Wolves vs Burnley: Inside track on Sean Dyche's men

We spoke with Dave Roberts, Burnley podcaster for No Nay Never, and Tyrone Marshall, Burnley reporter for the Lancashire Telegraph, to get an inside look at Sean Dyche's side.

See what they had to say here...

Burnley are obviously coming off a season of marked success, how has life at Turf Moor kicked off this season?

DR: It was a strange start to the season, coming off the back of such a high last season, especially with the Europa League campaign starting so early.

It's been difficult, playing on both fronts, but after the exit to Olympiacos, combined with a very testing start to the Premier League campaign, I think most fans were happy that the international break happened when it did.

TM: It’s been a difficult start to the season with the hectic Europa League schedule. Burnley had to play three qualifying rounds with games on six successive Thursday nights between July 26 and August 30 and they had to do so on a squad that wasn’t significantly strengthened in the summer and with a few injuries as well.

While the rest of the Premier League have played four competitive games Burnley have played 10 and their European campaign ended without reward as well, missing out on a group stage place to Olympiakos.

Domestically they started with a draw at Southampton in which they were the better team and it was an encouraging start.

But since then they’ve struggled, losing three straight Premier League games and most worryingly of all they have conceded nine goals and looked very open, which is very un-Burnley like.

Sean Dyche is obviously a man who's masterminded Burnley's recent rise into the Premier League and subsequent European qualification, how has he done this in your opinion?

DR: Sean Dyche places a lot of emphasis on hard work, attention to detail, and expects everyone to pull in the same direction.

He seems to instil a high level of confidence and determination in his players and is able to get the very best out of them.

I think the vast majority of fans are totally on side, despite there being some initial reservations about his appointment almost six years ago.

TM: He’s built a very close squad, made up almost entirely of domestic players and the togetherness within the dressing room and cohesion in the squad has undoubtedly been a key factor.

Dyche is an excellent man manager and he gets the best out of players. He also knows how to organise a side and Burnley’s success has been built on that a resilient streak.

In finishing seventh last season they scored just 36 goals and they’ve never scored many under Dyche, but they’ve always been tight at the back. They don’t tend to give much away and have a great knack of being able to stay in games and seize their moment when it comes.

What sort of transfer business have Burnley done over the summer?

DR: In terms of transfers, it's continued to be a case of evolution, rather than revolution.

No-one, inside or outside of Burnley, expects us to go out and spend £80m or £100m in a transfer window, so once again the club has tried to move things forward gradually on the playing side.

However, this sensible approach can sometimes be tinged with an element of envy, when you see some of the players being signed elsewhere in the league.

TM: Not enough, according to the manager and the fans. With European qualification Dyche wanted more players through the door but in the end only three new faces all arrived and all in the final week of the transfer window after Dyche had called on the board to loosen the purse strings.

One of them, Joe Hart, was in a position that was already strong and came about as a result of a couple of injuries, but when everybody is fit Burnley will have an embarrassment of riches in the goalkeeping position.

Aside from that Ben Gibson came in from Middlesbrough to take the number of central defenders to four, while Matej Vydra signed from Derby County.

What have you made of that business?

DR: Ben Gibson looks like a very solid signing in defence, and Matej Vydra looks like a good candidate to take the step up and deliver some goals (he's already scored on his debut.)

Joe Hart was perhaps the biggest surprise, but after Nick Pope's injury, this was a logical move.

TM: The signing of Hart was unexpected. Nick Pope’s shoulder injury presented the opportunity, with Tom Heaton picking up a calf problem at the same time. But now Hart and Heaton are both fit, while Pope is due back in December, and how that situation plays out is going to be interesting.

Gibson looks a very good signing and Burnley needed another central defender. He hasn’t featured in the Premier League yet but I would expect him to put the pressure on Ben Mee and James Tarkowski.

Likewise Vydra has only been seen in two substitute appearances, but he strengthens the attacking ranks and provides something different up front for Burnley in being able to drop off a front man.

The one area that needed strengthening was out wide, with Robbie Brady still coming back from injury, but nobody came in and Burnley remain short of numbers on the wings.

How do you expect Burnley to face up against Wolves? Do you think they'll be targeting Nuno's side given their recent promotion?

DR: I don't think Sean Dyche will tinker too much with his team, he very rarely does.

I'm sure that Wolves will be given respect, as promoted sides can be at their most difficult to play earlier in the season particularly at home.

I saw the recent match against Manchester City, so I'm sure the Burnley management and players, as well as the fans, will know they face a tough task on Sunday.

TM: Dyche has never been one to ‘target’ points from certain games, he insists they go into every game with the target of winning.

I think they’ll be playing 4-4-1-1 again, probably with the same team that started against Manchester United, and looking to shore things up at the back after a few gifts to the opposition in recent weeks.

The Europa League took a toll on the Clarets it seems, given their struggles to begin this season. Now that they don't have that to worry about, do you imagine their form will improve?

DR: Although the Europa League involvement was good while it lasted, there will surely now be some benefit to not having these matches, and being able to keep a settled side.

This approach was a key factor, which underpinned the 2015/2016 promotion season, and served us well during the last two seasons back in the Premier League.

TM: I think it will. They’ve found the schedule at the start of this season on a squad that is stretched to the limit difficult.

I think a crucial aspect is that they will now have more time on the training ground, rather than less games.

That time to train and work on specific things for a week ahead of a Premier League game was a key part of their success and helped them look so organised over the last couple of years, something which has been missing so far this season.

Are there any injury worries at Turf Moor?

DR: Two of our most creative players, Robbie Brady and Steven Defour are coming back from longer term injuries, but aren't expected to be ready for this weekend.

Nick Pope is also expected to be out until December.

Another of our main playmakers, Johann Berg Gudmundsson, went off injured in Burnley's last match against Manchester United, so it remains to be seen if he will be fit to face Wolves.

TM: Robbie Brady and Steven Defour are both on their way back from injuries and won’t be fit in time for Sunday.

Johann Berg Gudmundsson has missed the last couple of games with a hamstring injury so might also be a doubt for the game at Molineux, while Nick Pope is a long-term absentee.

Stephen Ward returned from Ireland duty with a foot injury so Charlie Taylor is likely to continue at left-back.

What have you made of Wolves from afar? Do you think they have a team capable of cutting it in the Premier League this season?

DR: They have certainly been backed financially, during last season and over the summer, which will help.

However, this doesn't guarantee anything in the Premier League, where consistency is the key.

However, several teams have shown that they can take the step up in recent seasons, and I'm sure that there will be high hopes in Wolverhampton that their team can emulate the successful teams that have established themselves in the Premier League, after promotion from the Championship.

TM: They’ve looked good so far, particularly last time out in the win at West Ham.

Nuno has been given the money to build a good squad there and on the evidence so far they look capable of surviving in the Premier League pretty comfortably this season.

Your match prediction?

DR: My heart really hopes that Burnley can kick-start the season with a victory, but my head suspects that a draw may be a more realistic ambition. I suspect that most Clarets supporters would probably be glad to come away with a point.

TM: Burnley needed the international break and I think they’ll be better for it, so I think they’ll get a point at Wolves and I’m going for 1-1.

You can follow Dave on Twitter by searching for @DLRbrts, you can hear him on the No Nay Never podcast here. Meanwhile, you can follow Tyrone on Twitter by searching for @TyMarshall_LT.