Premier League: Team of the Week XX

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Coach: Sean Dyche (Burnley)

Formation: 3-1-4-2

It was good to see that despite Burnley’s relegation from the Premier League back in 2014/15, the hierarchy at Turf Moor kept faith with the man who had gotten them there in the first place to take them back up at the first attempt and have yet another go at keeping them in the division. Take them back up he did, and now at the second attempt it seems as if Sean Dyche has finally found the formula that will keep the Clarets in the Premier League, this latest victory, an emphatic 4-1 triumph over struggling Sunderland, taking them 11 points clear of danger going into Matchday 21.

This result was testament to how Dyche has transformed Turf Moor into a Premier League fortress, with all but one of Burnley’s 23 Premier League points this season coming at home, with their latest exploit in Lancashire making them the first newly promoted side to win seven of their first 11 home fixtures since Charlton Athletic back in 2000/01.

It was a good week that rounded off a wonderful year at the club, and Dyche ensured his team played with calmness, with the ball on the ground and an attacking conviction that Sunderland simply couldn’t cope with. The focal point was the brilliant Andre Gray, who hit a hat-trick, whilst strike partner Ashley Barnes also managed to get onto the scoresheet.

Staying in the Premier League takes persistence and the ability to adapt, and Dyche has proved himself a specialist in mixing up the way Burnley play their football, and they finally look a team ready to stand up and be counted in order to survive in the Premier League, rather than allow the hype of the top flight to simply pass them by. His team rose to the occasion to cap off a remarkable year, and Dyche has proven time and again he is the man to mould them into a side capable of taking the Premier League challenge on. A deserving candidate for our Coach of the Week.