Is Junior likely to get the start over Brooks?

I noted that Eddie Howe was keen to stress after the Burnley defeat that he was happy with how David Brooks played and that his game could easily be lost in the 4-0 defeat. While Brooks didn't play against Chelsea, he has managed to start most games and has lasted around 70 minutes in most of them. But now it is not just Jordan Ibe that wants that starting place, and Junior Stanislas is already getting minutes.

Can Junior push out Brooks and Ibe from the team to start?

I expect Eddie Howe will try and manage both Brooks and Stanislas, as Junior has had a lot of injuries through his career, and Brooks has not yet had a full Premier League season. Jordan Ibe has also been knocking on the door having scored against Milton Keynes and Blackburn Rovers in the Carabao Cup, and Eddie Howe hasn't made it clear how far ahead Brooks might have been in the selection process. Having seen the team lose heavily against Burnley, and Eddie mention that Brooks had a good game it is hard to see him pulling Brooks out just yet. Still, Stanislas has a quality finish to his game as we saw against Blackburn.

While Brooks is getting into good positions to score, he has found it difficult to get his first Premier League goal. Now there is competition with Stanislas and Ibe wanting to get games and Howe has to look at who is most likely to be the better finisher and provider on the right side, because most of Bournemouth's play continues to come from Fraser and there has to be a better balance to the team.

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While other players have been scoring there hasn't been a worry about Brooks not scoring yet. The crossing and understanding with Adam Smith is probably what Howe has liked most about Brooks' game, but both Ibe and Stanislas are used to seeing double figures in terms of game time.

I don't see why Stanislas can't get the nod to start against Crystal Palace. If he does he will be ahead of schedule in my book, which perhaps would say more about Junior than it would about Jordan Ibe or David Brooks. But Brooks will be fresher having not played in mid-week.

In other news, AFCB were handed a home tie against Norwich City in the Carabao Cup fourth round.


Cherry Chimes' Newsletter - out tomorrow
Cherry Chimes' October Newsletter brings you the best stories on the blog and the thoughts behind them from last month. It's out tomorrow with special story - Are we about to find out how good Howe really is?

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