Bournemouth are eight games into the season and we are already seeing that one or two players have pulled up with slight niggles. This has meant a bit of reorganisation with Adam Smith moving to left back, but the Cherries have still performed well. Does Eddie Howe need a season with no injuries to really challenge at the top end of the table though?
The positions where I think injuries would be most acute though are up front. Wilson and King are a powerful combination and they are instrumental to the way AFCB play. Losing either of them for a lengthy time would again make it difficult for AFCB. The Bournemouth Echo also reported yesterday that Josh King has picked up an ankle on Norway international duty. However, King was picked to start against Bulgaria last night and played the full 90 minutes in their 1-0 win. Let's hope he's fit for Saturday.
I know any lengthy period out for Wilson or King could see the making of Lys Mousset. Jermain Defoe would also certainly like to play more games. But if Bournemouth are going to be competitive with the very best then they will need the first 11 to remain relatively intact.
The area where I believe Bournemouth are best equipped is in midfield. As well as the multitude of wingers we have seen that central midfield is also much stronger than in previous seasons with all the main contenders for spaces having played minutes already this season.
The recruitment has been good though this summer and signings like Brooks may take some pressure off of needing Junior Stanislas for too may games, which is helpful when he often gets injured. Lerma is more likely to miss out through suspension than anything else, while if Diego Rico can give Charlie Daniels a few games rest then it can only be a big help, as Charlie has been probably overplayed too often in the past. It's the excellent recruitment that has helped AFCB get to the top six, and even while there will be injuries, I'm hoping that there won't be so many as in previous Premier League seasons so that AFCB can achieve the highest of ambitions.
In other news, David Brooks played 87 minutes in Wales 1-0 win over Republic of Ireland whose team included Harry Arter.
The squad has been reduced a bit down to some 26 players, although whether Kyle Taylor and Jack Simpson are going to get time in the Premier League is perhaps doubtful. So Eddie has about two players for each outfield position, and that is okay, as long as we don't get too many double injuries for the same place in the team, as happened with Diego Rico and Charlie Daniels.
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| Josh King may not play the whole game against Southampton if his ankle shows any further reaction. |
I know any lengthy period out for Wilson or King could see the making of Lys Mousset. Jermain Defoe would also certainly like to play more games. But if Bournemouth are going to be competitive with the very best then they will need the first 11 to remain relatively intact.
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The recruitment has been good though this summer and signings like Brooks may take some pressure off of needing Junior Stanislas for too may games, which is helpful when he often gets injured. Lerma is more likely to miss out through suspension than anything else, while if Diego Rico can give Charlie Daniels a few games rest then it can only be a big help, as Charlie has been probably overplayed too often in the past. It's the excellent recruitment that has helped AFCB get to the top six, and even while there will be injuries, I'm hoping that there won't be so many as in previous Premier League seasons so that AFCB can achieve the highest of ambitions.
In other news, David Brooks played 87 minutes in Wales 1-0 win over Republic of Ireland whose team included Harry Arter.
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