Eddie Howe keeps mentioning that AFCB are not the complete team yet. I guess managers can always say their team is still growing and has not reached fruition, but I wonder how far along the line this side is to being the complete team? At times it seems like they are close to 60 or 70 per cent but then they slip back to nearer 20 per cent. I can't see the club going mad and spending massively again in January, but some positions need more consistency from the players and it will be a test to see if the players Eddie has already can reach the standards he is setting.
Many of the fans have asked for a centre-back that plays with strength and precision from the back. It is clear that a decision has been made to bring on Francis and Cook in that role and that perhaps Mings will also find his way into those positions when required, as I mentioned yesterday. The engine room of midfield has also been predictably the preserve of Surman and Arter and Callum Wilson is installed as the main striker. But things have changed since Jack Wilshere came into the side. The problem has been to accommodate him while not taking anything away form the side, but it may have been detrimental to move Josh King out to the wings or leave him on the bench at times.
The balance of the side can easily be affected by these small changes and while Wilshere gives the side a new dynamic in going forward, it has needed to change its thinking from the wide bursts that were so recognisable with Pugh and Ritchie to a more forceful central threat posed by Wilshere in behind Wilson. It is possible that Eddie Howe may think things have been changing too soon, and that there is a period of stabilisation that is now required. Still, the quality of the players now at his disposal should start to make themselves felt and it is critical that the side finds a way of upping their goal count in what could be a very tight Premier League.
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While the recent defeats have hurt they are not decisive on where AFCB will finish this season. The belief must be rebuilt and to do that the side has to produce strong performances more regularly. I can see why Eddie feels the knock back has may be been good for the team, if they thought they were on their way already to a high finish, but this league is never easy. Sometimes we need to look at the bigger picture and see that AFCB you have to go back to see that it was only the opening two games, when AFCB last lost two games in a row, before this current spell. In other words, the Cherries are capable of getting results and they have to take that on to the pitch.
Many of the fans have asked for a centre-back that plays with strength and precision from the back. It is clear that a decision has been made to bring on Francis and Cook in that role and that perhaps Mings will also find his way into those positions when required, as I mentioned yesterday. The engine room of midfield has also been predictably the preserve of Surman and Arter and Callum Wilson is installed as the main striker. But things have changed since Jack Wilshere came into the side. The problem has been to accommodate him while not taking anything away form the side, but it may have been detrimental to move Josh King out to the wings or leave him on the bench at times.
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Comes back to my favourite theme...the team will not improve unless there is a change in personnel. ..its hopeless buying in January when the players we bought in the summer do not get a kick...we do not want another debacle with a grabban or an iturbe
ReplyDeleteLet's remember we are two points ahead of third from bottom and with some tough fixtures ahead the possibility of being in the bottom three shortly looms large..
Mousse. .ake...mings...smith.dropping Ibe. ..etc is the way to improve