Monday 8 June 2020

Have AFCB got the goal power needed to stay up?

While all the clubs in the bottom six have a nervous wait in these final two weeks of preparation, there is one thing that will keep these clubs above the relegation zone and its goals. Looking at AFCB we have to ask ourselves are Josh King and Callum Wilson good enough to get the goals needed and, if they are not, is there enough on the bench and throughout the team to get the job done?
Can Callum and Josh hit the target?
It will be essential that Eddie Howe has all his players, but particularly those who have already been linked on moves away from the club this summer, focussed on the job at hand. For Callum Wilson and Josh King that means goals and goal creation. While the pair have managed 12 goals between them, they may need to almost do that again to see the Cherries safe in the remaining nine games. Injury will be an obvious worry. Callum Wilson has had a good season with 28 appearances, but Josh King has only managed 19 appearances. In fact, Dominic Solanke has made more appearances than King on 24, even if his time on the pitch has been shorter.

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If the two main strikers are not scoring though, AFCB will have to fall back on Dominic Solanke and Sam Surridge. While I think Surridge will become AFCB's main striker next season, if they do go down, I am not sure that Surridge and Solanke are yet anywhere near the goal potency of King and Callum. So the attacking area is not one where Howe needs any injuries.
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It is rare that both King and Callum Wilson score in games together, but the Cherries really need that now. It is often one or the other that hits form. Penalties will no doubt be taken by Josh, even if Callum wants to be the top scorer. I like to see a bit of competition between the strikers, but Josh has a lot to do having only scored four times this season. All I want the players to be talking about is scoring goals when they come off the training pitch. If they get it in their heads that goals will keep them up and that they have to take every chance to strike on goal, when the opportunity arises, then our attackers will be doing their best to keep AFCB up.
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Have Bournemouth got enough goals in the side to keep them up? I think they have, but they will need contributions from outside the two main strikers to keep them in the hunt, and that means Howe will be looking closely at the form of Fraser, Harry Wilson, Danjuma and Stanislas.

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