Surman might have a part to play against Everton

While Andrew Surman is not seen as a match winner these days, he still has plenty to offer and could be part of the solution that Eddie Howe calls upon to try and get a result against Everton. This week we have seen that Lewis Cook is taking part in training and getting close to match fitness, but the bench is probably the closest he can get to playing at the weekend.

Andrew Surman still has some big games left in him and Sunday could be one of them.

That puts the focus on Philip Billing and Jefferson Lerma. Are they strong enough to stop Everton in their tracks? I think Billing is still finding his feet in this team and is a bit of a follower rather than a leader at the moment. Billing and Lerma have only won the one game at Aston Villa, and Surman played in the second 45 minutes of that game when Billing lost his control and almost got sent off.

What we know about Surman is that he has a tremendous amount of experience. He will do a job if Eddie Howe asks him to play a role that keeps AFCB ticking and hinders Everton. Bournemouth's pass completions are not particularly high (15th highest at the moment) and Surman has the ability to move the ball confidently in possession, even if it is renowned for being sideways in the main.

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Bournemouth have not had a clean sheet yet and have not won at home, so they need to re-establish themselves against Everton, and get a result that would push them back into the higher placings. If that means Howe needs to look at stopping teams and being a bit more cautious now, rather than being open and too attack-minded then buckle yourself in for a tense game at the weekend. Three central midfielders, could be Howe's thinking against a team that is already three points better off than the Cherries. The friendly against QPR in mid-week would also suggest that Howe is contemplating this as he played Billing, Surman and Lewis Cook in that match.

Possible AFCB line-up

AFCB Subs: Boruc, Rico, Stacey, Kilkenny, L Cook, Ibe, Solanke

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