"We're killing ourselves," says Adam Smith

Adam Smith gave a very open and candid interview on AFCB TV following the defeat at Liverpool. It would be easy for him to say we were unlucky and were simply beaten by a better side, but he was honest in admitting that Bournemouth made mistakes and that is ultimately what cost them the game.

Mistakes are proving very costly at this point in the season.

I think it is important for players to admit when they haven't got things totally right. The disappointment can spur them on to do better next time and if they don't see that they made mistakes they are only cheating themselves. Once Bournemouth recognise that they have made mistakes in situations they can work on things to ensure they make the right decisions next time.

The errors that Jack Simpson and Lewis Cook made for the Liverpool goals were quick moments when things just got away from the players. It is the concentration that is the issue. If there was a training mechanism that kept players focussed and in control of their thoughts for 90 plus minutes, all teams would be employing that technology. But players are human and will make mistakes. Some times players get away with it, but against a team like Liverpool mistakes are punished.

Advertisement

Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now!

Individual errors are part of the game and it is just that Bournemouth's players are making more of them than many other teams, and they are doing it now at the time in the season when they can least afford to make them. It's been a characteristic of this season and several others for Bournemouth, and it is the level at which they are playing. The players so want to do the right things but are finding it hard to be decisive at times.

Advertisement

Coastal Garden Buildings

The pressure is only going to be turned up in the next few games, so it is important that players get their heads around how they can best cope with the ball at their feet, and see it as a good thing that they have possession, and that they are in control when they have the ball.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - A strong performance at Anfield but no points