It was the speed of Bournemouth's total recovery that made the comeback against Reading so surprising. As soon as they had got one goal, they had two and the moves that hadn't been coming off earlier were suddenly cutting Reading open. It was impressive to see the movement and almost telepathic nature of the way David Brooks put Arnaut Danjuma in for Bournemouth's second goal, and from there, nobody could have expected Lewis Cook to suddenly strike his first goal for Bournemouth. It was long overdue and it was completely out of the blue. The technique and precision of the shot were devastating. As soon as it hit the back of the net there was no way Bournemouth were going to lose hold of this game.
- it's available now for £11.49 as a paperback - visit Amazon to order
It still needed a superb save from Begovic to keep Reading from getting their third goal and the contribution of Begovic can't be underestimated. It all boosts the team feeling and the collective belief that this is a team that can win promotion. Solanke is also becoming a striker that is hungry to get his name on the score sheet every game and by scoring more than one goal in a match, he will start to think he can score at anytime.
Advertisement  |
Jason Tindall will still see that Bournemouth are not playing perfectly yet. The first half was poor despite the dominance of possession. The corner routines were totally off-track. The team is not starting games with a high enough concentration or intensity. They are relying on their ability a little too much and need to add some grit to their game. Once they get that right we will start to see 90-minute performances.
Still, it was a thrilling comeback and we haven't seen that kind of determination to succeed for a long time. It makes me believe that all is well under Jason Tindall and Bournemouth can achieve their aims this season, if they can keep progressing, limit their injuries and navigate their way safely through the January transfer window.
As well as the goal, Lewis Cook was a constant source of urgent invention from midfield. Perhaps the author will now stop routinely omitting the player from the "expected line-ups" !
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Mark. You are obviously a big Lewis Cook fan. If you look at my match preview Bournemouth are in good shape to take on Reading I do believe Lewis Cook was in my possible line-up. I do feel Dan Gosling offers more in terms of a goal threat than Lewis Cook which is why I often prefer him to play with Lerma, and I also feel Gosling plays with more energy and fight. Lewis is very much a player who looks for a killer pass and when he is doing that well he is a good player for AFCB but I feel we have other players who have creativity that mean Lewis is not always what the team needs in the Championship. Now he has scored his first goal perhaps he will have more attempts at goal. But I think you have to look at the bigger picture of the team's balance.
ReplyDeletewith the squad we have we seem to have more options than last season. also with a fit and strong josh king we have a great chance of promotion the defence still looks a bit week not sure on 3 or 4 at the back Rico looks better in a 3 not sure about Kelly
ReplyDelete