Sean Dyche has admitted he felt his Burnley side played with fear after they were comfortably beaten 2-0 by Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
The visitors were immediately put on the back foot with Palace creating a number of chances, and it didn't take them long to find the breakthrough. James McArthur's cross evaded everyone in the box and went all the way into the back of the net after deflecting off the inside of the post. Palace were dominant in the first half, and the second half followed a similar pattern.
Burnley never really looked like getting back into the game, and Andros Townsend made sure of the points with just over 10 minutes remaining with a fantastic strike which flew into the top corner, leaving Joe Hart with no chance to seal a comfortable 2-0 win for Palace.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Dyche conceded that the home side deserved all three points and admitted that he felt his side played with some fear. He said: "[Crystal Palace] deserved to win.
"The performance: there was a bit of fear attached to it. The eye of the tiger we had last year - it was a collective unit - has softened quite obviously - and that can happen with tough results. There's a lot of demand on this season, a different kind of demand that is new to the players and new to the club as well.
"I think that that affects the way a group works sometimes, and I think they've found a challenge within that. I've been through it myself down my career as a player and as a manager as well. To get that eye of the tiger back, it usually - not always - comes from hard work.
"The reason I say not always is that now and again you get it from a lucky one. It's strange football, you nick a lucky win and all of a sudden it looks different, but you don't want to rely on them. You want to rely on the good work that the players can do to turn things around."
He'll be hoping for a much-improved performance from his side in their next Premier League game as they prepare to host Liverpool at Turf Moor on Wednesday night.
Source : 90min