There was a different game plan for Aston Villa that worked extremely well in the first half hour. Instead of taking their time to get the ball forward, Bournemouth went long and drilled long passes and goal kicks up into the Villa half, and won the knock downs to get themselves on the front foot.
I am sure it caught Aston Villa by surprise. The quick start to the game by Bournemouth was certainly helped by the way the players looked to win the ball back quickly and press when Villa did get possession. It was all fast play and it didn't give Villa a chance to slow things down and settle. I am not sure why the game is sometimes harder to do the same things from one day to the next, but for once Bournemouth carried out their game plan and it was effective.
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| Ramsdale is getting the big kicks in now. It's a weapon that we can see is very effective. |
Bournemouth have struggled to get the ball into areas where they can hurt the opposition, but there was none of that against Aston Villa. The players knew they had to attack and not get caught with the ball around their own box. It was refreshing to see the players so alert to opportunities as soon as the ball was in the opposition's half.
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Causing problems for Aston Villa's defence might not have led to individual errors from Villa, but it did put them on edge and forced them back. Jack Grealish was less of a threat when he was having to help out their defence and for the first half, Bournemouth didn't have Grealish causing them so many problems. Keeping the pressure the pressure going was probably helped by the crowd's enthusiasm for what they were seeing, but that kind of intensity is a great quality to have that hopefully Bournemouth will employ in more games to the end of the season.
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The obsession with a possession passing build up even within our 18 yard box is absurd when its attempted all the time. Very few teams can do this. Mixing up the build ups; some possession building mixed with long balls keep the opposition guessing. We don't need to be a Burnley but your point is a valid one. Besides; long balls to the channels where some one like fraser or king can push on from is 'exciting play'. Eddie is a great manager changing your tactics is not an indication of poor planning but highlights versatility and makes you an even better manager.
ReplyDeleteThere's a difference between "long ball" and "long pass" - as Liverpool have shown.
ReplyDeleteBournemouth have had to adapt the system, partly because the full backs now tend to be tighter and therefore can't get down the flanks as frequently. This means we don't ship goals as freely, but in football every action has a reaction !
It was also apparent that it was becoming increasingly difficult/impossible to operate with just two central midfielders, and it was clear against Villa that Gosling, Lerma and Billing had all been instructed to get forward and anticipate potential goal-scoring moves as much as possible. A good example being the first goal, where Billing was already anticipating Gosling's knock-down ahead of the Villa defence.