Sean Dyche set himself up for Burnley sack after Everton, Frank Lampard should heed warning
Sean Dyche paid the price of overconfidence after Burnley’s victory over Everton, having been sacked following defeat in his next game against Norwich.
The Clarets secured a late come-from-behind 3-2 victory on 6 April, after which their-now former manager revealed he had told his players that Frank Lampard’s men had forgotten how to win (Times) to spur them on to victory.
That bravado came back to bite him in a big way in the following round of games as, having narrowed the gap behind the Toffees to a single point after the win at Turf Moor, his side then lost to their Premier League’s bottom side.
To make things worse for him, Lampard, who had appeared so defeated just days earlier, saw his side largely control a disappointing Manchester United side to claim a crucial three points at Goodison Park and open the gap back up to four points.
After apparently firing themselves back into contention for Premier League survival Dyche set himself a major trap, and duly fell into it.
Had he lost a close game against Everton and overcome the Canaries, as any club would back themselves to this year, he may still have his job.
Lampard’s warning
After Maxwell Cornet’s late strike gave Burnley the win Dyche said: “You sense a team doesn’t know how to win a game. I said to our players that this lot [Everton] don’t know how to win a game away from home.” (Times)
He probably didn’t expect to be out of a job within 10 days of giving that interview, but such is the speed with which fortunes can change in football, that is where he is.
Just as the Premier League’s previously longest-serving manager no doubt suffered from the Norwich defeat looking terrible and coming after the Everton win, Lampard has benefited from the opposite.
The entire operation at Goodison Park was under fire the morning after the result at Turf Moor, but the mood was lifted significantly by the performance three days later.
Anthony Gordon’s goal was enough for a 1-0 win, while the likes of Jordan Pickford, Ben Godfrey and Michael Keane were vastly improved at the back.
That allowed team and manager to bask in the afterglow during the 11-day break until the next outing.
Had they needed to get through that period amid the dreadful mood the spread after the previous defeat the ex-Chelsea manager would have been under far more scrutiny.
The former England star has not shied away from strong statements of his own since taking over on Merseyside, including when he questioned the fortitude of his players as they were dumped out of the FA Cup (Guardian).
He was also buoyant after the win over Ralf Rangnick’s side, and addressed the Dyche point, saying (via the Liverpool Echo): “We do know how to win games! Sean didn’t mean it in that way – I’ve spoken to him since. We’ve won more games than them this year!”
The ex-Burnley boss’ fate should serve as a warning that he cannot get too comfortable after any triumph, as there is always something around the corner, and this season it hasn’t usually been good.
In other Everton news, a Sky Sports pundit saw the funny side of Dyche’s comments coming back to bite him.
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