Is Stanislas about to pinch Pugh's place?

Marc Pugh has persistently kept other players out of his spot on the left wing. He has been one of the most consistent players in red and black over Eddie Howe's two spells as manager at the club, and there is no doubt that he is a favourite not only of the manager but of the whole club. So now that the club has reached the Premier League he has been asked to improve his performance yet higher still, and during pre-season he has been getting the goals to keep his place. So what might have changed? Not a lot really, but Junior Stanislas has also been in incredible form.

Junior Stanislas could have forced his way into the starting 11.

Eddie howe has a pleasing but difficult number of choices to make before the first game of the season. He needs to be confident that the team he puts out against Aston Villa are the players that are the best able to get a result and that could mean having to make some hard decisions best on recent form. Eddie Howe will have his own way of coming to his choices and will console and give fresh hope to any player who is unlucky not to run out with the shirt on his back for the curtain raiser on the 8 August. One of the positions that I believe he'll still be battling with in his own head is that of left winger.

Marc Pugh has also had a good pre-season.

Pugh has been the front-runner for a long time. He has craft and his finishing has been fantastic from his opener against Huddersfield a year ago to his dramatic bullet strike against Bolton only a few months ago that saw the Cherries win promotion. He has kept Ryan Fraser and Junior Stanislas virtually spectators and while Josh King has not looked such a good fit on the left as when he plays up front, Pugh is certainly a player who deserves his place. But he is in a shoot-out with Junior Stanislas at the moment and it is a scrap that I think will continue long past next weekend.

Junior has scored more goals in pre-season and when it came to the toughest match of the summer against Hoffenheim it was Stanislas that got the nod to play. So should we read anything into this? I just believe that AFCB have the great fortune to have two players that can have a great season laying on the left wing. It could come down to the merest detail this coming week as to who gets given the shirt first, but that is what Eddie Howe has wanted all along and in every position all over the pitch.

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