Dyche challenges Burnley to make it three wins in a row
Burnley boss Sean Dyche believes his side will make a “very powerful” statement if they can chalk up a third successive Premier League victory.
Following a run of four consecutive league defeats after Christmas that pitched the Clarets back into a relegation scrap, Dyche’s side then eased the pressure with back-to-back wins over Leicester and Manchester United.
Ahead of the Turf Moor visit of Arsenal, the task now facing Burnley is to make it three wins in a row for the first time this season, a result that would lift them above the Gunners.
“Putting two back-to-back wins together is hard enough in the Premier League, if you can add a third that’s a very powerful thing,” Dyche said on the club’s website. “Anywhere in the division – top, middle or bottom – it’s no easy task.
“We had a blip and I’m pleased it was a blip. We’ve taken 12 points out of the last eight games with four defeats and four wins.
“We’re onto something but it’s putting it out there again and going and delivering a good performance again.”
Despite last week’s FA Cup fourth-round defeat at home to Norwich, goalkeeper Nick Pope at least feels Burnley have turned a corner in the league.
“When you win games things are just better,” said the England international.
“It’s hard to do in the Premier League, back-to-back, but to get six points in such a short space of time was a real lift for the whole group.
“Two results in four days have really kick-started our season again after going through a bad period.”
Pope concedes that in playing for a team like Burnley, a poor run of results is to be expected. It becomes a question of how to end that.
“Teams like us will go through bad periods,” added Pope. “We are used to that. We’re experienced. You’ve really got to see that as a norm and be level-headed and look for the next result.
“That’s what we have done and we managed to get over the line against Leicester. We then went to Old Trafford and played really well there and got another three points, which was well deserved.
“We’ll be doing our best to keep it going. I think you always want to be looking up and catching the teams in front of you.”
New midfield signing Josh Brownhill is poised to make his debut following his move on Thursday from Bristol City, while defender Phil Bardsley is back in contention after recovering from a back problem, but Johann Berg Gudmundsson (hamstring) and Ashley Barnes (hernia operation) remain sidelined.
