We’ve found ways of operating that can win games
Burnley travel to Southampton tomorrow as we get our Premier League season back underway after a three week break and come up against Ralph Hasenhüttl for the fifth time.
He got his first win against us at the start of this season when a Danny Ings goal gave them a 1-0 win at the Turf but now sees his team sit above us on goal difference with us both on 33 points.
“We know how tough it is against Burnley. We did a fantastic job in the first game against them and we have to do the same job again if we want to take something, because it’s not easy.
“I speak very often about the good job they do there with a very clear philosophy. They have a good, organised way of playing football with a strong mentality, with good commitment, with good organisation, clinical in the finish.
“So all the attributes you need to be a competitive and successful Premier League team and I think this is what all the opponents who faced them feel when you play against Burnley, that you don’t get a lot of chances.
“Their reverse gear is a very good one, and you have to do a fantastic job if you want to win against them, and this is what we know.”
Sean Dyche, admittedly with a number of home draws included, has seen us lose just once in eight games and is looking for us to continue that tomorrow. He said: “Our stats in the second half of the season are pretty good overall and that gives you a better chance of getting what you need to.
“Our mentality has been good, home and away, and it’s grown over the seasons in the Premier League, particularly away from home. When we first got in the league it was very difficult to understand the experience you need to play away. That’s definitely grown and the maturation of the group clearly shows.
“We’ve found ways of operating that can win games and now we go into these games with a strong mental framework and we ask the players to deliver the quality to go on and win Premier League games.”
It will be 22 days since we last played, that being the 2-1 win at Everton, and Dyche added: “It was a good time to have a break. I’m always indifferent about these breaks but it was a good time because we’ve been stretched to the limit, more or less all season.
“The physical and mental side of performances is so important and we have asked a lot of these players. But we are getting bodies back now and that adds to the depth of the squad, so using this period to get as many people as fit as possible and find rest for the others has been good.
“It’s all about finding the balance to ensure the team can deliver for the next nine games until the end of the season.”
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