Dyche says only after Burnley reach 40 points will he set a target for 2018
Sean Dyche will not set Burnley a new target in 2018 until they have achieved their current goal of beating last season’s Premier League points total.
Burnley have surpassed expectations so far this term and remain on course to comfortably pass last season’s 40-point haul, achieved when finishing 16th, after Saturday’s goalless draw at Huddersfield Town.
Dyche’s side prepare for the visit of Liverpool today just six points shy of their target with almost half the season still to play.
“The goal still, is to build on last season,” Dyche said.
“Now we’re doing that, obviously, but we’ve got to physically do that.
“So when you get that goal achieved, whenever that day comes when we get the same points or more, hopefully, then how do you move forward from there? Then we’ll reassess.”
Dyche, whose side beat Liverpool 2-0 in last season’s corresponding fixture and drew 1-1 at Anfield in September, said the laying down of a new target for the club is no longer straightforward.
“I’ve always been open-minded. I was open-minded as a player,” he said.
“There’s a lot of psychology talk about goal-setting of course, and you have versions of that.
“But I think you’ve got to be careful with that because they can be limiters as well. So we try not to limit the players.
“The next game’s the most important. We move on from there and that mindset has kept us clear-minded for five years, so I continue to work like that.”
Dyche must decide whether to stick with Kevin Long in central defence or recall James Tarkowski following his threegame ban, while both Stephen Ward (knee) and Chris Wood (leg) remain doubtful. Elsewhere, Manchester United’s Ashley Young was charged with violent conduct by the English Football Association (FA) yesterday after his altercation with Southampton midfielder Dusan Tadic in the Premier League the previous day.
Young appeared to strike Tadic with an elbow during Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Old Trafford.
“Young’s charge follows an incident during Saturday’s game against Southampton which was not seen by the match officials but caught on video,” a statement from the FA read.
Swansea City defender Kyle Naughton has also been charged with violent conduct by the FA for allegedly stamping on Watford’s Stefano Okaka during the Welsh side’s 2-1 victory at Vicarage Road on Saturday.