Burnley boss Sean Dyche has addressed the “anomaly” of Everton battling relegation ahead of the two sides meeting on Wednesday.
Everton currently sit 17th in the table after enduring a tough season that has ultimately led to the Blues fighting for Premier League survival. The team’s defeat to West Ham on Sunday means the club are still just three points above the drop zone and four points better off than Burnley.
It all adds up to essentially make Wednesday night’s clash at Turf Moor a six-pointer . Responding to a suggestion that it could be Everton ’s most important game since the club’s fight for safety in 1998, Dyche admitted that the Blues’ situation does help demonstrate the quality required to stay in the top-flight.
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“It just goes to show you the strength of the Premier League when teams of even their strength, their financial strength and the feel of the club, the history of the club, if you like, are having a tough season,” Dyche said . “It’s happened – I remember playing in an era when Manchester City dropped down two divisions. It can happen.
“I suppose in a way the odd anomaly and marvel of football is that’s it’s not that easy. Everyone has challenging – or most have challenging seasons.
“But it just goes to show you how tough it is, a big club, lots of players there brought in for a lot of money, a well-thought-of manager – and managers previously – and still having a tough season. But that’s the power of the Premier League. I speak of it all the time. It’s a very, very tough division.”
Though Everton have won just once on the road so far this season, Frank Lampard can take some comfort in the fact that Burnley have only picked up nine points at home. Fans will be hoping for a repeat performance of when the two sides met in September, where goals from Michael Keane, Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray helped the team to record a 3-1 win at Goodison.
