If there was a self-destruct button in Dean Court at the weekend, the Bournemouth players certainly found it and pressed it without any concern. Time and time again, AFCB have been the cause of their own downfall, and I'm afraid that if they keep doing that there is little hope of them pulling together and getting themselves out of their current situation.
The players are so afraid of making a mistake that they are becoming indecisive and that has to be the worst thing you can be doing when trying to play out from the back. Clear heads are what is needed with simple game plans and simple passing. Over complicating things is just causing panic among the players and they are under too much pressure with the league table as it is.
The players need to be inspired and reminded about how good they can play. Some how Bournemouth have to have a positive week with constructive thoughts going forward. by going over the past games it is more likely that they are just making themselves more anxious. The passing was appalling against Watford and too many moves broke down because of a sloppy pass that would normally be second nature to make.
The players need to get out of their fright about being in the relegation zone and start building a platform to get themselves out of trouble. They can only do that by playing sensible and keeping the ball, using it as their friend and not seeing it as a problem when the ball is at their feet. They need to know they are in control when they have the ball and can dictate and when they haven't got it, they need to think about the space they are giving to the opposition - can they shut it down, can they keep their shape and can they win the ball back? These are the basics, along with winning the first ball and the knock downs and yet Bournemouth rarely showed any of it against Watford.
The players looked lost as if the ball was something alien and they had no idea how to get a goal. It was painful to watch and it has been a long time since I have seen a team go backwards as much as this in such a short time period. But the players need to find their way out of their slumber, because it is damaging to them as professionals now, never mind what it is doing to the team and its chances for survival in this league.
Previous post on Cherry Chimes: Eddie doesn't need to reflect on his position - get behind him
 |
| Simon Francis continues to come in for a lot of criticism, but is Eddie too loyal to him? |
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
The players looked lost as if the ball was something alien and they had no idea how to get a goal. It was painful to watch and it has been a long time since I have seen a team go backwards as much as this in such a short time period. But the players need to find their way out of their slumber, because it is damaging to them as professionals now, never mind what it is doing to the team and its chances for survival in this league.
Previous post on Cherry Chimes: Eddie doesn't need to reflect on his position - get behind him
I agree petrified of making a mistake and we know in sport if your not relaxed and theres is tension those central programmes hard wired to consistently execute the action get overwhelmed and errors get made. That why you see very capable skilled players look amateurish. So much psychology in sport Eddie knows this. He's got to be getting their confidence back up. By all means re-assure a player but if they are not producing bring in someone new. Psychologically the rest of the team at least see the possibility of positive change and not the status quo. I would bench callum and Fraser start surridge and kilkenny. The attack is where the problem is. Play well in a team with no end product really gets you down and frustrated. Desperate times mean innovative measures. He's going to have to create the options for positive change or we are down.
ReplyDelete