AFCB's tweaked game plan was successful

It was clear that there would be a new shape to the Cherries game against Watford. Without Callum Wilson there had to be a change in the way the team played at the top of the field and Glenn Murray and Josh King would form a new partnership that had to click right away. Pleasingly the team did not look that much poorer for the loss of one of its key players and with a solid 12 attempts at goal and six on target, the Cherries whipped up a powerful game plan against Watford that very nearly gave them all three points.

Glenn just wants to score goals. That's good enough for me.

Very early on it was clear that the Cherries would be looking to find Murray in the air and on the ground with balls focused in at him from wide areas. Murray may not be the quickest to turn and pass but he comes alive in the box, and it is clearly a strength that Eddie Howe was looking to activate as much as possible with other players also looking to get shots in after Murray had got the ball down and under control.

The big positive that I saw in the Watford game is that the Cherries do have a plan B and a lot of that was down to the running power of Josh King who really applied himself in this game, using his speed and reading of the game to constantly put Watford on the back foot during the first 45 minutes. Far from being a peripheral influence he went direct at the Hornet's defence and that created space and openings for other players. At times Josh still perhaps does not always pick the best final passing decision, but it was pleasing to see him get into shooting positions and start to look like he was enjoying the job of taking attacks to the opposition.

Now the Cherries can build on their performance in the international break with more work for Murray and King in particular. If Lee Tomlin can also find more sharpness to his game then I believe AFCB will be in a good position to keep their goal threat high, especially with Yann Kermorgant and perhaps Tokelo Rantie, if he recovers fitness, also likely to get minutes in the League Cup games as they try and force an appearance in the team.