JAY UP FOR THE BATTLE
Rodriguez backs ‘calm’ Clarets
JAY RODRIGUEZ believes Burnley’s hard-nosed experience of beating the drop gives them an advantage over their relegation rivals.
The Clarets go to basement club Norwich tomorrow determined to build on their vital midweek victory over Everton and record back-to-back wins for only the second time this season.
Victory at Carrow Road could lift them out of the drop zone if Frank Lampard’s side fail to beat Manchester United today and Rodriguez says his team have the belief, mentality and focus to survive.
This is the fourth relegation battle Sean Dyche, right, and his side have experienced in six seasons since returning to the top flight in 2016. They have finished 16th, 15th and 17th in the previous three – along with a creditable seventh place, when they qualified for the Europa League, and a 10th spot.
Rodriguez, who scored in Wednesday’s 3-2 win over the Toffees, said: “Experience is important and we’ve got a lot of it in the team.
“We’ve been here before, we know how to deal with it and that will help. Of course it can give us an advantage.
We can stay calm in tough situations and hopefully that will pay off for us in the end.You’ve got to take the kicks in this league and we’ve taken a few over the years but we’ve always bounced back.
“We’re a positive group of lads. It was obviously a great feeling to get that win against Everton and hopefully we’ll continue the momentum.
“We enjoyed the moment but that’s done now. The next day our focus was on recovering ready for our next game, it’s a pretty quick turnover. We’ve got a big game against Norwich, a tough game, and our focus was straight onto that.” Born in Burnley, Rodriguez knows only too well what staying in the Premier League means for the club and the town but he says all the players, wherever they are from, recognise the importance of survival.
“This club has worked hard to be where they deserve to be – in the Premier League,” he said. “Staying up is massive for everyone in the group of lads that we’ve got. We know how important it is, and it’s down to us”
NORWICH V BURNLEY 2PM TOM