Europa League place. The ‘good worker’ transfer policy has led Burnley to 15th and 10th position in recent years, as they haven’t managed to get around their budget issues by buying smart in the attacking department. The persistence of Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes leading the line since 2017 is enough evidence of this. In fact, Burnley have just 22 active players in their first team squad, with an overrepresentation of homegrown and youth players.
Despite the obligatory defensive 1-0 wins against the bigger teams, each season sees the decline of Burnley’s competitiveness since the 2017/18 campaign. With the teams around them improving their squads and league position, it’s obvious to see that the club and fans seem to be crying out for some new faces that can secure results. Burnley need to show progression if they are to stay in the Premier League.
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