Simon Francis has had his fair share of knockers this season. He must be approaching the end of his Premier League career, but he's not going without trying to recapture some of his old form. Against Aston Villa it was a surprise to see him start ahead of Steve Cook, but during the game he showed why he was worth the starting place.
Francis was very much involved in the game making some important challenges and clearance in Bournemouth's box. He looks much happier at centre-half than at right back and finds a little more time to get into position, when playing centre-back. There was little slow play around Bournemouth's box against Villa and the decision to launch the ball up field quickly worked well for the Cherries.
Francis was also instrumental in setting up Bournemouth's first goal with the cross to Dan Gosling. I think we have forgotten what a good crosser of the ball he has been in his career and he did well to pick Gosling out. But it was the defensive game of Francis that was particularly strong against Villa. Francis was determined to win his challenges and I thought he was an inspiration to the rest of the team on the day.
Previous Post - Long ball Cherries caused problems for Villa
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| Simon Francis did well enough to keep his place for the next game. |
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Francis was also instrumental in setting up Bournemouth's first goal with the cross to Dan Gosling. I think we have forgotten what a good crosser of the ball he has been in his career and he did well to pick Gosling out. But it was the defensive game of Francis that was particularly strong against Villa. Francis was determined to win his challenges and I thought he was an inspiration to the rest of the team on the day.
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We'll see how long it takes Francis to recover, but I'd not be surprise if Steve Cook has to wait a little longer before he gets back into the team.
Previous Post - Long ball Cherries caused problems for Villa
Happy to say I've been critical, but don't think anyone is blaming him. Unfortunately he is one of our best crosses, but it would be a mistake to take one good performance against a newly promoted team at risk of relegation.
ReplyDeleteHe isn't going to get any quicker so in those away games against top 7 he is a big risk.
Sadly S Cooks not much quicker. So without another player the only other choice is try something different. Maybe try a back three of Simpson, Cook and Francis, with Ake as a sweeper, sometimes deeper, sometime in front. With Rico and Smith providing width, then we can still have 2 midfield and 2 up front.