It makes for a good game
Burnley face Manchester United at home tomorrow and that brings Jose Mourinho back to Turf Moor for the first time since his Chelsea team opened the 2014/15 season with a Monday night game.
The United boss is currently concerned at their mounting injury problems. He said: “In this moment Eric Bailly has played, I think, six matches in a row, 540 minutes in a row. We lost Marcos Rojo, we don’t have Jones, we don’t have Smalling.
“We are in trouble and, now, we lost Zlatan too but, in attack, we have options. Rooney is coming and let’s see if Mata can also return before the end of the season. Let’s see what happens.
“Herrera plays. He didn’t play on Thursday, one yellow card and he would have missed the semi-finals. I was thinking about him and Fellaini both at the same time but, because I made a change with Marcos Rojo, I couldn’t do that and he didn’t play.
“So Herrera is fresh to play. Ashley Young is fresh to play and who else? Nobody else is fresh to play. Now we need absolutely everyone and I don’t have to think about Alex Tuanzebe going to the Under-20 World Cup in Korea because maybe Axel has to come now. We need everybody.”
I think Sean Dyche will be taking those concerns with a pinch of salt and will know they will be bringing a very strong team to the Turf. He clearly knows the difference between the two clubs.
Speaking ahead of the game, he said: “I think our fans are very genuine in our challenge compared with Manchester United’s challenge, but we are in the same league again and to be fighting against each other for points is fantastic.
“I think it’s good for us as a group. I think it’s good for the club and I think it’s good for the town. I think that’s a key thing, that competitive edge. To think you are always going to outplay these teams is not impossible, but it’s improbable. They are very fine players technically, but that competitive edge and that competitive spirit, along with good organisation, and we have taken on every challenge with that.
“We have shown our end of it by being so close on a few occasions and taking a couple of scalps along the way. You need to turn up and play well and sometimes you need them to have a quieter day. I won’t say we’ve become used to it, but we have become more accustomed to it over the season, so it makes for a good game yet again.”
Dyche, like everyone else, knows they will be without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but also knows they have more than enough strength in depth to deal with it.
“They aren’t short of options,” Dyche said. “That player everyone thinks isn’t that good any more. I always think he’s decent, the boy Rooney. If they chose to play him I don’t think he’d let anyone down.
“I Still think they have depth at that club and of course they are very flexible and have players who can play in many different positions. Is it helpful if they have some injuries? Of course, because if players are playing regularly under a manager like Jose Mourinho it suggests he’s picking them for a reason.
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