Burnley boss Sean Dyche has the 'most unlikely' meeting with Spurs boss Jose Mourinho in London

The last person that Burnley boss Sean Dyche would have wanted to bump in to after the 5-0 drubbing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was his adversary, Jose Mourinho.
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But that's exactly what happened, despite the odds, in a capital city with a population of nearly nine million people.

The Clarets chief had stayed in London with his wife, Jane, and children following the club's heaviest defeat in the Premier League in 14 months.

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England international Harry Kane scored a brace for the home side while Heung-Min Son, Lucas Moura and Moussa Sissoko all found a way past Nick Pope.

Sean Dyche and Jose Mourinho shake hands ahead of the Premier League fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur StadiumSean Dyche and Jose Mourinho shake hands ahead of the Premier League fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Sean Dyche and Jose Mourinho shake hands ahead of the Premier League fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Dyche joked that he crossed paths with the 'Special One' on his way to one of the bargain stores on the high street as Mourinho headed for Harrods.

"I’ll tell you a little life story," he said. "Strangely, after a bad day for us, a bad result that’s for sure, the next day, with eight–odd million people in London, I bump into Jose Mourinho!

"That was a strange moment for him and me. But we were both correct because he said they were very good, which they were, and I said we weren’t, so we were both right. Anyway, it was just a life moment, that I thought was quite interesting .

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"I spoke to him more than I have before, ever. We had a good 10 minutes, and he was very polite, very kind to my family. It was an interesting moment in a city of eight-odd million people.

"I was on my way to Poundstretchers by the way – he was on his way to Harrods!"

Dyche described it as the 'most unlikely' meeting he'd ever had, adding that the former FIFA World Coach of the Year was just as shocked.

"His face was actually more shocked than mine, because he was plodding along and I saw him with his hat on, and he shot his head up and said a bad word, and then said 'sorry, your wife and children are there!'

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"But he was very pleasant – as he would be after smashing us the day before. But we had six or seven minutes chatting about how he’s settling, life in general, that sort of stuff. But he was very pleasant."

Dyche had been without Ashley Barnes, Ashley Westwood, Charlie Taylor and Phil Bardsley for the reverse against last season's Champions League finalists.

But he's hopeful of getting some of those back for the visit of Newcastle United on Saturday. As he wills his side back to full fitness, he said: "I don't think they [injuries] are helpful. I have spoken about the competitive edge of the group.

"I am not under-estimating the players that have come in but the team were going well and we had two 3-0 victories and now we have had three losses so on that score then you think there is an affect.

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"But I do believe in all the players because I believe all the players can perform and affect to win games.

"I am disappointed we haven't performed as well as we would like but I do think having injuries puts a stretch on your squad, especially with three games in a week."

He added: "Barnesy got out training today, and so did Ashley Westwood. We’ve got to see how they react to that but we’re hopeful on those two.

"Behind that, Bardo might get out there tomorrow. Charlie Taylor is tough and go and we’ll probably edge on the side of caution.

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"Johann [Berg Gudmundsson] had a good week on the grass with us, so we’ll enter him back into a games programme next week.

"He won’t be ready immediately but we’ll get him playing. That’s good. Kevin Long is making progress but won’t feature at the weekend.

"Woody’s carrying a bit of a knock but we expect him to be okay. Jay Rodriguez broke his little finger and has a splint on it to protect it."