We’ll be looking to fight for everything we can get
Pep Guardiola brings his Manchester City team to Turf Moor tomorrow looking for the win that will take them back to the top of the Premier League ahead of Liverpool who had a resounding 5-0 win against Huddersfield Town last night.
It’s Pep’s third visit to Burnley. They beat us 2-1 two seasons ago but last season went home with just a point when a Jόhann Berg Guðmundsson goal ensured, in February, that we were just the fourth team to take any points from them.
He admitted that he’s expecting a tough afternoon against us. “Always is,” he said. “They do really well what they do. We have to prepare and we are prepared. It’s the end of the season, the last games, and everyone feels pressure.”
“I don’t know Pep Guardiola, but I can only imagine he learned from his first season that there is no walk in the park in the Premier League,” Dyche said when he spoke to the media yesterday. “They had a fantastic campaign last season and are going towards what could be one this season. I don’t think he will take us, or anyone else, lightly and neither will Liverpool. They will be ready for everything that comes their way and that, not just their skill level but the mentality, is what makes the top sides that can win things.
“On the other hand, there’s no naivety to them either. I don’t think, remotely, they’ll be coming to Turf Moor expecting just a walk in the park. I don’t think they’ll be expecting that at all, and neither will we be looking to allow them that. We’ll be looking to fight for everything we can get and try and win a game. We can only look to give a performance. We’ve been doing that, and we have to take that into the next game.
“It just happens to be a big game against Manchester City that could mean something different for them, but we’re not doing it for any other reason than to look after ourselves and play well for ourselves.”
Having ensured we will be staying in the Premier League today, Dyche referred to the experience of him having already managed us in 149 Premier League games. “That experience and that knowledge allowed my clarity of view at the half-way point this season because, although the Premier League is very unforgiving, we have showed that we can compete. So therefore, I wasn’t over-thinking it.
“The biggest care of all was getting things right and I think that knowledge, not just in management but in Premier League management, helps in those moments to stay calm, stay focused and believe in what you do.
“I think the players deserve a lot of credit for delivering that, and my part of the bigger picture is just the clarity in what we can do. I think that’s where the experience has helped. One hundred and fifty games of Premier League football gives you the ability to have the calmness and the clarity to see what you need to do.”
City are chasing the title but Dyche said: “I’ve got nothing to do with it. I’ve got no motives other than to try and win the game. We want to play hard against everyone. We want points on the board. We’ve been close with a lot of the big sides. Since Christmas, we have beaten Tottenham at home, we got a point at Chelsea and a point at Manchester United which could have been three. We have applied ourselves in all games but particularly from the turn of the year we have been in all games.
“They are a top side, they have proved that and shown that. They have shown the varying ways they can handle games and situations and on the other hand they have the demand that is right in front of them which is to go and win the title. We have a different demand, which is to see the season out in a proper fashion and that can be a weapon. You can’t relax against teams like this, but there’s that little bit of freedom where the game is about them and we want to take on the game and win.
“We want to prove that we can at least challenge the elite end of the market because the top six are miles in front. It is a big challenge but one we are looking forward to, especially in front of our own fans.”
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