Sean Dyche expects a response against Everton

21 October 2016 10:53

Burnley boss Sean Dyche has every confidence his side can bounce back from two consecutive defeats when they host Everton on Saturday.

Dyche admitted last week's 3-1 defeat at Southampton was one of the Clarets' poorest displays of the season, but pointed to other big performances as proof that they can turn around their recent slide.

A 2-0 win over Everton's rivals Liverpool in August, and a recent unfortunate defeat to Arsenal at Turf Moor boosted belief levels which Dyche believes were hardly knocked by the loss at St Mary's.

Dyche said: "We've spoken about the mental aspect of what it is to be in the Premier League because that's sometimes as important as the tactics - knowing how to handle yourself and play on these big occasions.

"We've had three games on Sky in the last few weeks and we've done very well - we won at Watford and we deserved something against Arsenal but it was taken out of our hands.

"Southampton was the first time this season that we've really come away from our performance level, and realistically when you're a team like us still learning about the Premier League, it's likely you're going to have the odd bump in the road.

"We've got to make sure it is just a bump in the road. I think our performance levels over time have earned us a result and we came away from that against Southampton."

Dyche went on to reject the suggestion that there is increasing pressure on his side to perform at Turf Moor, where they have claimed every one of their seven points so far this season.

"I think there is pressure on us regardless of whether we are home or away," added Dyche.

"But there is also a reality to what we are and the market we're in. Our fans know that but they also know we give everything to the cause, and I think that has been evident."

Burnley will be without influential Belgian midfielder Steven Defour who picked up at hamstring injury at Southampton, but Dyche is hopeful he could push for a return in time for next week's trip to Old Trafford.

Ashley Barnes is also nearing recovery from a hamstring strain while Andre Gray serves the final game of his four-match suspension for historic social media posts.

Source: PA