There were a few bumps in the road
Burnley face Derby County tonight in front of the Sky cameras and that means a first Turf Moor visit for Derby boss Paul Clement who replaced Steve McClaren last summer.
He brings his team to Burnley with a one point and one place lead over us in the Championship but they’ve had a bit of a recent hiccup and he said: “I think this is the type of challenge we need right now.
“We know we are going to a very difficult place, Burnley, and they have the slight advantage of being at their own stadium but I do not think there is any better time to have a game like this.
“We have shown we can go to some of the best teams in the league, Hull City is an example of that. We went there when they were top and we won, and we won comfortably, and that is what our objective will be Monday night.
“Burnley have hit a really good run, they are well organised and well drilled. There will not be any issues with the team being motivated and up for it. It is a great opportunity for us to go up against a good side and I think it is perfect timing for us.”
Derby face Manchester United in the cup this week, but Clement said: “Everything we have done and everything we have spoken about has been about Burnley. The other game we are not thinking about in any way.
“The key game is always the next game and the next game is against Burnley. Only after Burnley will we then start thinking about Manchester United.”
The game at Derby ended 0-0 and he said of that: “We had a difficult game against them earlier in the season. We actually played well but found it difficult to break them down. They are a very organised team defensively and it just so happens in the last few games they have really clicked in terms of goalscoring.
“Sean Dyche is doing a really good job. He has steadied the ship after a difficult run that they had recently. They are back in form and we know it will be tough but we are up for the challenge.”
The Clarets’ boss, referring to the game at Derby, said: “These are two different teams who have had a longer period to work together now. The last meeting was early in the season and we, in particular, wee remodelling the side and getting it to work how we imagined.
“Likewise, they had lots of changes. All I know is we are in good form and they have had a few bumps in the road themselves since. I feel we have improved since the last game though and I’ve been really pleased with some of the connections on the pitch and the way the units are operating.
“They are a good side, make no mistake, but we value ourselves as a very strong side, so the one thing is I know we will be up for the challenge.”
Burnley have been in the goals recently, and he added: “There was a stat somewhere that two years ago it was mainly Sam and Danny Ings, but now we are scoring goals from all over the pitch.
“Every manager wants production from everywhere, but it also shows a sign of our attacking play and how we want to take the game on. Getting goals from all areas is a good sign and we’re in good spirits.
“I haven’t been too unhappy with the form in general though. We’ve been decent all season and more than decent lately. Before that, there were a few bumps in the road, but that can happen in the Championship.
“Some performances have been better than others, but I certainly wasn’t overly worried about the form of the team. I knew if we kept performing like that we would win games.”
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