Ian Wright has delivered his verdict on Burnley’s decision to sack Sean Dyche and the impact it could have on Everton’s season.
Burnley made the shock announcement that the club had sacked Dyche and members of his coaching team on Friday morning in an attempt to stave off relegation, ending his nine-and-a-half year tenure at Turf Moor. The Clarets currently sit 18th in the table, four points below Everton, with eight games left to play.
Arsenal legend and former Burnley striker Ian Wright explained that the merits of the decision will remain unclear until Dyche’s replacement is appointed. However, the pundit believes that the Lancashire side can still close the gap on Frank Lampard’s men due to the difficulty of the Blues’ remaining games.
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“It depends on the manager they can bring in and if he can give them that lift because they are going to need it,” Wright told Premier League Productions. “You look at Everton and their run-in.
“If I am Burnley, then I am looking at Everton and thinking, we have to get something out of here because Everton, yes we saw the result against Manchester United. But that run-in for Everton looks really tough, so whoever is coming in, they should be looking at (Burnley’s) games and seeing if he can get that manager’s bounce. But I still feel for Sean Dyche.”
Everton are still due to face Leicester City home and away, as well as battling local rivals Liverpool in a Merseyside derby at Anfield and hosting Chelsea at Goodison, before travelling to Arsenal on the final day of the season. However, Blues boss Lampard will take encouragement from his side’s hard-fought win over Manchester United last time out.
For Burnley, the Clarets travel to West Ham this afternoon and play a Wolves side chasing European football later this month. That is followed by a relegation dogfight at Watford and another away clash against Antonio Conte’s Tottenham before hosting Newcastle on the final day of the campaign.
