Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
Sean Dyche’s men may well have slipped away from the top six after taking just two points from nine in a trio of games that has included fixtures against Tottenham and Manchester United, but even with that said there is no doubting they had an incredible 2017.
A year coupled with not just beating the drop last year but also silencing the critics who thought they would struggle second time around, when you take into account that they needed 35 points to stay up last season and they have 34 for this campaign then it is job almost done.
But Sean Dyche will not be happy with just hitting the beach in January and letting their good start go to waste as he will undoubtedly want to finish as high up the Premier League table as possible due to the additional prize money that comes with and in turn the opportunity to further improve the squad next season.
This afternoon they play host to Liverpool who look set to be without Mohamed Salah after he is feeling the effects of an injury that he picked up after the Reds’ 2-1 win over Leicester on Saturday, a win that was thanks to a brace from the Egyptian.
Burnley had to make do with just a draw on Saturday as they were held by Huddersfield at the John Smith’s Stadium, it was a point that arguably suited the home side more and although Burnley boss Dyche can have few complaints about adding a point to the board he certainly did about the lack of a penalty awarded in the Clarets’ favour.
He may be unfairly labeled the ‘Ginger Mourinho’ but once again Burnley’s manager was complaining about another perceived injustice by the officials. Maybe he feels that small clubs don’t get the rub of the green but when you lie seventh in the Premier League can you really use that an excuse?
Jurgen Klopp may well be without Mohamed Salah this afternoon and could this also be the last hurrah for Brazilian international Philippe Coutinho who is continually linked with a move to Barcelona and just to add fuel to the fire, Nike listed a Barcelona shirt for sale with his name on it.
That will do nothing to quell the rumours and it is a saga that could very well last until the end of the month, the only answer we are going to get is when the transfer window slams shut and we know what colours Coutinho is wearing.
It could be the end of an era for one Liverpool player but it is the beginning of another as Virgil van Dijk completes his move to Anfield today for a world record fee (for a defender) of £75m. Just like how the Coutinho saga is protracted this one is no different.
But this time around Jurgen Klopp has finally got his man and Van Dijk finally gets his move, this fixture however will come around too soon for the Dutch international with the expectation that he will make his debut this weekend in the F.A. Cup 3rd Round tie against Everton.
Liverpool have the opportunity to further increase the pressure on Tottenham and Arsenal this afternoon and further solidify their fourth place berth in the Premier League table. A win would see them go six points clear of Arsenal and seven points clear of Tottenham, albeit having played one and two games more respectively.
But even with that said you would rather be the team with the points on the board and that in turn allows you to dictate the pace from the teams chasing you below, they have the opportunity to put down a real marker this afternoon in a race for the Champions League places.
Burnley will be boosted by the fact that James Tarkowski returns from suspension but even if Liverpool are without Mohamed Salah they still have more than enough firepower to brush past a stubborn Burnley resistance, I reckon this will be an away win as the Merseyside outfit tighten their grip on fourth.
