Sean Dyche has faith his Burnley players can dig their way out of trouble in the Premier League

Sean Dyche accepts his side are low on confidence at present, after a fourth-successive Premier League defeat at Chelsea.
Jeff Hendrick thinks he has put Burnley ahead at ChelseaJeff Hendrick thinks he has put Burnley ahead at Chelsea
Jeff Hendrick thinks he has put Burnley ahead at Chelsea

But he believes his group of players are good enough to retain their top flight status, whether or not he can add to it in the January transfer window.

Burnley lost 3-0 at Stamford Bridge, after a Jorginho penalty, and goals either side of the break from Tammy Abraham and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

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Jeff Hendrick had an effort ruled out for off-side against Ben Mee with the game goal-less.

And Dyche said, asked if he had faith in his players: "I am confident with the facts of this club.

"It is unlikely we will sign anyone, but I have confidence in the group that I work with and always have done."

But confidence within the side is currently in short supply, after a seventh defeat in nine: "Overall they were too good, at the end of the day, these are top sides, they are very difficult places to come to, historically.

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"The biggest thing for us, is when you're losing games, is that confidence kind of falters a little bit, so the freedom that comes with playing...mainly it affects anticipation.

"I spoke to the lads after the game, you get kind of into your own role, 'I just want to do my job', whereas when you're confident, like they were at 3-0 up, they're playing and moving, and the rest of the team are anticipating the game.

"That's what confidence affects.

"But we've got to get back to that. Not so long ago, we were showing that.

"We've got a tough run of games coming, but you've got to play them all."

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Burnley are four points above the drop zone, at the time of writing, in a somewhat better position than midway through the last campaign, when they were 18th with 12 points from 19 games.

Dyche noted: "I think we're having more of a spell. Last season was a tough half a season, there weren't too many highlights, that's for sure.

"We've hit a tough spell, and that is the Premier League, it creeps up on you.

"We're at Everton, they have a new manager, it was a weird game, not a lot in it, we make a mistake and they score a goal.

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"Man United we make another mistake, and second half I thought we were strong, should have nicked something.

"Villa we were awful first half, strong second. That's three, and you come here today. They've got away from us, but that's the Premier League, you look over your shoulder and think 'where have those four games gone?', but they do.

"That's why I mention the margins all the time, we're fighting for them every week, and if you get it wrong, like today, if teams capitalise, it's very difficult.

"So, first things first, eradicate the small, but important, details, and then try and get the flow back our way with confidence.

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"It's that double-edged sword. Winning games bring confidence, then you've got to have confidence to win games."

And he added: "The margins are always tight. In a good way we are questioned about it because five out of six seasons we are in the Premier League so people are saying you are in a bad way, whereas a few years ago it was, well Burnley are probably going to have this.

"So that is good in that we have put a bit more about ourselves in the Premier League, but the other side of that is that we have to find a way out of it.

"We did last season and, for us, we have a pretty healthy points tally although a couple have got away from us.

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"It is about how quickly we can get back on track and I don't think we are too far away.

"Last year spun very quickly. People had killed us off and said no chance and then all of a sudden we were off and running and eight unbeaten.

"It is not easy and we have very tough games coming up and then we are in a mixture of games which people would consider more favourable. The mentality has to stay strong."

As regards the game itself, Dyche had no complaints about the outcome: "They're a strong side, we know that, and they performed very well, I've got no question with the result, they were too strong for us overall.

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"We're a bit stretched at the minute but I still like the team we put out, and felt we could contain it early, which we were doing, but you give away a penalty - and it is a penalty, Lowts does try and pull out of it, but he still makes contact, so I have no problem with that, that's the way it goes.

"At first I did think he'd gone down too easily, but he hadn't, when I saw it back, and it's a penalty.

"From then, you're still working hard, we have a couple of moments, and a couple of decisions, that might get us back on level terms.

"But the second one is the one really, at the end of the day, my only gripe - I don't want to over-egg it because they were too strong - but I keep seeing people get touched on the shoulder and their legs fail and they get penalties.

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"Tarky gets two hands in his back and he can't recover to try and win the header.

"Obviously, Popey knows he should deal with it, but I don't like that when there's VAR, I think that's the point of it.

"You can't have it all ways, if someone if going to get a tiny flick on the shoulder and their legs buckle, then I think if you get two hands if your back and it puts you off your balance, and the same player wins the header and scores, then I think that's got to be looked at.

"After that, it's really tough, they're a very good side with good individuals, as well as being a good unit - I know they've been a bit up and down here, but that wasn't relevant, I'm looking at them thinking 'they're a top side'.

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"From 2-0, it's hard, the next goal is massive, and they got it. That really was the game done."

And Dyche is a fan of VAR, and wasn't quibbling about Hendrick's disallowed goal: "I'm not really into the debate about off-sides, I keep hearing there should be a tolerance, but where is it? One inch, two? I guarantee we'll all be arguing it should be three, then four, five.

"If you're off-side, you're off-side, that's what it;s there for. Ben's off-side, that's the way it goes,

"As best as you can see it (he's off-side), all they can do is get it the best they can see it."