Erik Pieters
BURNLEY left-back Erik Pieters admits he is at a loss to explain the Clarets’ dismal home record that is hampering their efforts to pull clear of relegation trouble. Saturday’s critical clash against fellow strugglers Watford ended in a goalless draw, meaning Sean Dyche’s side have won just one of their last 18 league matches at Turf Moor – the 3-1 victory over Brentford in October which is their only league win home or away this season.
Erik Pieters said: “Someone told me (the stat) a while ago but I am surprised we are struggling to get wins at home. It’s weird. We are a strong side, especially at home. When they told me I thought, ‘Nah, it can’t be true’, but of course you go back and look and it’s not good. We definitely need to work on that. But it’s the Premier League and every single game is different. At this point I don’t care how many points we get at home or away. The main thing is that we get the points.”
Manchester United will be the next visitors on Tuesday night, the first in a daunting run of home fixtures with Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea to follow. Given the challenges to come, Burnley’s inability to beat a Watford side who had themselves taken only one point from the previous 24 on offer was seen as a major setback in their bid to avoid the drop. Though they are still only three points from safety with games in hand, Norwich’s uptick in form and Newcastle’s major January investment have put the pressure on, while Burnley’s wait for another victory goes on.
Erik Pieters added: “It’s difficult but we know we have a really experienced group, a group that’s really together. Everyone wants to work together. I don’t see any problem in us facing that battle. But you have to show it on the pitch in the end. Every game in the Premier League is difficult but we have confidence and trust in each other, and I have trust in myself that we can get out of it.”
There were some positives to take from Saturday’s wet and windy affair – another clean sheet, one more point if not three, and an encouraging debut from deadline day signing Wout Weghorst, who linked up well with Maxwel Cornet as the latter returned from Africa Cup of Nations duty. Pieters said he had not known fellow Dutchman Weghorst before last month, but the 6ft 6in striker had got his number from mutual friend Tim Krul and had sought his advice on making the move to Turf Moor.
Erik Pieters said: “He’s a really down to earth guy, a nice guy, relaxed. He’s easy to talk to and to get along with. I think that’s really a key factor for us as a team. Hopefully everything will connect together. He’s got good speed and I think you can see he’s a real goal-getter. I think he was a bit unlucky (on Saturday) but you can see what he has in front of goal. One moment he just controlled it inside the box and the shot was blocked, but you can see the quality of every touch. It’s nice to have him in the team and hopefully he will score for us really soon.”
