Is Solanke just another Afobe?

Dominic Solanke was going to be one of the bright England U21 stars that would help AFCB reach the next level. He'd done well in tournaments and with his Liverpool pedigree he was learning the game in the right way, but as soon as he came to the Cherries he lost any semblance of form or belief that he could be a Premier League striker. So what do AFCB do with him now?

Dominic Solanke - what is his future?

There will be those that still have faith that Dominic can turn it around. Perhaps if Bournemouth are relegated, Solanke could find form in the Championship. I find that hard to imagine, as even dropping down a level I don't see a striker that could muster double figures in goals. While Solanke was injured when he first came to the club, he hasn't exactly inspired when he hasn't been injured either. We were just as unimpressed with Benik Afobe, but at east Afobe came with a few quick goals when he came to the club and had the physical attributes to make himself a nuisance. With Solanke we don't even get that.

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Sometimes it is the hardest thing to admit that the recruitment was wrong and I suspect there are those at the club who still believe they can polish this player into a diamond. But rather than spend more time with trying to make Solanke into a half decent player, it is perhaps a clearer vision to sell him, even if he can't bring in half the amount that he was bought for. Cutting losses is something that Bournemouth don't always seem keen to do, but sometimes you have to make decisions that are best for the player and the club, and while the fans would love Solanke to suddenly be a success, I imagine that very few hands would go up who saw him as the next best thing at AFCB.

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Solanke just doesn't look to have any fire in his belly. Strikers are greedy and ruthless. I look deep into Solanke to see how much he wants it in the field and I just don't see a player who thinks he is better than the rest. Without that belief and determination it is hard to succeed at this level, and if the decision is made to make a loss on Solanke this summer I don't think too many fans would think it was necessarily a bad idea.

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Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Is Lewis cook going to be one of the reasons why AFCB stay up?

Did AFCB get it all wrong with Lys Mousset?

It is hard as a Bournemouth fan to see how well Lys Mousset is doing at Sheffield United and how he struggled to get any time at Dean Court. The player had talent, we could see it. But he never looked fully fit at Bournemouth and perhaps wants to give that extra 10 per cent at Sheffield United where Chris Wilder has him under his wing. So, did Eddie get it wrong with Lys?

Mousset has been doing it at Sheffield United but why didn't he do better at AFCB?

I believe there is a pecking order at AFCB. While Eddie does bring young players on, they have to earn the right to get in the team and to play up front is perhaps the hardest position to break into this Bournemouth team. Callum Wilson and Josh King have had the prime spots since Bournemouth got to the Premier League and we have seen players like Glenn Murray, Benik Afobe and Jermain Defoe not manager to break through so should we have expected any better of Lys Mousset? Probably not and Dominic Solanke is going to find it just as hard.

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What we can see is that when a player is happy in his environment, clubs get the best out of them. Lys Mousset was probably not that at home at Bournemouth and whether that might have been no fault of his or the club, he is absolutely thriving at Sheffield United and it makes me feel that he did the right thing in moving from the Cherries.

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Sometimes players don't fit into the package that Eddie Howe wants to create. It could be said of several players that have come and gone in recent years, but when I looked at the subs bench against Wolves last weekend, I thought what I'd give to have a player like an eager Lys Mousset ready to play and prove himself in a red and black shirt. It's crazy how football is like a jigsaw and some times the parts don't work at your club, but they are a perfect fit for others.

Premier Talk - The new plucky kids on the block

Chimes to Camera - AFCB 1 v 2 Wolves

Afobe - no great loss to Cherries

Benik Afobe signed for Wolves as expected yesterday, and while the Cherries secured a great fee of 12.5m for their former striker, it will be strange to see Benik playing in the Premier League next season for a different club. The odds are that he'll probably do well against AFCB. That is something we'll just have to deal with at the time, but was Benik given a fair go at AFCB?

Benik leaves for Wolves with most AFCB fans celebrating about the £12.5m fee.

For me he was s striker who had promise, but never really looked like he wanted the responsibility of being the main goalscorer. Once that mantle was taken by Callum Wilson, it allowed Afobe to settle into a comfortable role of part-time sub and he never excelled from what I saw. Having played 70 times for the Cherries his score rate of 11 goals looks in adequate. Yet, Benik never looked like being a main man and his confidence must have dropped when he didn't start getting regular starts.

At Wolves he has looked far happier and has found a goal touch again. It does make me wonder if Eddie Howe imposes too much of his desired plan of how the team should play, and can't always find a space for an individual who finds his directives as slightly alien to how they have always played. It is down to the players though to adapt to what the manager wants if they are to get selected, and Benik comes across as a head-strong player. He knew he was not finding any form at AFCB and he wanted to go as early as possible to another team in the Championship. Well, he got his wish and his beloved Wolves as well. Now he is back in the Premier League and he'll have similar pressures back on him as a major signing for the Midlands club.

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But who has been the winner out for all this? Benik has gone back to a club he left two years ago and Bournemouth have cut lines with a striker that they have had their money back for. Wolves may become the winners, if Benik does well. But AFCB also now have more funds to try and invest in a new player without the emotional baggage that Afobe always seemed to be carrying around with him. AFCB don't want players at the club that don't want to play for Howe, so I have no regrets that Benik has now found another club.

AFCB fans have been telling Wolves exactly what they have just bought.

Has he gone yet? 🙏 #afobe

— David Lambert 🌹 (@mrbert71) May 31, 2018

Today is a good! Just wanted to say a big THANKYOU to #wwfc your kindness and brought a tear to my eye #afobe

— Jim Bob Square Pants (@james_rood) May 30, 2018

News of the #Afobe deal reaches Eddie and Jason. We go live to the #afcb training ground... pic.twitter.com/EE7T58uDZo

— Mike Brannan 🍒 (@dippinbiscuits) May 30, 2018

Howe will react to outspoken King

Josh King has been reported as speaking to Norwegian newspaper VG and he hasn't held back in complaining that he has been played out of position in the last season. He blames Eddie Howe for his failure to score more goals in this respect, and while Newcastle fans think this might give them a foot in the door to go and grab the former Blackburn Rovers attacker, King is more likely to find himself explaining his thoughts to Eddie Howe and knuckling down next season.

Josh has upped the chatter that he is not being
given the best chance to shine in the team.

Players are often not satisfied with where they play and Howe has said that he will move players into certain positions for the good of the team. Needs often must, and yet I wonder how much the decision to play Defoe and Wilson as the number nine instead of King at times was purely to help the two Englishmen trying to make a claim for the England World Cup squad. If it was an attempt to get them prime goals, it didn't work, with the Cherries only netting 46 goals from 38 games.

King is certainly put out by the fact that he didn't get the priority choice of where to play having scored 16 goals in 2016-17. I'd argue he has a point, but speaking to a Norwegian paper was perhaps not the quietest way to get his point across. Now he faces a summer of either trying to get a move or wishing he had not said quite so much publicly. Does he want to leave AFCB? For me he's just disappointed that he didn't have the season he expected.

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King has been one of those who had a new contract and still has three years to run on it, so it would take a substantial sum for Bournemouth to even listen to bids for him this summer. On King's form it would be difficult to get as higher price as last summer in my opinion, but I can't see any wish from AFCB to move the striker out. The Cherries have enough on their plate with three players that are more likely to move - Gradel, Grabban and Afobe. 

I suspect Josh King will find away of saying less in future, if he doesn't agree with his manager. Josh needs to talk to Eddie face to face, and I hope he does that soon, as he'll need to clear the air.

AFCB have to find a permanent home for striker

AFCB have seen Benik Afobe go out on loan and help Wolves progress to the Premier League, but the Bournemouth Echo understands that the midland's club have been given an ultimatum to make up their mind on the player before the end of May, if they want to buy him. There is no indication of what kind of fee AFCB would want. but the player has certainly indicated plenty of times that he wants to play his football at Molineux.

One striker up for sale.

AFCB of course would like to get Afobe off the wage bill as soon as possible so that they an reinvest the finds elsewhere, and while Wolves sold him for £10m to AFCB it is arguable that he hasn't added much value to that price-tag, even if he has played game sin the Premier League. While Afobe's wishes to stay at Wolves he could find the club are not willing to meet AFCB's valuation and I think that would leave Afobe in a difficult place.

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Other Championship teams could well be interested if the price was right for them, but if Afobe wants to play in the Premier League he may find he does not get the option this summer to play there. He has kind of burnt his links with AFCB and I can't see him staying at the Cherries now, but AFCB may have to brig their valuation down by late July if he is still on their books.

Afobe's been a disappointing buy from an AFCB point of view and while he has found some form in the Championship, he is not a player that teams in the Premier are likely to be fighting to get hold of. Eddie Howe has been very loyal to Afobe when the fans have probably wanted him to go sooner, but this summer Afobe is one of the payers AFCB do have to find a new permanent home for. Offers will be welcome for sure.

If Afobe were to leave AFCB would be light up front

There has been fresh rumours about Benik Afobe not to Cardiff but perhaps Watford, according to Hertfordshire Mercury. While Benik has been falling down the pecking order at Bournemouth I suggest it is not an ideal window for him to be considering a move either for himself or AFCB, but it is perhaps worse for AFCB than Afobe if a late bid did come in.

Is Afobe looking to walk away from AFCB or will he last until the summer?

It is not that Benik has been in great form. Bournemouth simply don't have a of of strikers with Jermain Defoe out of action, Lewis Grabban expected to depart. Moreover, Josh King and Junior Stanislas are rarely available for more than three or four games at a time and Lys Mousset is really only just beginning to get used to the Premier League. There is in short a problem if Callum Wilson were to get injured, heaven forbid.

For Afobe I can see the attraction of a fresh start. He simply is not in the picture at Bournemouth for most of the time. But a move to a club like Watford would be a good new beginning for him and he would not have stepped down a league. Whether he would suit Watford any better than Bournemouth is the question he might have to consider carefully. Is a move for him to Watford dependent on Troy Deany getting a move out of the club?

AFCB would need to act fast of they did think Afobe was outbound. Finding a Premier League ready striker that would fit in well with the Cherries style with just a couple of days left in the window is not something that the Cherries would be keen on. They would have to pay top dollar and Howe probably considers it essential that they keep Afobe. Still, it could force them to try and enter the race for another young goalscorer that could possibly move like Moussa Dembele at Celtic or Ryan Sessegnon at Fulham.

But say a bid came in for £12m, some £2m more than what AFCB are thought to have payed for him. That would be very tempting come next summer, but right now it would present a problem. It will be intriguing to see if Cardiff City or Watford are really willing to start a bidding war for an out of form striker. 

Has interest in Bournemouth striker disappeared?

It  has been almost a month since Lewis Grabban was recalled form his loan at Sunderland and yet he has not been able to play a game for Bournemouth or find another club yet in this window. That might seem a big issue at first glance if Lewis wants to be playing somewhere, but with Bournemouth's current situation with Jermain Defoe still in a protective boot for his ankle, would it be such a bad idea for Bournemouth to hold on to Grabban for a little while longer?

Is Lewis Grabban an unwanted player?

I reckon Grabban wants a move more than anything and he has proved that he is a good Championship player during his time at Sunderland. But that has not gotten him anywhere yet and it does seem rather strange when Cardiff have been after a striker and are pushing for promotion. The asking price might be around the £5m to £7m mark, but his wages would not be at the top of the scale in the Championship.

But if Lewis does remain on the shelf, should AFCB try and get him to a level where he can come off the bench for the Cherries? I personally feel that if he can't be sold and can't find a loan club, then there is little harm in seeing if he can be of use to Eddie Howe. If he scored the goal that kept Bournemouth up this season then he might even receive some praise from AFCB fans who, let's face it, were none to interested when he was resigned from Norwich City.
Some will say that he would only be taking a place away from Lys Mousset or Benik Afobe but these two players might actually find something else in their game if they suddenly found that they were no longer getting on the bench anymore. If AFCB also can't sell Grabban but could find a buyer in Afobe, would it be such a worry to keep Grabban until May and pocket the cash for Afobe?

Lewis needed to go on loan at Sunderland to get his confidence back and prove to himself that he can still score goals. He has done that now, and even if the Premier League is difficult for him to be as effective, if he is as good as other forwards AFCB have on the bench he may yet have a role to play.

In other news, AFCB are said to be keen on Brentford centre-back Chris Mepham, according to West London Sport. Jack Hendry is also a centre-back that AFCb are said to be interested in say the Dundee Evening Telegraph.

Forget team selection some just didn't perform for AFCB

Everyone will have been disappointed with the FA Cup result for Bournemouth. While Eddie made lots of changes, the players that did turn out for Bournemouth were totally out performed by a Wigan side that wanted to win every ball. The AFCB players that were selected may have been disappointed themselves in being in a second string team for the FA Cup, but when you represent your club in such a historic competition you expect to see passion and skill. So where was it?

Some fans may point the finger at Eddie Howe for selecting a starting 11 that did not feature many of the players from the win against Arsenal. But as has been the case in the recent run of matches. Bournemouth just don't start well anymore. It doesn't seem to matter which players take to the field, AFCB always need a comeback and there has to be something wrong in what AFCB are doing to build themselves up for games at the moment.

Come on Benik. That wasn't good enough was it?

The prime culprit for many of the chances will be the strikers as they need to slot away chances when plenty have been created for goals. Afobe in particular has had a bit of a nightmare and for him the only good thing is that it happened in an away game. But he is not getting any better and AFCB have to find an answer to his lack of goals. Whether he is replaced or told to shape up I'm not sure, but he has to have some pride in his own performance and must himself admit that what he has given is not enough.

Other senior players were also at fault. What was Andrew Surman doing in losing the ball so frequently? It's not been just in this Wigan game but in a few matches this season. Meanwhile, Harry Arter reverted to his old frustrated self and showed the side of his game that all fans hoped had been subdued. These are experienced heads and to be honest they let Eddie Howe down and more than that they let down the travelling 497 Bournemouth fans down.

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Of course the defeat seems even worse though after being in such a high, having beaten Arsenal. But if this defeat brings a reaction that sees Bournemouth play every remaining match with performances more like the win against Arsenal will an early FA Cup exit be forgotten? It might have been in previous seasons, but I think twice in the last two years mean that the squad depth just isn't there yet for AFCB to play two powerful sides in League and cup and as many as four to six better players are needed to make a cup side for AFCB string enough to get through ties like this.

But well done Wigan Athletic for fully exposing AFCB's weaknesses.

Mousset is primed to be the one to watch tonight

Lys Mousset has suddenly found himself on the verge of playing a bigger part in Bournemouth's season than he might have hoped for. He did play well enough in the first tie against Wigan to get another crack at it tonight and it was interesting to see Eddie Howe go over to Mousset and make sure he was the player that he had a few words to before coming off the pitch to congratulate him in his part in the goal that Wilson scored against Arsenal.

Mousset is getting his opportunity.

I don't think we know yet how good Lys Mousset is. He has shown against Wigan already that he can strike a good shot and will be aiming to be the main man on the score sheet tonight. It would not surprise me if Eddie Howe was running on the pitch last Sunday to tell Mousset that he had a big week ahead of him, and while Defoe remains injured, and Wilson is having to do a lot of work in Premier League games, the door seems a little wider for Mousset to play now and I bet Benik Afobe knows it too.

Lys is the first sub at present for Bournemouth going by recent events and I'm hopeful that he is going to get the nod a bit more often now from Howe. It's apparently his fitness that was holding him back, but I think he can be more than an impact player.

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Keep your eyes on Mousset. I get the impression he is very near a real break through for the Cherries and we could be about to see that he can get more than a goal in a game. Wigan will not have seen much of him apart from the game the other week and I expect that Dinkley and Burn will know they will be kept busy by the Frenchman in particular. Mousset was happily celebrating with Jordan Ibe at the weekend, it's now his time to get in on the act.

Daily Mail Fans' Verdict AFCB v Arsenal

Bournemouth need a fully-fit Josh King

With many key matches ahead of Bournemouth in the next few weeks, there is one player in particular that I am hoping has a good run in the team and remain injury free. Josh King is a talisman that can pull AFCB away from the threat of relegation. He has done it before, and his game is one that just goes from strength to strength when he does start to get on top of his game.

Josh faces a late fitness test for the Arsenal match.

The difficulty this season I think has been that Josh has not really been 100 per cent fit and it is all the niggles that he gets that stop him performing to the very highest levels. So it must be difficult for Eddie Howe to know when to risk him and when not to, but if he would benefit from resting a bit longer in January I wonder if AFCB would benefit more with holding him back for the match against West Ham and the February fixtures which are going to be fate deciding games in my opinion.

Bournemouth will try and win every game but there are some matches where they will be bigger favourites to pick up points and it is in those games when AFCB will really need King. But Josh has already been out for a few games now and turning on the form straight away will not necessarily be easy for him. What Howe will hope for is that he does not break down again quickly.

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With Jermain Defoe out and Lys Mousset and Benik Afobe not first picks it is going to be down to Callum Wilson and Josh King to carry AFCB's hopes in most games before Easter. But I'd advise Howe to spend a lot of time with Josh now to get him absolutely right. If Josh can be like the player he was last season he will be a saviour and Bournemouth are probably going to need one fairly soon if they are not going to be sweating on their survival with a few matches to go.

Pugh and Ibe show their worth

It's funny how our perception of players changes when we see the alternatives. The match against Wigan was a good example of how valuable fitness is to AFCB's squad when they are doing all they can to stay with the Premier League elite. AFCB needed to make changes for the FA Cup and I expect most fans would agree with Eddie's decision this season, but it was very evident that in the end Howe had to turn to his first team players to rescue the tie.

Pugh is still turning it on when AFCB most need him.

It's important that we recognise the part that Jordan Ibe and Marc Pugh made to the Cherries revival against Wigan. They were both able to make the assists that led to the two Bournemouth goals and they found that bit extra when the team needed it. It is probable that neither Pugh or Ibe are Eddie's first choices on the wings when Junior Stanisals and Ryan Fraser are available, but they do play with understanding.

Jordan Ibe is on form but can more of AFCB's players start performing?

What Bournemouth have not found this season though is a rhythm, as Eddie likes to call it, that can last 90 minutes. Bournemouth's best performances have mainly been reactionary this season, hanging in against a superior foe like Man Utd. But Wigan were not superior as a league One team and AFCB failed to put their dominance down early on the game which only emboldened Wigan.

For AFCB to function well it is imperative that the wide men do break through defences and cause problems and while Benik Afobe looked ineffectual as a striker through the middle, it was clever of Howe to play to Bournemouth's strengths by half time and get Pugh and Ibe on. Who would have thought that Ibe would have been a strength a few weeks ago? To me it shows how things can change, and even those who right off Benik Afobe now could find that he has a part to play in keeping AFCB up come next May.

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Not every player can seize their chance when the moment comes, but Ibe and Pugh did nothing to harm their cause and let's just hope a few more players can do well when called upon in the next few months. 

It's time we all got behind our players and gave them our full support as we don't know who the next heroes will be but any player who runs out in a red and black shirt has worked hard to earn that right and we should try and give them the best platform we can to perform on. I'd say there were a couple who were perhaps not ready on Saturday to be at their best, but I bet none of them wanted to go 0-2 down. UTCIAD!

Is time running out for Afobe?

There have been plenty of clubs linked with Benik Afobe as a potential target, but Eddie Howe has stated that Benik is part of his plans at AFCB. It is interesting that Eddie says that and yet I can't say that Afobe's game has really come on since he joined the Cherries. To me Afobe is stuck in between being the player he was at Wolves and trying to fit into a style of play at Bournemouth that still seems a bit foreign to him.

Is Afobe suited to AFCB's type of build up play?

The last game Afobe had against Wigan was one where he could have given Howe a problem for this next Arsenal game, but we didn't see very much from AFCB's big number nine, even if he did have 70 minutes on the pitch. While Afobe might be seen as a plan B, he has to offer something a bit different to the other strikers and while I think he is most effective in the box, he hasn't always found that 'coming alive' feeling when the ball is near him in goal scoring positions. That predator instinct was seen at Championship level but I'm not sure if he has it at this level.

The way in which he wins so many defensive headers well in Bournemouth's own box would make you think he could score more headed goals, but I struggle to remember many apart form one he got at Crystal Palace a couple of seasons ago. I am sure that Afobe has learnt a lot since he has been at Bournemouth, but it is surely time that he started knowing his own game better and what he can do well. I'm not sure he really thinks he can be as good as some of the other strikers, simply as he does not know what he can do best to get goals. If Afobe knew himself better I believe it would help him and his confidence, but trying to make him something he is not could have put him back a step or two from what he was doing at Wolves.

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Such a problem may be working its way through to Afobe and with managers seeing that he is not getting a good many games, it's possible that someone could have a punt on him this window. Whether Bournemouth is a good fit for Afobe though is not yet clear. It may be a challenge that Howe doesn't want to give up on, but surely time is passing by quickly now for Afobe to make a name for himself at AFCB. 

Relief and joy for AFCB and Howe

There are not many times in a season when you look back at a game and think that was absolutely massive, but the three points against Everton at home was such a moment. Bournemouth worked extremely hard for the win, as if their lives depended on it, and the post-match interview with Eddie Howe gave a satisfied but honest sigh of relief to Bournemouth's late winner.

Eddie Howe will have no time to enjoy the win with Brighton just around the corner.

Bournemouth would have been counting on another costly mistake if Fraser had not managed to grab the late winner, and while  Bournemouth out-played Everton for large parts of this match, there was a worry that they were again not going to put a side to bed. I was willing Jordan Ibe to get on the score sheet and perhaps he was trying to hard at times to get the goal when he could have passed to others, but from what we have seen before there is a mood change in Ibe and I think it is also starting to rub off on others.

Adam Smith was dynamite on the left and he is now going to give Eddie Howe something to think about the way he worked so well with Ryan Fraser. Would Fraser and Adam Smith be just as effective on the right side if Daniels comes back into the team? The pleasing thing is that partnerships were working all over the pitch. Afobe and Wilson look at home together and Lewis Cook and Gosling were running hard all game to close any holes in front of the back four.

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There were mistakes we know, some sloppy passes when not really under pressure and that is the biggest factor that AFCB need to put right now. It is what marks the really good sides out from the others. Silly mistakes can cost you games and Bournemouth leave you on the edge of your seat because we know there is often a mistake. 

Luckily the fire that Ryan Fraser had in his belly was enough to put Everton away and AFCB need to keep that fire in their game for the next game and the next to ease their way further from the relegation zone.

Is it now or never for Bournemouth?

It feels like each game is becoming a must win for Bournemouth but they are only one win away from a decent position in the league. The visit of Everton is another chance to escape the bottom three, but we have been saying that all too frequently and Bournemouth are still stuck in the drop zone with New Year just around the corner. So how much better will the squad feel if it does enter 2018 out of the bottom three?

Bournemouth need to find some goals from unusual sources.

I think it would have a massive impact if Bournemouth can beat Everton, not only because it would pull them above 18th spot, but it would be a win against a side that had been improving in the last 10 games and should help the players to know that they can do it against the better mid-table sides. Bournemouth arguably could have won earlier in the season at Goodison, so they know they are similarly matched to Everton. What swung it that day was a couple of substitutions and it could be just as tight again today, which may make the bench line up rather important. For Bournemouth it may be a case of who is recovering quickest from injury and the problem is their attacking options may be the weakest part of the subs bench. Can Howe expect Afobe or Mousset to grab a winner in the last 20 minutes of a game?

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He has little choice but to give these strikers a go if the match is in the balance as he did against West Ham. The goal scorers that are out though are significant players for Bournemouth. Stanislas and Defoe would make Bournemouth much stronger and it is a pity that Howe is having to pick up points without his big names at the moment. 

Whether it is now or never for Bournemouth is perhaps prejudging things too early. Bournemouth will feel that they can win other games in January and still come out of that month well ahead of three lower sides, but they have to do something for themselves at the moment and cannot rely on other results going there way. Too often we have seen other teams scramble to safety with unexpected wins, but Bournemouth have not done that all season. It's about time they did beat a better fancied team and Everton are beatable if Bournemouth can play without fear. Let's get behind them today. UTCIAD!

Possible AFCB line up against Everton

AFCB Subs: Boruc, Simpson, A Smith, Arter, Pugh, Mousset, Afobe

Bournemouth have to battle to get something in Manchester

The disappointment that Man Utd will have had from losing the Mancunian derby will be resonating all the way around Old Trafford. It is possibly the worst result that AFCB could have seen  before their trip to the Theatre of Dreams as United will be out to demolish everyone now to get back in the running for the title.

AFCB have seen the gap at the bottom close up,
but if they win at United they would shoot up the table.

But Bournemouth knew it would be a hard game no matter what the score line in United's last game. If United had won they would feel that momentum was with them. The early part of this game will be vital for the Cherries. Getting the nerves out the way will be important but Bournemouth have been defending well and this is a chance to lay down an even higher standard in that department and to try and keep a clean sheet against one of the best teams away from home.

The formation that I expect Eddie to pick would be a 3-5-2, as this is a formation that will make the Cherries competitive and will make it tough for United to find gaps while giving the Cherries a chance up front to keep moves going. The midfield area is where most of the action will be fierce and in the past Bournemouth have found possession always difficult against United. But Lewis Cook, Andrew Surman and Harry Arter are getting more used to playing together in such games, and if they can start to take possession away from a United team, without Pogba, we could see AFCB more in charge than usual.

I like the idea of having two up front as well as Defoe needs some help sometimes, even if he showed what he can do on his own against Crystal Palace. We have not see Afobe much this season, but I think this would be a good game for him to come in for not only as he can be a target man to help Defoe but he can also add height at set -pieces which could be very important if United start with Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

It is going to be work rate and scrapping that we need to see form Bournemouth. Last season it was Mings who provided that and got stuck in. We need that from all 11 players again and if they do scrap well it will put a different complexion on the upcoming games in December that AFCB have.

Man Utd Home Form
WWWWL

AFCB Away Form
LWWDD

It's also Wigan Athletic in the 3rd Round of the Emirates FA Cup for Bournemouth in January, after Wigan got passed non-league AFC Flyde 3-2 in last night's second round replay.

AFCB may as well stick two up front at Old Trafford

Eddie Howe has stated that he will rotate in the next few games as the December period is very busy and games come thick and fast. But how many players he rests and pulls into and out of the starting line up is going to be anyone's guess. At the moment the team is picking up points and the team spirit from the last match was certainly strong so he won't want to chop and change too much yet  I suggest.

Could Afobe or Wilson partner Defoe and will Arter
come back into the starting  line up at Old Trafford?

The first thing we must consider is the formation Howe will want to play. While Adam Smith is now available again, he may not want to play four at the back as Bournemouth have played best against Man City and Spurs, for example, when playing 3-5-2. I believe this is the option he may go with in many of these big games coming up. That would mean dropping one of the defenders from the last match and on form it would most likely be Simon Francis by my reckoning, as he had a poor game up against Zaha and did not have his passing radar hat on to put it mildly.

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Midfield could also then be boosted with an extra man and Harry Arter is surely the player that will come into the manager's thoughts having heard what he said about Harry wanting to get his place back in the side. Arter will be fresh having not been involved in the last two games and should have some energy which is what his game has been lacking. While I don't see a need to change Stanislas or Fraser, it is possible that he could decide one should be rested from the starting line up. I don't expect him to do that though.

Possible AFCB Line up versus Man Utd

AFCB Subs: Boruc (GK), A Smith (RD), Francis (CD), Gosling (CM), Ibe (RM),
King (FW), C Wilson (FW).

I do have an inkling that while he will keep Defoe up front for his sharpness in front of goal, he could choose the Man Utd game to rest Josh King and play Benik Afobe as the big man would give Bournemouth a big target to try and hold the ball up field. Defoe and Afobe would be the big/little man act that would be intriguing. King has not scored for a couple of games and could be saved for the Liverpool home match. Afobe just hasn't been playing and if he wants a chance he has to take this type of chance, if it is offered. It would be hard on Callum Wilson, but I think Wilson will be used more towards the end of December depending on the form of Defoe in particular.


AskFans' Match Preview Man Utd v AFCB
AskFans' Match report AFCB v Southampton

Howe still seeks full potential from his side

Eddie Howe made some interesting comments after the Huddersfield win about the team not actually having played well, and still looking forward to seeing the full potential of the side. The first half an hour was certainly a less than polished performance by AFCB, but we have to give Huddersfield some credit for the way they stared the match.

Eddie Howe has masterminded an improvement in AFCB's performances,
but he's insistent that the side has not reached it's full potential yet.

Bournemouth were second to most balls, and they found it really hard to pick up the tempo at first in the Huddersfield game. It took some crunch tackles to get some life into the passing and energy running through the team. Eddie was right in that the goals came at good times, but the first goal was particularly important considering how far off the pace Bournemouth were up to that point. The Cherries have had slow starts in their last two games, and I think there is a sense that they are not playing well for 90 minutes yet and there is more to come.

The line up of the team is becoming more settled which I am very pleased about. While Simon Francis will miss the next game for his disciplinary record, Adam Smith will fill in and is likely to carry more of a threat going forward in my view than Francis. There is more possibilities when Tyrone Mings returns to fitness, but he'll have his work cut out to oust Aké or Steve Cook in the centre of defence.

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Where there may be some more change is if Junior Stanislas becomes available again and if Ryan Fraser can force his way back into contention. I've not seen Ibe carry on his early season form and if his knee injury is worrying him we could see a change there. The big puzzle though is how to get the best out of Defoe and possible Afobe. If Howe can make them into super subs, then Bournemouth will be a team that doesn't give any opponent a rest.

I don't want AFCB to be over reliant on King and Wilson. It is great that Eddie can pick them together again, but we know that the partnership has not always seen that many games and AFCB need to get more aspects of the team functioning to the level we are currently seeing from the two front men.