Burnley and Sean Dyche will be fully focused on obtaining a positive result against Arsenal but the manager will find an even more special edge to the game as he reaches 200 games in charge of the Lancashire club.
Respect reserved for Arsene
Speaking about the landmark achievement, Dyche acknowledged how the manager in the opposite dugout has provided an inspiration to young managers like himself. With Arsene Wenger enjoying his 21st year at Arsenal, Dyche admitted “he has rubbed off on so many managers and coaches and the game at large. I just have so much time for people like him and Sir Alex [Ferguson], for what they have achieved in the game and continue to do".
Dyche himself is beginning to mould Burnley into a solid unit, particularly at Turf Moor where they have a better home record than a number of top teams across the globe. He is hoping to continue to reinvent the Clarets as Wenger has done for Arsenal. Dyche added about the Gunners “it’s quite an achievement to get so many games at one club, to remould the club and re-fashion the team again and again, to find the success they’ve had and all the great players that have been through".
Dyche praises others for seeing him through
Dyche is proud of his achievement, particularly within the current state of management in football. He explained “I am delighted to make that milestone because it’s tough. We all know the stats on management now and how tough it is".
However, he admitted that his success is not just down to himself, claiming “we have a culture and environment here that is part of our building blocks for success. There’s been a lot of good work done but not just by me, by my staff who have done fantastically well, the Board, the staff in the offices, and the fans".
"We will go down there with a mindset to deliver a good performance"
The Burnley manager remains focused on the game in hand despite his moment to saviour. He admitted “Everyone knows we don’t do blind faith and the reality is Arsenal is a tough place to go. However we are in good shape ourselves, we are enjoying the challenges. We’ll take on the latest challenge as we always do and go down there with a good mindset to deliver a good performance".
Dyche suggested Burnley could welcome back Dean Marney and Ashley Barnes after "we wanted them to be involved on Tuesday and they didn’t quite make it. We made a joint decision that it wasn’t going to be, but I’m pleased to say they trained on Friday and looked clear, as did Johann Berg Gudmundsson". However, Scott Arfield may miss out as Dyche admitted "Scott is touch and go, so we’ll have to keep monitoring that one".