There's still a weakness in central defence

With Simon Francis filling in as a central defender, the back four is not quite how many of us would have expected it to be at the start of the season. While Francis says he likes playing there, it is perhaps not his best position and since he has moved there it is apparent that the goals against are still growing which may be more a fact of how the team is dealing as a whole when defending their goal, rather than any individual. But the fact is AFCB are weaker when Francis does not play at right back.

The changes do have an effect on the team no matter how much they train in those positions. Adam Smith has not played badly at all. In fact he has been a player that I have given good ratings too of late, especially in the Southampton match. He is getting used to being in the team and he did not have that many games at right back, even in the Championship season. The changes are somewhat enforced and have been made in an attempt to try and win more clean sheets.

Distin is still trying to help the team get some more clean sheets. 

Unfortunately, it is still work in progress for the back four. Sylvain Distin is starting to show how he'll confidently beat a player, one on one, when he has his back to goal and he is perhaps a voice that the players need to hear more on the pitch. No one is barking out instructions that visibly though without Elphick in the team, and some of the string characters need to show themselves at times. Some of the BT Sports analysis also showed that the centre halves are not getting tight enough to forwards and are allowing them to turn - at this level they can't do that.

Having said that, the goal that Perez scored for Newcastle was disappointing as it was really a goal out of nothing. The central defenders did not cope with a ball around the D of the box just like they did not when Dembele scored for Spurs a couple of weeks earlier. Neither goal is the kind of goal that we have seen scored often against the Cherries, but there is concern when a player can waltz through the centre of the Cherries defence to score. It's happened more than once. Some answers are needed.