‘No inferiority complex’ as Clarets take on Chelsea

Despite the yawning gap in finances - Chelsea striker Diego Costa cost more than the Clarets’ entire turnover - there will be no inferiority complex when Sean Dyche’s side take on Chelsea at Turf Moor this evening in front of the Sky Sports cameras.

Burnley are widely predicted to not only be relegated, but as the bottom team, and tonight is just the first of many games they will be expected to lose, but speaking ahead of the opener against Chelsea, Clarets boss Dyche said: “I think the outside world would look at it like that but why would we? We have belief in what we do, we just can’t guarantee where that takes us because of the market we’re going into.

“There will be a vast gap in resources available, that’s the reality of it. Look at what you’ve got, not what you’ve haven’t. We haven’t got that, so there’s no point moaning about, it just isn’t there.

“We have to focus on what we’ve got and use it wisely, and add to it accordingly when we can.”

Burnley famously beat champions Manchester United in their first home game in the Premier League five years ago, but were relegated with a poor record against their fellow strugglers.

However, Dyche doesn’t accept Burnley are in a “mini-league” within the league and will not target games as such: “They are all big games. I’m not one to start sectioning down the league. If you look back to the beginning of last season, people could have said ‘realistically, you’re this kind of club and that means you’re at that level of the market’.

“We had nowhere near the resources of the clubs who were supposedly going to be the top six.

“I wouldn’t embarrass you by telling you the names, nowhere near it. Probably still there are eight Championship clubs I could name off the bat who have got better resources and player wage level than we have now. We have to find a way of operating to get where you want. “There are no guarantees in any division in any season, let alone the Premier League, so we have to earn the right and fight hard to get what we can off anyone.”