Bournemouth will begin another season in August with every reason to have high hopes of a good season. The Premier League will take precedence and the Cherries will want to ensure they make it a fifth season after 2018-19 in the top tier, but is the possibility of silverware in one of the cups getting anywhere nearer?
We have seen that the Cherries have found it easier to progress in the Carabao Cup reaching the Quarter-Finals last season. Getting further in the competition has to be something that Howe now looks at and should ask what is stopping AFCB from going further. The teams at this stage are big Premier League clubs, but on AFCB have beaten such teams in one off game, but coming up against them in a cup match has been an anti-climax. Liverpool, Everton and Chelsea have all knocked the Cherries out of cups in recent years. More irritatingly, AFCB have also lost to Millwall and Wigan in the FA Cup in the past few years and that puts into question how seriously the club really takes these games now.
However disappointing the lack of silverware in AFCB's cabinet may be when comparing it to other Premier League clubs, AFCB are at the beginning of their top flight years. Now is the time when they can get a free hand to the third round of competitions and with only 11 sides deemed to be stronger than the Cherries, there is every chance of at least more Quarter-Finals. Odds would suggest that a win in one of these matches is likely sooner or later and perhaps 2018-19 will be the break through season for that.
In other news Josh King scored in the fourth minute for Norway to beat Panama in an international friendly. Ex-AFCB player Sam Matthews has also joined Bristol Rovers. Lewis Cook also led the England U21 to the final of the Toulon tournament after coming from behind to beat Scotland 3-1.
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| Wigan Athletic ended AFCB's hopes last season in the FA Cup. |
Much of what AFCB can do in the cups will depend on Eddie Howe's decisions of whether to rotate the team in some of these games or not. What is also apparent in the scenario is that AFCB have to build a stronger second team with players that can rival the regular starters. It may seem improbable that Eddie Howe could be faced with a selection dilemma when this last season he has only used 21 players all season. When AFCB just have 29 first team players listed on their books, it has been fair to give some of the U21 players an opportunity to learn their game with the first team. Getting the balance right is tricky but when I have seen Jack Simpson play, for example, he has shown that he is ready and we may find Conner Mahoney and Kyle Taylor will yearn for similar opportunities in early cup games for AFCB.
We have seen that the Cherries have found it easier to progress in the Carabao Cup reaching the Quarter-Finals last season. Getting further in the competition has to be something that Howe now looks at and should ask what is stopping AFCB from going further. The teams at this stage are big Premier League clubs, but on AFCB have beaten such teams in one off game, but coming up against them in a cup match has been an anti-climax. Liverpool, Everton and Chelsea have all knocked the Cherries out of cups in recent years. More irritatingly, AFCB have also lost to Millwall and Wigan in the FA Cup in the past few years and that puts into question how seriously the club really takes these games now.
In other news Josh King scored in the fourth minute for Norway to beat Panama in an international friendly. Ex-AFCB player Sam Matthews has also joined Bristol Rovers. Lewis Cook also led the England U21 to the final of the Toulon tournament after coming from behind to beat Scotland 3-1.
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