Ryan Fraser - simply a game changer

Ryan Fraser made his fifth appearance in the Premier League on Sunday against Liverpool but I doubt he quite knew what kind of game he was about to produce. While every player who comes on hopes to make a difference it is another thing to actually do it. Right from the start Ryan had a desire to get past his defender and to get in the box as often as he could and it may not have been advanced thinking or dramatic skill, but it was effective.

Ryan Fraser was sensational against Liverpool - now he has to keep that level up.

The directness of Ryan's play is what sometimes startles defences. He puts his head down and goes for the opposition and that in itself may not hurt teams, but he also picks his head up and finds players with his passing. AFCB fans love the all action, rampaging style of Ryan as he does not find it difficult to sip past several players and yet he has been adding a much wiser head to his decision-making and it's something that I hope rubs off on Jordan Ibe.

Ryan spoke in an interview on BBC Solent after the Liverpool match that he had been worried of not beating his man and was finding it hard to take his potential on to better things during a game, but I can't see that he put a foot wrong against Liverpool. He was rightly given the man of the match award and he will surely be given the right wing shirt while Junior Stanislas recovers from injury. But I wonder what Ryan can do given a spell of four or five games? Has Eddie Howe stumbled upon another match winner for AFCB that just needs a few games to establish himself?

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Whatever the immediate thoughts might be of Eddie Howe, he has to see that Ryan Fraser had a great understanding with Callum Wilson, and that has to be good for the side. Afobe also seemed more ready to be trying to get on the end of balls when the pace of Ryan was nearby.