There have been some encouraging signs in the last few weeks about AFCB improving their game. The balance against Rotherham United though lacked a few ingredients to take the game away from the South Yorkshire side, and it was surprising that the absence of Lewis Cook and Arnaut Danjuma would make the game so much more difficult.
There is no guarantee that Bournemouth would have won the game if they had played a fit Danjuma and Lewis Cook, but the ability to unlock defences was not as potent as we have seen in recent games. It meant Bournemouth were not as well equipped to pin Rotherham back in their own half and the MIllers had their own joy in releasing Joe Mattock on the wing who put n some testing crosses for the Cherries to deal with.
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Bournemouth will have games where they don't have their full complement of regular starters. Dan Gosling and Philip Billing did well enough, but they are different kinds of players and the balance of the team going forward had been altered. Stanislas and Solanke did well, but I think David Brooks benefits when Danjuma is on the pitch, as their double threat on both wings stretches defences, while Stanislas finds the gaps as well more easily when this approach is taken.
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The inability to keep Rotherham tied down showed how much more work needs to be done on defending crosses. Bournemouth were nowhere near stopping Joe attock's cross for the first goal and there were other occasions where crosses caused problems. All credit to Rotherham, they had a real go at Bournemouth and it needed Bournemouth to find their own best cross to get Dominic Solanke free to make it 2-2. It was interesting that Diego Rico was allowed to come on rather than move Lloyd Kelly out to the left-wing, as had been done in the Reading match when Rico had been subbed. Perhaps Rico has been told that he must get his crosses in more accurately, because he certainly delivered a great ball for Solanke to score.
Whether the return of Josh King, Danjuma and Lewis Cook will give Bournemouth that extra momentum will be seen in the next few games. But the opposition in this league can surprise, as we have seen with several of the bottom six teams now having managed to get points off of AFCB and Bournemouth have another such game at home to Preston North End in their next match.
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