Jack Stacey will only get better with more games

Jack Stacey finally made his Premier League debut and he played very well against Iwobi who he marked for most of the afternoon. I am sure Eddie worked all week and more with Jack to make sure he was ready for Everton, and it was a bold move playing Jack with Harry Wilson ahead of him, as the two won't have played that much football together.

Jack Stacey had his fist taste of Premier League football against Everton.

Stacey did have one sticky moment in the first half, where he lost the ball and Dominic Calbert-Lewin should have scored against Aaaron Ramsdale, but Bournemouth's keeper is making a name for himself in making amazing saves. Once Jack had got that error out of his system though, he went on to have a fairly calm game. He didn't bomb forward a lot because Iwobi had pushed right up on him, but Stacey was well able to off load the passes to Lewis Cook and there was a good understanding starting to grow.

Jack Stacey has got that game under his belt now and he can start looking ahead. I wondered whether Eddie Howe would play both Rico and Stacey in the same game, but he did and he will have been pleased that it was a decision that worked out. Bournemouth do play better with a back four, and if Stacey now gets a few games to used to the Premier League it can only be of great help to the team going forward. Adam Smith won't be back for a few weeks I'd imagine, and Stacey will be the occupier of the shirt, so he has his chance now.

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The Everton match was very much about Stacey trying not to make mistakes and holding his position, but we might see him develop his game more when he is given some freedom.  Against Southampton though, we could again see him prioritise the defending and perhaps AFCB need defenders to think more about defending well anyway, if they are to get their first clean sheet.

Chimes to camera: AFCB 3 v 1 Eveton

Small margins are costing AFCB

Eddie Howe spoke of small margins costing the Cherries against Arsenal. There was not a lot in the game, but it was Arsenal that found the cutting-edge to win the game. The second Arsenal goal was perhaps the one that was most preventable, but the clever movement of Arsenal opened the space up for Iwobi and a who played Aubameyang in for the winner.

AFCB were out thought with a quickly taken free kick.

On another day, Bournemouth might have held out for a draw or even a win. The thickness of a post and the disallowed goal for David Brooks hurt the Cherries. While Eddie Howe commented it was the luck that just didn't fall for AFCB, there has to be a bit of annoyance knowing that Brooks' goal would have stood if VAR has been available.

The thing that Howe can take out of playing Chelsea, Man Utd and Arsenal is that only Chelsea have won by more than a goal against AFCB, and Bournemouth have scored in two of the three matches against these top six sides. The gap is perhaps closer, even if Bournemouth have had wins against such teams in the past, when they have snatched wins, despite having to defend for large parts of those games.

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Losing to Arsenal by a single goal is no bad performance. Bournemouth have to try and take the positives from these defeats into their game against Man City, which will be the ultimate test. If the luck suddenly returns for the next match, Howe won't be complaining.

AFCB can set up a win in the first 45 minutes against Arsenal

Arsenal have an unenviable record of not being ahead in any of their Premier League games by half time and yet they have managed to rack up seven wins from their 12 matches, and have only been beaten by Chelsea and Man City. Unai Emery has shaped Arsenal into a team that relishes a fight back, but their slow starts could be their undoing against AFCB.

Arsenal were beaten 2-1 last time at Dean Court.

Against Leicester, Arsenal managed to win having gone a goal down but they could only muster a draw against Wolves having conceded first. Even Fulham, who Arsenal swept aside 5-1 went into their match level at half-time. So if Eddie Howe can engender his players to come out with the kind of start they made against Man United, in their last home match and take their chances, Bournemouth could find themselves out of sight by half-time against Arsenal.

Catching Arsenal cold is surely what Bournemouth will aim to do. For all the praise for the way Aubameyang has been scoring goals (seven so far) and the forward play of Ozil (three goals) and Lacazette (five goals), there is a weakness about Arsenal's defence, which has let in 15 goals, only one less than AFCB. Arsenal have also only managed two clean sheets. Kolasinac has come in for most of the criticism, while Petr Cech has been replaced by Bernd Leo in goal. The midfield performances of Iwobi and Xhaka have also not found top gear this season and with big games for Arsenal to play against Spurs and Man United next, the Bournemouth match is perhaps a last chance for some of these players to demonstrate that they have what it takes to be starting in a Unia Emery team.

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So Arsenal come to Dean Court with confidence in going on an unbeaten run, but knowing that they have found defeats when they have played other teams in the top six. Wolves gave them a scare in their last outing on home turf and playing away at AFCB is likely to be a bigger test for Arsenal. They also pay Bournemouth at perhaps a moment when Eddie Howe is desperate to get back to winning ways after the Cherries' recent defeats. 

Possible AFCB line up

AFCB Subs: Boruc, Mings, Gosling, Surman, Ibe, Stanislas, Defoe