Cracks are starting to show in the house that Dyche built
BURNLEY’S well-deserved reputation as a bedrock of stability is showing a few signs of wear and tear. Sean Dyche won’t have enjoyed his 400th game as a manager — Clarets old boy Danny Ings scored an early winner off his shin — and wants new recruits before he celebrates his eighth anniversary at Turf Moor next month. Burnley have always coped despite being cautious in the transfer market. However, injuries to Jay Rodriguez, Ashley Barnes, Ben Mee, Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Robbie Brady, Jack Cork and James Tarkowski put a different slant on things. ‘I try to manage the model we have,’ said Dyche, doing his best to stay measured despite frustration. ‘It’s worked well for us over a period of time, it’s just exacerbated by the injuries. They have really stretched us and now it looks a harder situation because we haven’t brought players in.’
Then there is the Tarkowski affair. The England defender is Burnley’s major asset but hasn’t played this season amid strong interest from Leicester and West Ham. Officially, he’s on the crocked list but Dyche, a hard-man centre half back in the day, didn’t sound convinced. ‘He’s got a sore toe. He said to me it’s not serious but it’s sore. That’s the way that one is.’ In the circumstances, debutant Dale Stephens, Burnley’s only major summer signing, resembled a one-man cavalry. He signed on Thursday and was thrown in 48 hours later.
‘I only trained once in the team,’ said the recruit from Brighton. ‘We have injuries but there are no excuses. We will look to build on what we did in the second half.’ Chris Wood appealed for a penalty and was later flagged offside before he put the ball in the net as Burnley started the season with two defeats.
Southampton’s relief at their first points was evident from manager Ralph Hasenhuttl punching the air at full time. Midfielder Oriol Romeu typified their improvement from the 5-2 home defeat by Tottenham.
‘We saw two different players from last week and this week ’ said the Saints boss of Romeu. ‘He was a disaster against Spurs. This time he really was the boss of the midfield. He always made the right decisions and showed how calm he is in possession. A fantastic performance.’
BURNLEY (4-4-2): Pope 6; Bardsley 6, Long 5.5, Dunne 5.5, Taylor 7; Brownhill 7, Stephens 6.5, Westwood 6, McNeil 6; Wood 6.5, Vydra 5. Subs not used: Peacock-Farrell, Lowton, Pieters, Thomas, Benson, Goodridge, Driscoll-Glennon. Booked: Bardsley. Manager: Sean Dyche 6. SOUTHAMPTON (4-2-2-2): McCarthy 7; WALKER-PETERS 7.5, Vestergaard 6.5, Bednarek 6, Bertrand 6; Romeu 7, Ward-Prowse 6; Djenepo 6 (Tella 77min), Armstrong 6; Ings 7, Adams 7 (Obafemi 77). Subs not used: Forster, Valery, Stephens, Smallbone, Long. Scorer: Ings 5. Manager: Ralph Hasenhuttl 6.5. Referee: Andre Marriner 5.5.