Dyche looking to find the right mix at Huddersfield

Clarets boss Sean Dyche has no qualms about how the wins come in the last 10 games, as long as his side continue to find ways to pick up the points.
Clarets boss Sean Dyche at Fulham on Tuesday nightClarets boss Sean Dyche at Fulham on Tuesday night
Clarets boss Sean Dyche at Fulham on Tuesday night

Burnley travel to Huddersfield Town tomorrow on the back of five-successive wins, in a 13-game unbeaten run.

They are the only unbeaten side in the Championship since the turn of the year, delivering the mixed football Dyche believes in, along the way enjoying a 5-0 win at MK Dons, impressing in front of the cameras against Brentford and Derby, grinding out derby wins against Bolton and Blackburn, and winning an open encounter 3-2 at Fulham on Tuesday.

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Three times this year they have come from behind to win in all competitions, including at Craven Cottage, and that strong mentality is a powerful weapon in the run in: “It’s important, the belief has to be not just a scratch and it goes. It has to be deeper than that, I think if we get a knock, we can bounce back.

“I think we have a resilience about us and a capability to win games, and I make it clear, I like mixed football, I’m not too proud if we have to knock it down someone’s throat, we’ll do it, if we can pass and play, we’ll do that.

“If we have to win by a set piece, we’ll look to do that, and we’ve had a really healthy mixture over the season so far.

“Tuesday was a bit of everything.

“People talk about our defence, and we’re the top scorers in the division.

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“It’s fair to say I set the team up to score goals and win games.”

Burnley were promoted two years ago averaging less than 50% possession, and they are again showing it’s what you do with that ball, not how long you have it, that counts: “The biggest stat in football is possession, everyone thought possession was king, well it’s not, Leicester are proving that.

“Stats are there are markers and guides. You have to win games however they come about. We’ve had games where I can’t tell you how many chances we’ve had, and sneaked by 1-0. It wasn’t like that at Fulham, but we took all three chances.

“That’s just being a clinical side and doing what you have to do to win games.

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“As a manager you’re really pleased because we’ve been fluid in games where we’ve played really well and you know there’s one outcome.

“Winning games like these (Fulham) are more important for a manager because these are ones where you’re affecting the players at half-time, can you stimulate an improvement, can you get them to think differently for the second half? So I’m really pleased with that, to reinstill, remind them for a much stronger, much better second half.

“Any team that can happen to, teams in this division if they’re playing well can win a game. It’s the ones that are nip and tuck. We didn’t play well first half but stayed in it to win it and did exactly the same against Blackburn.

“Two games before that, we were outstanding against Forest, passing it everywhere, creating chances for fun, and you need to know different ways of winning.”

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Middlesbrough lost at Rotherham on Tuesday night, while Brighton drew with Sheffield Wednesday, but Dyche is paying no attention to what is happening outside of his circle: “We can’t worry too much about other results, that’s an anomaly that happens outside your control. We look to control the controllables, the next one we’ll have a chance of controlling is Huddersfield on Saturday.

“Thats our main focus, it’s not new, it’s not flippant, it’s the same rhetoric because I believe in it.”

Dean Marney returned as a substitute at Craven Cottage, making his first appearance since January 25th, and Dyche is pleased to have him back, with David Jones missing the win at Fulham with an Achilles problem: “Deano will get more alive to it all and get his eye into it.

“It was a tough game to come into, and relevant to make the change, Freddie (Ulvestad) is still learning what his role is and how the team is operating, but he’s done well for us. It’s another pleasing sign.”

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Lloyd Dyer is yet to make the 18, but Dyche added: “Lloyd is certainly in the mix, he’s not far away at the moment. We’ve got good players here, and there’s only so many we can put on the pitch and on the bench.

“But he’s a good player and he knows he’s well thought of.”