Match Report: Watford heap more problems on sorry Bournemouth 0-2

Match Report

AFCB 0 v 2 Watford

19 August 2017

Attendance: 10,501

Sunshine welcomes the teams at Dean Court.

While an opening day defeat was hard to take for supporters of the Cherries, this home defeat left them reeling about how lacking in positivity Eddie Howe's team has become. All the prospects were good. A home match. A chance for Jermain Defoe to lift the mood. A Watford side visiting who finished below the Cherries last season. Yet, Defoe didn't start, Watford fans sang loud and proud, and it was Bournemouth that cam away from the game scratching their heads. Richarlison had opened the scoring in the second half and Etienne Capoue had sealed the Hornets win with a spectacular half volley from outside the box. Bournemouth were a shadow of last season's team and questions are already being asked – why?

No Defoe in the line up yet.

The team news was the first thing that started whispers going around Dean Court. Jermain Defoe on the bench again? Why isn't he starting? There was less surprise at Simon Francis not passing a fitness test and Adam Smith coming into replace him. Marc Pugh would also have to be content with a place on the sub's bench.

Watford players have their final chat.

There are more pictures on Match Day Gallery.

First Half

Games against Watford are usually high friction encounters. This one looked to be warming up nicely when Abdoulaye Doucouré sent Harry Arter airborne in the first few minutes. Waved to play on, by referee Roger East, Bournemouth's Benik Afobe raced on and together with Josh King forced the first corner.

Watford soon put pressure on Bournemouth though, as Tom Cleverly's shot smashed into Nathan Aké's face in the box.

The zip in AFCB's game looked to be returning when Fraser took King's pass to bring a save out of Gomes, only for Benik Afobe to see his follow up shot deflect over. 

At the back Nathan Aké had André Gray in his pocket and there were encouraging signs with Gomes opting to punch when Daniels started to get crosses in.

Sian Massey-Ellis was kept active in raising her flag for the offside Gray as the half wore on, and Bournemouth looked in control, if not quite playing their full pressing game. Afobe was also more than doing his fair share of defending.

Matters became more scary when Nordin Amrabat started pinging his right-sided crosses in, and Nathaniel Chalobah just headed wide from one of them after 19 minutes.

Adam Smith was in the wars again when he clashed heads with Richarison, but both players managed to play on after some treatment.

The first name in the book was Miguel Britos, who took out Harry Arter, although Arter did his best to jump out of the way. Afobe then went close after a long ball from Steve Cook, but Gomes made the save on the angle when Afobe shot across goal. It was to be just one of two attempts Bournemouth would have on target all afternoon.

Arter got rather angry at the referee having not won a goal kick, following a crunching tackle on Richarlison. While Fraser and Ibe swapped wings, the former Liverpool player still failed to provide a telling cross or pass.

Moreover, it was Watford that were wondering how they were not going in one up at half time when Richarlison did some amazing work in turning Adam Smith inside out on the left side of the box, picking out André Gray who put the ball over the bar from six yards!

AFCB's subs at half time.

Gomes remains unbeaten.

Josh King gets ready for starting the second half.

Second half 

It was early Bournemouth pressure in the second half. Steve Cook was annoyed he didn't get a good, clean header in from a corner,  Ibe then went very close with his cross that deflected off Doucouré just onto the top of the net.

Arter was naughty in shouting at Chelobah to leave a ball that the Watford player was getting ready to hit, only to collect the ball himself when Bournemouth had lookedin danger. The referee did not hear it, but the Match of the Day cameras picked it up.

Begovic had to make a great on-on-one save by standing up to Chalobah on 56 minutes and André Gray was carded for his protesting, when Steve Cook ran into Gray during the Watford move.

The entry of Jermain Defoe on 60 minutes was well received, with Afobe departing a bit disappointed by the way he shook his head. Pugh was also introduced to replace Ibe, while Steve Cook was booked on 61 minutes.

Another yellow card, this time for Chalobah on King might have made AFCB fans thinking that they were wearing Watford down. But this is when the Hornets started  to ramp things up with a couple of corners. The opening goal came when Gray took up possession from a Bournemouth move with Pugh in Watford's half. Gray profited and reached the AFCB box to put a cross in for Richarlison. Begovic and Adam Smith looked to have contained the Watford man at first, but the ball came back to Richarlison who finished from close in on 73 minutes.

Watford fans went crazy and started a bit of a pitch invasion. Several of their fans were taken out of the ground by the police. Still it meant a lot for them to be ahead, while Bournemouth fans were silent – almost in disbelief.

Fraser had a shout for a penalty when he went down between two Watford players in the box, but Roger East didn't see anything in it. Moments later, Fraser was subbed for Lys Mousset, while Watford started making their subs at a rather slower pace. Richarlison even tried to go and shake the referee's hand to waste time before Capoue came on after 79 minutes.

A Bournemouth attack followed with Pugh's chip falling for King who headed over from short range.

Amrabat was subbed for Christian Kabasele with seven minutes to go. The hope was fading for Bournemouth to do something, and it slipped away completely when Capoue drilled in a shot from 30 yards out to make it 0-2 to the visitors on 86 minutes.

Ben Watson was brought on for Chalobah as Watford knew it was job done. Six minutes of added time did see Lys Mousset have a half chance with the ball at his feet in the six yard box, following a corner but he did not get his shot away. He was hardly the only Bournemouth player guilty of that on the day.

The new scoreboard shows a first home defeat of the season.

Summary

Bournemouth have only played two games, but there is a depressing mood taking hold that must be dispelled quickly. They just aren't playing to their strengths and the speed of attack that we are so used to seeing just isn't there. None of the units of the team is working effectively and getting momentum through the passing is something Howe is going to have to get the players carrying out with more effectively. Surman is passing way too many balls backwards and Arter is not taking charge of the midfield to set a tempo. The wing play isn't getting behind teams and the forwards are starved of chances.

This is not the Bournemouth we have come to see over the last few seasons. They need to get back to doing what they have done well in the past. It's not down to a single individual that AFCB are falling short all over the pitch, it's a collective lack of injection in their play. It needs to change and the players need to forget about tables and season targets, and just play the team in front of them.

Defoe with Watford players.

Celebrating Watford fans.

Watford did more than enough to win the game.

AFCB

Begovic, A Smith, S Cook, Aké, Daniels, Ibe (Pugh 60), Arter, Surman, Fraser (Mousset 78), King, Afobe (Defoe 59)

AFCB Subs

Boruc, Mings, B Smith, Gosling, Pugh, Defoe, Mousset

AFCB Ratings

Begovic 7, A Smith 6, S Cook 5, Aké 8, Daniels 5, Ibe 5, Arter 5, Surman 4, Fraser 5, King 5, Afobe 6

Watford

Gomes, Femenía, Prödl, Britos, Holebas, Cleverley, Doucouré, Chalobah (Watson 90+1), Amrabat (Kabasele 82), Gray, Richarlison (Capoue 80)

Referee Rating: Roger East 6/10 He kept in control by carding a few Watford players, helped by his assistant linesman. But he probably should have booked Arter as well for some of his antics.