Brady can be pick of Irish bunch as Burnley fight drop

CHELSEA look unstoppable and it is hard to see the rest of the Premier League keeping the title out of their grasp now.

They are strong, in control and clinical, and playing well in every department.

And in Diego Costa, Chelsea have one of the best strikers in the world. Just last week against Arsenal, Costa had a hand in all three goals, haranguing, harassing, bullying, chasing; he was brilliant. Arsenal just rolled over and Chelsea were in cruise control. If they can walk over so-called title rivals so comfortably, what will they make of Burnley today?

Burnley just can’t win away from home and currently have the worst return on their travels, with one point from 11 games.

Sean Dyche has done an unbelievable job at Burnley. To get them straight back up, on the third lowest budget in the Championship, is one of the greatest achievements in that league. It’s strange they can’t win on their travels, however, because they are suited to playing on the counter-attack. Dyche uses two banks of four, leaving little space for the opposition, and two chasers upfront.

Like Bournemouth’s smaller stadium, Turf Moor generates an old-fashioned, in-your-face atmosphere which some teams find tough to handle.

The move to Burnley is great for Robbie Brady and he joins fellow Ireland team-mates Jeff Hendrick and Stephen Ward in Lancashire.

Brady’s at a club where he will be looked after. There was talk of Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and West Brom, but I think Burnley will suit him, particularly with the two Irish lads in tandem.

Dyche will want to make maximum use of Brady’s set piece deliveries. His left foot at dead balls could be the difference between Burnley staying up or going down.

Burnley have always been sensible with their money.

They haven’t gone mad and bought unknown foreign players they can’t afford. They have invested, when the finances have allowed, in players like Andre Gray, Brady, and Hendrick. And when you look at the money the champions Leicester have wasted on Islam Sulmani and Ahmed Musa in comparison, it looks like money well spent.

Burnley have a nine-point cushion over Hull City. With 29 points, they probably need three more wins to be safe, and with their home form, you would expect them to do it. But they don’t play a home game in March and after Hull, Swansea, Liverpool and Sunderland away, they face Tottenham and Stoke at Turf Moor in the first four days of April.

That is a tough schedule for any side and they could still be dragged into a relegation dogfight before they know it.