These are the challenges that we all want
Burnley face Everton tomorrow at home and that means coming up against Ronald Koeman who was manager of Southampton last time we were in the Premier League.
We were playing his former club last week while they were taking a point at Manchester City and asked if there will be changes from last week, Koeman said: “That’s possible. You like to have the best team for the weekend and, of course, we will have more ball possession this week than we had last week.
“It’s a different game but still difficult because Burnley’s strong at home, have some good results but lost against Arsenal after 95 minutes. We will have more ball possession, we need more attacking and more creativity and that can be a reason to start with one or two different players.”
He added: “To have ball possession is not the main reason to win the game, it’s all about what you create attacking wise. That’s difficult, we know it’s difficult but we are full of confidence for a good result this weekend.”
Almost two years ago he left Turf Moor with a defeat and asked if Burnley could stay up this time, said: “It’s always difficult. I think they had a great time and then they were relegated last year.
“Then they did a fantastic job, straight back in the Premier League and, of course, with different expectations than we have but they are showing that, at least at home, they are difficult to beat and you need to be very respectful for the way they play and do the job in the Premier League and what the manager is doing in Burnley is very successful.”
Sean Dyche will be pleased to be back home after another difficult away day at Southampton. “We’ve had three really tough away games,” he said. “We haven’t got what we wanted, we haven’t delivered what we wanted either.
“I’m always honest with myself, with our team and with our fans. We’re not a million miles away but we haven’t taken the same feeling from the Turf to our away games.”
At home it has been a different story with two wins and a draw from the first five games. He added: “There is a good balance. The home performances have been good I think. I’ve enjoyed them, the fans have enjoyed them. We’ve been right in every game.
“We’ve been a little bit unlucky, let’s say, and I think the fans have witnessed that, where we expect over time, certainly two big decisions at home, another one at Southampton but that might not have made a difference on the day. Certainly two big decisions at home, one in the first game and one against Arsenal, we are hopeful they will go our way, but generally the performance level has been good.
“There has been a good feel about it at home, partly brought on by the supporters which is vital to us going forwards through the season, and partly by the players. I think there’s been an extra energy and a little bit extra in belief as well. We’ve really taken the challenge on at home and we want to do that again, of course.
“So far in eight games, my frustration is the things we can’t control as much as what we can so the performances away, I’m looking to improve that from a management point of view but the thing we can’t control, with the big decisions, even without being greedy, if you look at the penalty against Swansea and you look at the Arsenal moment, that’s two more points and if you were greedy it could be as many as four more points. What is a solid start, with seven points compared to our last time in the Premier League, could have been a very good start with nine or ten points.
“Even away from home there’s been no going under or anything. We just haven’t had that same belief level as what we’ve got at Turf Moor and we’ve got to take that forward. I’m pleased with the way the players are adapting again to the Premier League.
“I really value the honesty from our crowd. I think they know, I think they get it. Forgive me saying this again because I said it two years ago but we are still the minnows of the market and there’s a great positivity within that, it’s the fact that Burnley has historically been like that.
“It’s not that new to the fans and I like that. I like the fact that we’ve been punching above our weight. We’ve been answering the critics for virtually the four years I’ve been here and that’s an important part of it. It binds the team and the fans together and that’s got to continue.
“It’s a really important thing, I can’t emphasise that enough because there will be some bumps in the road. It’s a really tough market we are in and we have to have the fans behind us at home and away. They have been so far and that has to remain even if there are some moments which don’t go our way, we still need that positivity from the fans.”
Looking forward to the Everton game, he said of them: “They are a good side and we know that. They have got a good manager who has done a good job in England so far at Southampton and so far with Everton. We are well aware of the challenge. We know that, our fans know that.
“I can’t ever get it out of my head that these are the challenges that we all want. These are the games we want, we want big games at Turf Moor. We want to take on teams that are deemed well above us, because they’ve been in the Premier League for many years and have got some big name players. These are the challenges we want. We want them at Turf Moor so we look forward to it.”
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