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Sean Dyche and Chris Hughton raising England's game as they make most of homegrown talent

Mauricio Pochettino, Sean Dyche, Chris Hughton and Pep Guardiola - Sean Dyche and Chris Hughton raising England's game as they make most of homegrown talent
Mauricio Pochettino (left to right), Sean Dyche, Chris Hughton and Pep Guardiola

There was a wave of eulogies to Mauricio Pochettino and Pep Guardiola last week for the work they are doing raising the standards of the best footballers England has to offer. Some, including this newspaper, even asked if the pair were saving English football through their coaching methods. Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur crushed European champions Real Madrid 3-1 at Wembley, with Dele Alli, the two Harrys, Kane and Winks, Eric Dier and Kieran Trippier all prominent. 

At the same time in Italy, the huge strides being taken by Raheem Sterling, John Stones and even midfielder Fabian Delph, back in the international fold after some bravado showings at left back under Guardiola, were again abundantly clear in Manchester City’s rousing 4-2 victory over Serie A leaders Napoli. And let us not forget Kyle Walker, who was given a rare night off on Wednesday but has developed into a right back of serious quality under the guidance of, first, Pochettino and, now, Guardiola. No wonder Gareth Southgate feels a little more emboldened ahead of the Germany and Brazil friendlies.

And, yet, amid our obsession with the Premier League’s uber coaches, it is easy to overlook some of the excellent work being done by some of their less celebrated English counterparts on far smaller budgets and with far less naturally talented English players in much less fashionable surrounds.

Burnley claimed their fifth clean sheet in eight league matches, and 11th point from 18 on the road this season, by beating Southampton 1-0 at St Mary’s on Saturday to briefly occupy sixth position before Liverpool edged ahead on goal difference. Just behind Sean Dyche’s side are Brighton, who claimed back-to-back away wins with a 1-0 victory at Swansea City as they continue to tick along very nicely under the vastly underrated Chris Hughton on the south coast.

Sean Dyche signs autographs
Sean Dyche is rated one of the best English managers in the country Credit: GETTY IMAGES

Is what Dyche is doing with Nick Pope, James Tarkowski, Ben Mee and Jack Cork at Burnley, or Hughton with Lewis Dunk, Dale Stephens and Glenn Murray, any less impressive in its own way than what Guardiola or has done? Is Guardiola taking, say, Sterling, and turning him from a very good but erratic player into a consistently high-level performer any less challenging a task than Dyche making a Premier League quality centre half of James Tarkowski, who had played 102 games in League One for Oldham and Brentford, and made just 61 Championship appearances, before joining Burnley 21 months ago?

Mauricio Pochettino embraces Harry Kane
Mauricio Pochettino has done a brilliant job nurturing English talent Credit: EPA

Pope produced three superb saves from Sofiane Boufal, Nathan Redmond and Maya Yoshida against Southampton to provide the platform for Burnley’s victory. His 88.1 per cent save percentage this season is better even than that of United’s David De Gea, arguably the world’s best goalkeeper, and yet before he replaced the injured Tom Heaton against Crystal Palace on Sept 10, the 25-year-old had not played a minute of Premier League football. It was not long ago that he was plying his trade in the National League with Aldershot Town and Cambridge United.

Chris Hughton points the way
Chris Hughton has made Brighton a tough team to beat Credit: REUTERS

As for Mee and Cork, if they maintain their form, it is not unfeasible they could be knocking on Southgate’s door soon and looking, perhaps, to supplement the qualities of the those that Guardiola and Pochettino are doing such a handsome job of burnishing. Dyche aside, the common denominator in the rise of Tarkowski and the man he replaced, Michael Keane, is Mee, who, like many young English players, was sacrificed in the early years of Sheikh Mansour’s ownership of City but has since established himself as a centre-back of considerable standing. Cork was deemed surplus to requirements at Southampton and then Swansea but Dyche has revitalised the 28-year-old’s career and the midfielder, who has covered more ground than any other player in the top flight this term, is now playing a significant role alongside Steven Defour in the evolutions of Burnley’s football.

Who knew much about Dunk before Hughton got his hands on him, or Stephens, a former team-mate of Pope’s at Charlton, for that matter? Murray’s success, meanwhile, is evidence that, at 34, players can continue to push the boundaries with the right guidance and influence. It is commonplace to hear foreign managers referred to as coaches while their English counterparts are just strictly “managers” but Dyche, now in Everton’s sights, and Hughton straddle the two. 

The players they possess may not be as high profile as the ones Guardiola and Pochettino work with but it should not diminish from Dyche or Hughton’s achievements.

Moment of the weekend

We are running out of superlatives for Kevin De Bruyne, but even by the Belgian’s high standards, his goal against Arsenal on Sunday took the breath away. Nothing looked on when De Bruyne suddenly exchanged a one-two with Fernandinho, glided forward and, after shifting the ball on to his left, aimed a shot of pinpoint accuracy into the far corner.

Good weekend for: David Unsworth

It probably will not be enough to land him the manager’s job at Goodison Park on a permanent basis, but Unsworth did his candidacy no harm with a dramatic 3-2 win against Watford on Sunday and, moreover, injected much needed life into Everton’s ailing campaign. At 2-0 down with 23 minutes to go, Everton had looked dead and buried,but seasons can turn on come-backs like that.

Bad weekend for: Jose Mourinho

There was a time when Stamford Bridge was ruled by Mourinho, but as if a third successive defeat at his former stomping ground with Manchester United was not hurtful enough, the sight of Pep Guardiola’s City now boasting an eight-point lead at the top of the table will only serve to deepen the Portuguese’s gloom.

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