Jonathan Woodgate is right in saying that Bournemouth needed the win against Burnley for momentum. It is great that history has been made, and the team has made it through to the sixth round of the FA Cup, but it is the win that really mattered.
Bournemouth have to go on a winning run in the league if they are to make up ground. They have to get used again to winning and the clean sheet against Burnley was well earned. Bournemouth were lucky at times with Begovic having to make some saves and Rodriguez really should have scored in the second half. I think Bournemouth had a bit of luck which Woodgate said they would need.
The positives include Ben Pearson, who looks like a fierce tackling machine, and he is a player that plays the simple ball rather than over-complicating things, which should help Bournemouth retain possession better in the middle of the park. When Lewis Cook came on, he stopped some of Burnley's forward runs and Billing had probably one of the best games he has had in a Bournemouth shirt against Burnley.
It will be interesting to see if Surridge is given more time under Woodgate than he got under Tindall. Shane Long is available for the match against Nottingham Forest and Woodgate could play two up front, but the team has played one striker with two wide men for quite some time now. Surridge did so well against Burnley that it would be a bit harsh to drop him, while Long has more experience, so it will be a tough call for Woodgate.
At the end of the day, to progress in the cup is a great bonus but it's the league games that Bournemouth have to really concentrate on and Woodgate seems fully aware of that. if Bournemouth lose to Forest then a lot of the good work that has been done since Tindall left the club will be peeled back, which would be a shame. So, let's hope the focus that Woodgate has rubs off on the players which I think it will.
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Long was cup-tied, surely you know that!
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ReplyDeleteI think there will be room for only one central striker, but midfield will be a tough selection. Pearson looks just the player Bournemouth needed.
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