Clarets sticking to their mantra of 'train as you play, play as you train', says striker Jay Rodriguez

The Covid-19 outbreak may have caused disruption to the Premier League, but Burnley striker Jay Rodriguez says the pandemic hasn't impinged on the intensity of training at the Barnfield Training Centre.
Burnley duo Jay Rodriguez and Phil Bardsley stop Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford in his tracks at Turf Moor.Burnley duo Jay Rodriguez and Phil Bardsley stop Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford in his tracks at Turf Moor.
Burnley duo Jay Rodriguez and Phil Bardsley stop Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford in his tracks at Turf Moor.

The 30-year-old revealed that the Clarets have maintained their high standards since returning to their state-of-the-art base at Gawthorpe, with the squad sticking to their mantra of 'train as you play, play as you train'.

Rodriguez, a £10m summer signing, confirmed that sessions have been ultra competitive, as they had been prior to the pandemonium, despite the safety measures that had been introduced initially.

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And now they're ready to continue where they'd left off as they prepare to take on Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on the back of a seven-game unbeaten run in the top flight.

"The sessions have been as normal as what they have been through the season," Rodriguez said. "It is competitive and hard as we have to focus on playing a game in two weeks.

"It is very serious and the measures in place keep us safe and we have been really strict with that. It has been competitive and good and I feel like we have carried on from where we left off.

"Everybody treats every training session like that and I think that's why it's so competitive and why the standard is so high.

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"Nobody wants to be left behind, we all want to keep pushing the team forward and in that sense there's always been a healthy competition."

Sean Dyche's side signed off with a 1-1 draw against Spurs at Turf Moor three months ago and the break has afforded some of the club's walking wounded the time to rest, recuperate and rehabilitate.

With the likes of Ashley Barnes, Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Matt Lowton and Rodriguez closing in on full fitness the competition for places has heightened.

"That tends to be the case in general anyway," said Rodriguez. "We know how quickly things can change in football so if anything was to happen then players have to be ready to take that shirt and that starting place.

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"We're all pushing each other to keep improving. It's really good, you can't ever be off your game because you'll get told and you'll know that you're letting the team down.

"I always appreciate that in football, I think that's how it should be, you should train as you play and that's how we keep improving."