Unfashionable Burnley blazing an unlikely trail
Two seasons after Leicester’s improbable title triumph, another soccer fairytale might be unfolding in the English Premier League.
They are unlikely to emulate Leicester in winning the league, but the players and coach of unfashionable northwest club Burnley are starting to dream of playing in the Champions League next season.
Burnley scored an 89thminute winner to beat Stoke City 1-0 at Turf Moor on Tuesday and climb into the top four of England’s top flight for the first time since 1975.
A supposed candidate for relegation after selling two of its best players in the offseason, the Clarets have won nine of its 17 games, conceded just 12 goals, and currently sit above Liverpool, Arsenal, and Tottenham with nearly half the season gone.
They’ve already beaten Chelsea away, and drawn at Tottenham and Liverpool.
“Leicester blew the roof off the dreams of football,” Clarets boss Sean Dyche said. “Now, no bold statements from me about that, by the way, I must make that clear. But there’s an open-mindedness to the group.
“If you are going to dream, you have to be prepared to make the dreams come true. That’s what we are trying to do.”
A founding member of the Football League in 1888 and the English champion in 1921 and 1960, Burnley hasn’t finished a season higher than sixth place since 1974. A downturn saw the club drop out of the top division for 33 years and in 1987 it was almost relegated to the non-league fifth tier.
Burnley is in its second season back in the top flight, having avoided relegation only because of its strong home form. Now it is also hard to beat away, with Dyche molding a hard-working, well-organized and defensively compact team.
All this after selling defender Michael Keane to Everton and striker Andre Gray to Watford for a combined $65 million over the summer, helping the club return a profit of about $20 million when most of the rest of the Premier League was spending freely.
“I keep reality because this division will eat you alive,” said Dyche, who was a no-nonsense centerback as a player and has become one of the characters of the Premier League with his distinctive husky voice.
“We’re having a real go at what we can achieve this season. I’m not being negative. I’m a realist. There’s a lot of challenges coming our way. The fans and the town have got to enjoy these times. Why wouldn’t you?”
Substitute Ashley Barnes netted the winner for Burnley, which is four points behind third-place Chelsea, which also won on Tuesday, 3-1 at Huddersfield Town.
The absence of injured striker Alvaro Morata forced Blues boss Antonio Conte to shuffle his starting XI. One of those to benefit was Willian.
The Brazil international scored either side of setting up goals for Tiemoue Bakayoko and Pedro at John Smith’s Stadium.