Talk Sports Adrian Durham was dismissive of Eddie Howe's tactics against Man City and wondered that Bournemouth's manager had been thinking when he set out to frustrate Pep Guardiola's side by parking the bus. Well, Durham should consider that AFCB were hammered 5-1 by Arsenal only a few days earlier and another hammering by City would have left the team in a dire state. At least now the players know they fought hard and came close to preventing City from taking the points. It leaves them with a better mindset for the upcoming games and gives Howe something to build on.
If there was a negative about what Howe did it was that he couldn't get the players to break with any conviction and for 90 minutes without a shot on target. Bournemouth have not been so out-played in a long time. Howe said he had a challenge to make the team competitive and that he felt this was the best way. I suspect he knew he would receive some criticism from some quarters for the way he set up the team, but he had to use what players he had at his disposal. Would playing Lys Mousset and two up front have given Bournemouth more opportunities - probably not. The team couldn't get the ball with four in midfield and with two up top it just would have given Man City one less body to get past.
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| There was more than one bus at Dean Court last Saturday. |
Bournemouth could have set out with a more ambitious plan. It would have given the game a more exciting spectacle for the neutral, but Bournemouth cannot be accused of not attacking at least 36 games a season, and I actually didn't mind seeing the team man the barricades for once with the home crowd getting behind the team and cheering every tackle. It's not how we want the team to play every week. Yet, what was Howe to do against a team that is trying to win the title?
If there was a negative about what Howe did it was that he couldn't get the players to break with any conviction and for 90 minutes without a shot on target. Bournemouth have not been so out-played in a long time. Howe said he had a challenge to make the team competitive and that he felt this was the best way. I suspect he knew he would receive some criticism from some quarters for the way he set up the team, but he had to use what players he had at his disposal. Would playing Lys Mousset and two up front have given Bournemouth more opportunities - probably not. The team couldn't get the ball with four in midfield and with two up top it just would have given Man City one less body to get past.
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The stark fact remains that Man City won the game. So you could say Howe didn't get it right. But perhaps there was no right team he could pick with so many injuries and the power and control that City would play with. A 0-1 defeat might well have been the best this Bournemouth side could have done.
It nearly worked.
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