Eddie Howe was pleased with the 0-4 win at Watford, as he should be, but he was quick to say there were things that Bournemouth could do better. It seems a bit hard to talk about things to improve after a comprehensive away win at a side that was in the top six. Still, Howe's job is to keep improving this side and pushing them on to achieve more.
Pleasing too has been the low number of individual errors this season. In the past, the Cherries always seemed destined to gift a goal or two, but there's been none of that and the focus of the players has been excellent for the most part. The intent of Aké and Steve Cook to win the first ball and, if not, the second ball has been clear to see, and the shape of the team has been good with little room given to opposition players with Fraser and Brooks dropping in to help Francis and Adam Smith.
Where Howe believes the team has been slightly off the pace is in general play in between the two-boxes. While the fast counter-attacks have worked well, just keeping possession and rotation of play does some times see the Cherries give the ball needlessly away. We are picking at small holes here, but there is little that seems can't be fixed with AFCB at the moment on the pitch.
Cherry Chimes spoke with TallSPORT2 last night on AFCB's start to the season.
 |
| Howe is still looking for better quality when in possession. |
When a team is playing confidently, it's perhaps more easy for the manager to look at the finer details of the game and to work on some set-plays to top off the thoughts in players' minds. While we have seen Bournemouth put corners into the opposition box in good number we haven't seen many goals from them. Taking chances has been the major question about Bournemouth's forward line, rather than failing to create chances though. When the team has been the second highest scorers in the Premier League though after eight games, it shows that Bournemouth are not goal shy.
Pleasing too has been the low number of individual errors this season. In the past, the Cherries always seemed destined to gift a goal or two, but there's been none of that and the focus of the players has been excellent for the most part. The intent of Aké and Steve Cook to win the first ball and, if not, the second ball has been clear to see, and the shape of the team has been good with little room given to opposition players with Fraser and Brooks dropping in to help Francis and Adam Smith.
Advertisement
Cherry Chimes spoke with TallSPORT2 last night on AFCB's start to the season.
We need to try to avoid occasional tendency to go missing in midfield when in front - eg start of second half against Palace. Most teams are susceptible to this, but it does not happen with the very top teams.
ReplyDeleteThe better we do the more our quality players are going to be in demand and become more sought after by the bigger clubs. Now that all the plans for off the field infrastructure developments have been kicked into the long grass, the knock on effects, particularly the short sighted decision to call off the training and upgraded academy complex for the want of £10 million... is bound to be seen by those players as the club now lacking any further ambition to progress. I expect the manager to reconsider satisfying his ambitions at the end of the season too.
ReplyDeleteThe higher quality players will become less content to stay and it's likely higher wages from more ambitious clubs will now be seen as more tempting. Their agents will agitate to move them on to more ambitious clubs in order to further their careers when the offers start to come in for them. Once that ball starts rolling there will be little that can be done to stop it. Putting a new stadium on hold can be justified, not so the training and academy project... club already own the land and they already have planning permission, they should reconsider their decision for that or we will lose all the progress we have made.