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Attendance: 19,561
Burnley logo
Premier League | Gameweek 21
Jan 1, 2020 at 12.30pm UK
 
Aston Villa logo

1-2

Wood (80')
FT(HT: 0-2)
Wesley (27'), Grealish (41')

Sean Dyche sympathises with Dean Smith as pressure grows

Sean Dyche sympathises with Dean Smith as pressure grows
© Reuters
Burnley go into the match six points ahead of their opponents.

Sean Dyche has challenged his Burnley players to build on their second-half display against Manchester United when they take on struggling Aston Villa on Wednesday.

The Clarets were beaten 2-0 at Turf Moor at the weekend but caused problems for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side in the second half and were pushing for a point until Marcus Rashford added United's second deep into injury time.

It was a second successive defeat for Burnley following on from a 1-0 loss at Everton on Boxing Day, before which had come narrow victories over Newcastle and Bournemouth.

Victory over Villa, who have lost five of their last six Premier League games, including against 10-man Watford at the weekend, would widen Burnley's lead over the Midlanders to nine points and give them a bit of breathing space ahead of a tough run of fixtures.

Dyche said: "I think it's important for us to perform. I've always said, the table at the end of the season is the one I'm interested in. The performance level has got to stay where it was second half (against United).

"We've ground wins out (against Newcastle and Bournemouth). The second half (against United) I think we tried forge a win and plan a win, and I think that was better. We've got to do that going forwards, of course."

Villa's only league victory in the last six came against Norwich, and those teams occupy two of the bottom three positions while fellow promoted side Sheffield United are flying high in the top 10.

Questions have begun to be asked about manager Dean Smith's future, and they could well intensify if Villa maintain a record of not having won a league match at Turf Moor since 1936.

Dyche can empathise, saying: "It's so difficult. You spend money, you don't spend money. They've spent a fortune, it's kind of worked in spells and then it hasn't.

"(Sheffield United boss) Chris Wilder has spent OK money and it has worked, but by sticking more or less to what he does and what the team does. Norwich have spent a bit less money and were trying to rely on what they did (last season).

"We've been through it and we still go through it, every season's a new challenge for us. It is difficult to find the right balance of the freshness and maybe the experience you need to support your team and improve it, but then maybe not take away too much of what got you there in the first place."

Dyche could make changes, with fit-again winger Johann Berg Gudmundsson and forward Jay Rodriguez at the front of the queue after their positive impact as substitutes on Saturday.

The Burnley boss does not believe he will need to take the hectic festive fixture list into account, though, saying: "They're professional footballers, get some food down you, crack on. It's the job, isn't it?

"If you're Liverpool, they've got it tough. But, for us, generally, it's week to week to week. You have this little spell – two (games) in three (days) is tough but we've got a few days' recovery so I'll be expecting them to be physically right."

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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014


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