It was a harsh knock back to reality for the Cherries yesterday. I heard one Premier League fan on the radio say that, "it's a great league - any team can beat anyone this season." Well, AFCB never looked like getting something at the Etihad and they probably travelled knowing that it might be unlikely that they could keep the score tight. Sadly, that is how it turned out and even Eddie Howe admitted that the gulf in class was huge, with City being 'a level above' them, even if he wanted his side to do better and felt that they should have got more out of the game than they did.
I was not so dismayed by the scoreline of 4-0, even if one or two of Man City's team are currently injured or unable for selection. It was never going to matter that much. Guardiola is warming to his task and AFCB met City on one of their good days which was a pity. The important thing for the players and the staff is to not let the result get to them. They are not at City's level and it has been proved. But the movement and pace of City's passing is something that AFCB's players can go away with and try and replicate. You learn from playing the best sides and Steve Cook was honest at saying that was the best team he he as played against.
While some of the fans and players will sound despondent, this is a reminder that the Cherries are in a league that is going to punish teams that are not at their cutting-edge best. The best sides are ripping apart those that are not able to compete in terms of the world-class talent that they face and it is like these teams are not going to allow another Leicester City season to happen again.
AFCB have to pick themselves up and work on what they can improve on. Eddie Howe mentioned that there were things they could do much better like not giving away the ball when in a good attacking position themselves for the second goal. The high-pressing that City employed kept the ball from AFCB for much of the game and the team will have to see how City managed this and how they can try and do similarly to teams that come to Dean Court. City play in a similar way, but they just do it far better. Now AFCB have a measure of the level they need to aspire to.
If the AFCB players look at the game in this way with honesty and a recognition of what they can improve on, such a match does not have to be a negative in the long run. UTCIAD!
I was not so dismayed by the scoreline of 4-0, even if one or two of Man City's team are currently injured or unable for selection. It was never going to matter that much. Guardiola is warming to his task and AFCB met City on one of their good days which was a pity. The important thing for the players and the staff is to not let the result get to them. They are not at City's level and it has been proved. But the movement and pace of City's passing is something that AFCB's players can go away with and try and replicate. You learn from playing the best sides and Steve Cook was honest at saying that was the best team he he as played against.
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| AFCB just have to go again and know there is a level that they are still trying to get to. |
AFCB have to pick themselves up and work on what they can improve on. Eddie Howe mentioned that there were things they could do much better like not giving away the ball when in a good attacking position themselves for the second goal. The high-pressing that City employed kept the ball from AFCB for much of the game and the team will have to see how City managed this and how they can try and do similarly to teams that come to Dean Court. City play in a similar way, but they just do it far better. Now AFCB have a measure of the level they need to aspire to.
If the AFCB players look at the game in this way with honesty and a recognition of what they can improve on, such a match does not have to be a negative in the long run. UTCIAD!
We don't learn that when teams press us very high like spurs at home last season, man u this season and yesterday we need to do something different. We are not good enough again the best teams to avoid giving the ball away deep in our own half and putting ourselves under repeated pressure.
ReplyDeleteWe need to change the plan to catch teams out by bypassing the middle of the pitch and pushing extra people forward to apply pressure to their back four instead. We would then see us being pressed less and then we can play our normal game.
In short we need to mix it up a bit when we have to to avoid giving away cheap possession in dangerous areas.
Agree with Ian. Arter and Surman were giving the ball away too cheaply and although they are not world class this can be mitigated through a different strategy against the high pressing teams. We need more discipline and structure against the pressing teams. We still might lose but a 1-0 loss is better than a 5-1 loss. Maybe we can use the new players as a secondary team and switch up depending on who we're playing so not to confuse the different play styles for the players.
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