Burnley have been a great Premier League success story this season... from the Ginger Mourinho to a new training centre, what is their secret?

  • Burnley's win at Bournemouth lifted them into the top six in the Premier League
  • It is a remarkable achievement for a team Sean Dyche has built on a budget
  • Dyche has stayed loyal to Burnley – and vice-versa when the club were relegated
  • Unheralded players like Nick Pope and James Tarkowski have been superb
  • Burnley have invested over £10m in their training facilities to build for the future

Burnley's win at Bournemouth on Wednesday night lifted them into the top six in the Premier League, above Tottenham Hotspur.

Had Sean Dyche's team not succumbed to an injury-time penalty against Arsenal at the weekend, they would be level on points with the Gunners and Liverpool too.

It's a remarkable achievement for a team built on a shoestring budget and punching above their weight in the top-flight. Sportsmail takes a look at how Dyche has done it...

Burnley's win at Bournemouth on Wednesday  lifted them into the top six in the Premier League

Burnley's win at Bournemouth on Wednesday lifted them into the top six in the Premier League

It is a remarkable achievement for a team that manager Sean Dyche has built on a budget

It is a remarkable achievement for a team that manager Sean Dyche has built on a budget

Burnley fans have enjoyed watching what has been their best Premier League campaign so far

Burnley fans have enjoyed watching what has been their best Premier League campaign so far

ROLL OF THE DYCHE


The 46-year-old manager, once dubbed the Ginger Mourinho, is an obvious starting point. Dyche has worked wonders at Turf Moor, guiding Burnley into the Premier League on two occasions and now well on his way to keeping them there for the third year in a row.

He has relied on a largely British and Irish squad who are well disciplined and well drilled - round pegs in round holes. However this season Burnley have developed a finesse to their game that has impressed many observers.

They are no longer grinding out results and fighting for survival. They are beating teams on their own terms and deserve their place at the top end of the table.

Dyche has stayed loyal to Burnley – and vice-versa when the club were relegated back to the Championship in 2015 – but it has been no surprise to see him linked with the recent vacancies at West Ham, Everton and West Brom.

Dyche has stayed loyal to Burnley – and vice-versa when the club were relegated  in 2015

Dyche has stayed loyal to Burnley – and vice-versa when the club were relegated in 2015

Season at a glance

  • Premier League
  • Premier League
  • Championship
  • League One
  • League Two
  • Scottish Premiership
  • Scottish Div 1
  • Scottish Div 2
  • Scottish Div 3
  • Ligue 1
  • Serie A
  • La Liga
  • Bundesliga

DEFOUR FACTOR

No player epitomises the finer points of Burnley's game these days than midfielder Steven Defour.

The Belgian playmaker has brought a polish to Dyche's side that wasn't there when the emphasis was more on physical, ball-winning players in the middle of the park.

It hasn't always gone smoothly for Defour who was once heavily linked with Manchester United. He struggled for fitness after moving from Anderlecht for £7.5million in the summer of 2017, and there was talk of a frosty relationship with Dyche.

However, the two men are said to have settled their differences in the summer and Burnley are reaping the benefits of a happier, fitter Defour.

AWAY THE LADS

Burnley's form away from Turf Moor was a weakness last season. This term it has been quite the opposite as the Clarets have risen up the table on the back of some outstanding results.

If people thought the stunning 3-2 win over champions Chelsea on the opening weekend might have been a freak one-off, Burnley have proved them wrong by drawing at Tottenham and Liverpool, as well as winning away to Everton, Southampton and now Bournemouth.

A return of 14 points from seven away games has already equalled their best performance from a full Premier League season of 19 fixtures set in 2015-16, and is double last season's total. Only Manchester City and Chelsea have a better record.

Belgian playmaker Steven Defour has brought a polish to Dyche’s side that wasn’t there before

Belgian playmaker Steven Defour has brought a polish to Dyche's side that wasn't there before

Burnley have been brilliant away, starting with a 3-2 win at Chelsea on the opening day

Burnley have been brilliant away, starting with a 3-2 win at Chelsea on the opening day

FILLING THE GAPS

Burnley don't have massive resources, but use what they have to great effect. When Michael Keane joined Everton for £25million in the summer, James Tarkowski came in and has performed superbly at the heart of defence. England manager Gareth Southgate was at Turf Moor for Sunday's game against Arsenal, and it is understood that he is keeping an eye on Tarkowski.

When Burnley's captain and England goalkeeper Tom Heaton suffered a dislocated shoulder in September, Nick Pope stepped up from the bench and has been a revelation. The 25-year-old has led the Premier League in shots-to-saves ratio as Burnley have conceded just 11 goals in 14 games – the same as Chelsea.

The sale of Andre Gray, a striker who had scored 35 goals in the last two seasons, to Watford for £18.5m could also have hit Burnley hard. Instead, the club have filled the gap, just as they did when Gray replaced Danny Ings after he left for Liverpool in 2015.

Chris Wood was purchased from Leeds in a deal worth up to £17m in the summer and has proved to be a very astute signing by Dyche. The New Zealand international has scored six goals in 15 games but also leads the line very well.

In addition, Ashley Barnes and Sam Vokes have demonstrated that they still have much to offer in attack, while Burnley can also draw on the creativity of Jeff Hendrick, Robbie Brady, Johann Berg Gudmundsson and, of course, Defour. There is more to come when new signings Jonathan Walters and Nahki Wells are fit.

When Michael Keane joined Everton, James Tarkowski came in and has performed superbly

When Michael Keane joined Everton, James Tarkowski came in and has performed superbly

Nick Pope stepped up from the bench and has been a revelation in place of injured Tom Heaton

Nick Pope stepped up from the bench and has been a revelation in place of injured Tom Heaton

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

Burnley hope the £10.6m upgrade of their Gawthorpe headquarters in the heart of the Lancashire countryside and opening of the new Barnfield Training Centre last summer will help the club compete with their Premier League rivals and produce a conveyor belt of young talent.

Gawthorpe was picturesque but outdated, and Dyche has been heavily involved in the design of the new state-of-the-art facility. It has all the usual bells and whistles – Desso playing surface, indoor pitch, hydrotherapy pools and a gym three times the size of the old one – and it seems to be paying dividends already.

Yet perhaps most importantly of all, it means that the first-team train at the same facility as the academy players. Burnley hope the upgraded facility will help them to attract and nurture up-and-coming stars as they look to the future. 

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