Sean Dyche deployed the tried and tested method of downplaying ambition on Thursday, insisting Burnley’s primary target remains bettering last season’s 16th-placed finish despite the club’s lofty position in the Premier League.
Burnley find themselves sixth following a last-gasp win over Stoke on Tuesday evening, sitting level on points with Tottenham and Liverpool and one point above Arsenal, but the manager is doing his very best to keep feet firmly planted.
“The first target is to try and achieve something better than we did last season, both in the team developing and of course results because that’s the main judgement,” Dyche said ahead of Saturday’s visit to Brighton & Hove Albion.
“I think we are finding a good mixture of both, the players are reality bound here. We know it’s an ongoing challenge and we know it will be but it’s to be enjoyed without a shadow of a doubt.”
Burnley will soon surpass last season’s tally of 40 points if their accumulation continues at its current rate and Dyche will need a new target, but European football is not a point for discussion, yet.
“We are realistic,” he said. “The fans are realistic. Football can be a fragile business. Five years ago we were having to sell players.”
Burnley’s weekend opponents have been heading slowly in the opposite direction. Brighton have stalled after a strong start and are in the midst of a terrible run, without a point from their past three games.
The manager, Chris Hughton, has talked up the importance of their next two fixtures, with another home game to follow against Watford next weekend.
“We are a newly promoted team,” said Hughton. “We went through a good period but we are now among a group of teams that are not in good form. We aren’t happy with it and are very conscious of the facts. The next two games are very big.
“We need any win badly. These are the challenges that will face us all season. Whenever you lose, it puts more pressure on the next game. This is the challenge and we are a team that rises to those.”
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