Why has Solanke found it so hard to score?

I don't assume that scoring Premier League goals is easy. You have to beat the best defenders and goalkeepers in the world. They are professionals. They work hard to stop attackers, but as a Premier League striker you have to have something about you - a cocky arrogance if you like. So, has Dominic Solanke got that in his armour and what does he need to start scoring goals at this level for AFCB?

When will Solanke hit the back of the net?

I have been looking at Solanke's stats. They show that he has had some opportunities, perhaps more than I had suspected, even if some appearances will have been quite brief. So far he has made 24 appearances this season for the Cherries in the league, but his contribution has been minor with just an average of 13 passes per match. This indicates that the time on the pitch for him hasn't been long. But what did take me by surprise is how unlucky he has been when you consider that he has had 22 shots and five of them have been on target.

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What does not read so well is that he has had four missed big chances to score in 2019-20. I thought it might all be about getting that first goal for AFCB but he did that against Luton in the FA Cup, and we haven't seen much more of Dominic since then. While Callum Wilson and Josh King have dominated the forward positions, I do think that Solanke hasn't had enough time to make a partnership with either one of them. He has been a lone striker if you like and I don't think that has helped him at all.

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It may be that Josh King moves on this summer and that will open the gate for Solanke and perhaps Sam Surridge to see who can support Callum Wilson best. But while Eddie Howe may be willing to take his time in seeing Solanke make the grade, I do wonder what it is doing to Solanke's self-confidence. Has he got a killer instinct in him? Perhaps he shows it in training, but for the fans to get more behind him we need to see more on the pitch and in my book, I think Sam Surridge is more likely to make a Premier League striker  than Solanke at the current rate of progress.

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In other news Philip Billing lost 4-2 in the EPL invitational Tournament to Neal Maupay of Brighton.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Are Lerma and Billing the best central midfield choices for AFCB?