This past week will have been a big one for AFCB's players. AFCB can't afford to drop any points at home with the recent results. So the team selection is going to be fierce now and Eddie Howe has to make sure he picks the players with the right mentality as well as the those in top physical condition.
That may mean making some changes, but if Howe can't put his finger on what was exactly wrong at Huddersfield he has to rely on what he knows gets results at home. In some ways he probably has to get the defeat against Huddersfield out of the players' minds and there were so many things that were not typical of a Bournemouth side that he doesn't want them to fall into the same mistakes.
Mistakes were made at the back but I don't see Eddie having enough defenders to change much at the back. Adam Smith could be set for a start but will Eddie Howe have the courage to drop Simon Francis? Bournemouth need to win a game without Francis to get rid of that bonkers stat that they can't win without him. This next match could be the moment to try and test the theory that AFCB are more than capable of winning in the Premier League without Simon Francis.
AskFans' Match Preview AFCB v Newcastle Utd
Cherry Chimes' T-Shirt competition
To win a T-Shirt this weekend, guess the name of the first goal scorer against Newcastle Utd and the time of the first AFCB goal. We will pick a winner from the correct guesses that get the name of the scorer right and the secondly the nearest time to when the goal was scored. Eg you could guess - Wilson 17 or Stanislas 5
OR simply send in your score predictions for the match
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That may mean making some changes, but if Howe can't put his finger on what was exactly wrong at Huddersfield he has to rely on what he knows gets results at home. In some ways he probably has to get the defeat against Huddersfield out of the players' minds and there were so many things that were not typical of a Bournemouth side that he doesn't want them to fall into the same mistakes.
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| All positions are pretty much up for grabs as AFCB look to find form. |
The temptation to give Josh King a start is perhaps is something that Eddie will opt to do at home. I thought King might have even started at Huddersfield having played a strong part in the win against Stoke City, but I suppose Eddie is still trying to protect him from too many minutes. The central midfield area is the big talking point though. Does Eddie Howe stick with Dan Gosling and Lewis Cook or does he go back to thinking about Arter and/or Surman? I didn't think Gosling had a good enough game at Huddersfield to give him any priority in this next game, but I thought Lewis Cook was a bit more successful at trying to get AFCB moving in the right direction. My gut feeling is that Eddie will change at least one central midfielder and that Arter may just be given the opportunity to come back in.
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AskFans' Match Preview AFCB v Newcastle Utd
Cherry Chimes' T-Shirt competition
To win a T-Shirt this weekend, guess the name of the first goal scorer against Newcastle Utd and the time of the first AFCB goal. We will pick a winner from the correct guesses that get the name of the scorer right and the secondly the nearest time to when the goal was scored. Eg you could guess - Wilson 17 or Stanislas 5
OR simply send in your score predictions for the match
Tweet your answers to @CherryChimes
I just hope whatever he does gets a better performance than what I got up at 5:30am to watch 13 days ago. For me Francis over Cook, and back to a 4-4-2. Maybe a diamond midfield for something different.
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