Forget competing AFCB need to be resilient and ruthless

There was bound to be a period of adjustment in taking on Premier League clubs. The summer tried to fill some of that step up in class with games against FC Nantes and TSG 1899 Hoffeheim, but the match against Aston Villa proved that the league is not about who has the most possession or the most chances but the team who puts the ball away and makes the fewest mistakes.

It's the real thing now, not just a warm up.

Looking at the Cherries past record at home it was not surprising that they were favourites against Villa even if they did not get the result. They will need to make the home games against Leicester and Sunderland count more than ever now just to get back on track. But before then the team has a tricky couple of away games at Liverpool and West Ham where they are probably not going to be favourites. The Cherries should forget about that though, as well as the media hype and slight disappointment of the first game. It is all about having a positive attitude and going into games with the belief that they can not only compete but they can be better than the 11 on the other side of the pitch if they do their work to the  best of their ability.

We know that the players missed good chances against Aston Villa. It's going to happen at times. The general effort was high and the nerves of the first game in front of an expectant home crowd was always going to be difficult. The pressure is in a strange ways slightly reduced in the next two games in being away from home. The points are just as important and there is pressure from that point of view, but to get a result against Liverpool or west Ham would certainly kick start the Cherries' season.

Being ruthless in front of goal is what will bring the points now. For 71 minutes the Premier League new boys showed that they could keep a clean sheet and they need to extend that over the 90 minutes now. No mistakes and AFCB will get a point, and it is the kind of game plan that Tim Sherwood employed against AFCB. He was not concerned with how many shots on goal there were in the first half at Dean Court and AFCB should aim to still be in the game at half time at Anfield. If they can weather that early storm then they can look to snatch something. 

Eddie Howe will set the team up to be resilient and he'll be aiming for one of his players to get that lucky break and steal the points. Going to these grounds and asking the players to out play and pass Liverpool and West Ham will be very difficult, and the defence is going to have to be on top of their game. But if they can show that metal and frustrate their will be a chance or two to get something against these teams and in Wilson, King, Gradel, Pugh and Ritchie, AFCB have the speed of attack to cause problems.  

The Nantes draw will have raised good questions

AFCB fans are used to seeing pretty much the same players turnout almost every game. So when this pre-season has developed it has been a bit of a shock to see lots of new pairings being put together in some of the games where fans might have expected the first team to take to the field. That was the case with the game against FC Nantes only yesterday.

No let up in pace. Eddie has to get everyone fit and
ensure his first team are getting enough minutes.

Eddie is of course trying to give players extra minutes and that means it is wise for him to split the players up and try a few different things, while allowing main players to get 70-80 minutes under their belt. Against FC Nantes is will have been of value for Baily Cargill to continue his footballing education alongside Tommy Elphick and while there was only a few minutes for Filippo Costa, Josh Wakefield and Josh Carmichael and Matt Butcher, they along with a few other U21 players got to make the trip and to learn what Eddie Howe had to say about what the team was trying to achieve on the pitch.

Of greater importance might have been the decision to play Josh King on the left wing. He was the first player for the Cherries to be substituted but still had 70 minutes to impress. With a trio of Wilson, Kermorgant and King pushing forward as well as Ritchie on the right, Eddie Howe might have been a shade disappointed that the team did not create more chances during this match. He can now assess some of the players that did not feature in this game in the Yeovil match and see if they can do better.

The most pleasing aspect of the game has to be the clean sheet. While Adam Federici may not be seen as the number one keeper he is starting to put a challenge together. Three of the back four in this match were also AFCB's main defenders in the Championship, so there was continuity there. It is the first match where AFCB have managed not to concede a goal in pre-season so that has to be something that the players can now try and build on.

The questions after the game will certainly be aimed at central midfield. Was Surman tired? Did Gosling do enough? Is Arter a player AFCB simply can't be without for long? AFCB found themselves under pressure from misplaced passes and quick breaks having lost possession. Can Eunan O'Kane or Shaun MacDonald do a better job? We may well see them try in the next pre-season match. At least Eddie Howe has something to focus his attention on and finding solutions is what his job is all about.

Ritchie's missed penalty sees Cherries draw with FC Nantes 0-0

Match Description

FC Nantes 0 v 0 AFCB

Estimated Attendance 5000 (including 101 Cherries)

AFCB players at FC Nantes.

If pre-season friendlies had been a breeze up to this point for the Cherries, then they had a real game on here taking on FC Nantes. The first half saw the French Ligue one side stretch the Cherries in all directions and apart from the first five minutes it was Nantes who dominated play, snatching possession and breaking fast. Yet, if any team had a great chance to win the game it was AFCB in the last three minutes when a handball gifted Matt Ritchie with a penalty kick. Sadly, he was not accurate enough and his slip saw the ball rise over the bar and with it went AFCB's hopes of winning this friendly. If AFCb had a player to congratulate though it was Adam Federici who had worked valiantly to keep the score at 0-0.

Eddie Howe decided to mix up the first team squad with lots of U21 Development players coming into the team to take on FC Nantes. Josh King lined up playing wide on the left and Wilson and Kermorgant started up front. The test was really to see how long some of the first team players would be given in match conditions and how many subs would be made at half time or shortly after. With Daniels, Elphick, Francis, Ritchie and Surman playing there were plenty of first choice players getting a workout.

The players that were rested included: Artur Boruc, Ryan Allsop, Tyrone Mings, Steve Cook, Sylvain Distin, Elliott Ward, Adam Smith, Christian Atsu, Shaun MacDonald, Eunan O'Kane and Marc Pugh.

AFCB team
Federici, Francis, Elphick, Cargill, Daniels, Ritchie, Gosling, Surman, King, Kermorgant, Wilson

AFCB Subs: Holmes, Costa, Butcher, Wakefield, Carmichael, Matthews, Whitfield.

Match Summary

The task facing AFCB was soon very apparent in this match. FC Nantes were a dominant force in the first half hour, attacking with pace on the break and stretching the Cherries defence. Nantes had the ball in the net after 17 minutes but AFCB were lucky to have it flagged offside. Bammoj, Oliviera Tavares and Walongwa were causing lots of problems for the Cherries. One way traffic is a phrase that comes to mind.

AFCB attacks were quickly breaking down while Nantes were delivering great crosses into the Cherries' box. AFCB were struggling to get anything productive going in the final third of the pitch. Defence was the order of the day with Kermorgant coming back to provide cover. Nantes were piling on the pressure with several corners, but Federici had not had to make an amazing save up until this point.

Nantes came close when Oliviera Tavares volleyed over, but the Cherries were holding out. When Wilson did get the ball in and around the box he tried to trick his way through but was not having much luck. meanwhile, Josh King was getting caught offside just helping Nantes' possession stats to grow further.

The key moment of the first half came when Audel was through one-on-one with Federici but the Australian keeper made a great save and the chance was gone for the Nantes player. AFCB's main contest seemed to be whether Francis or Kermorgant would concede the most corners.

Second half

Ritchie went in the book early on for a poor challenge on Thomasson.Moimbe then beat Francis on the wing like he wasn't even there. Tommy Elphick made a foul some 30 yards out which gave Nantes a great chance to shoot as it was dead centre, but Oliviera Tavares hit it straight over the top.

Moimbe was next to be pulled up for a foul on Francis and he was yellow carded. Ritchie took the free kick to the right of the box and had a shot but it was blocked. Nantes were first to make subs on the hour with two new players coming on.

Not a lot was going well for the Cherries as Wilson gets caught offside. With 65 minutes gone the game is starting to slow down a bit. AFCB's first sub was Filippo Costa replacing King on the left wing. Nantes are also bring on more subs.
Baily Cargill is fitting in well with Elphick - the pair seem well suited to play together. They are getting a workout tonight. In the final 10 minutes AFCB are starting to retain possession a bit better. Kermorgant lays a great ball off to Francis, but he screws it wide. Vizcarrondo catches wilson and is straight in the book.

Costa and Daniels are now linking up well and Costa wins a free kick. Wakefield and Carmichael get to play out the last five minutes for AFCB. Off come Gosling and Surman. A handball gives AFCB a penalty with just three minutes of normal time to go. Ritchie wants to take it, but he slips and puts it over! Strange that Yann kermorgant did not take the kick, but there you go the chance has gone.

Matt Butcher comes on to the field and replaces Elphick and there is the final whistle 0-0.

Final thoughts

It will be of interest to know if Artur Boruc is fit to play in the next game. He had been diagnosed with a shoulder injury but it had not been considered that bad even though he had missed the Exeter City match. He might be a doubt for the game against Hoffenheim in a weeks time. The surprises for the team selection in this match were the inclusion of so many Development Squad players - Jordan Holmes, Filippo Costa, Matt Butcher, Josh Carmichael, Ben Whitfield and Sam Mathews. Eddie Howe clearly wanted to rest some players. When I asked on the Live Blog, how had Dan Gosling had done after the first 45 minutes? The reply came back that: "The midfield haven't had a great time to be honest. Not able to hold possession or do anything incisive in that first half."

During the second half the Cherries managed better and while the substitutions slowed things down there was a great chance for Ritchie to win the game from the spot. It was probably apt that he slipped and missed as AFCB were not the boss of this game, and a draw was a good result for the Cherries considering how they had to hold out for most of the match. As an exercise the players got plenty of minutes and Adam Federici did nothing to hurt his case for a start having been man of the match.

FC Nantes v AFCB - match tweets from AFC Bournemouth 

01: Wilson and Kermorgant get the game underway.

03: Early chance for Nantes as Federici tips a powerful header over the bar.

04: Daniels holds off pressure to weave his way into the area and earn #afcb their first corner.

05: Wilson meets the corner, but the referee says the ball had already gone out of play. #afcb

06: Second corner in as many minutes for #afcb, with King this time the architect of the attack. 

06: Wilson brings the ball down on the edge of the area, but Nantes clear.

06: Second corner in as many minutes for #afcb , with King this time the architect of the attack.

07: Cargill sends in a cross which but it is too comfortable for the 'keeper who catches easily.

07: Cargill sends in a cross which but it is too comfortable for the 'keeper who catches easily. 

AFC Bournemouth ‏@afcbournemouth 7m7 minutes ago

14: The ball flashes across Federici's goal and Daniels is forced to divert the ball behind for a corner.

14: Federici is in action again; this time he parries a long-range effort before gathering the rebound.

15: Another teasing ball is whipped into the #afcb box, but fortunately for #afcb no one can connect.

17: Let off for #afcb as Bammou is flagged offside, after he slotted the ball beyond Federici.

19: Audel chases down a ball over the top, but Cargill keeps watch and it goes through to Federici.

21: Another chance for Nantes as Toure hits a powerful volley into the side netting.

26: Thomasson's deflected effort goes wide for a Nantes corner. The hosts are on top here.

27: Kermorgant puts the ball behind for a second consecutive Nantes corner.

27: Federici times his move to perfection to punch the ball out for a Nantes throw.

33: Another let-off for #afcb as a Nantes free kick is headed behind for a corner.

34: Toure plays in Audel & Federici is again called into action, as he is forced to save from close range.

36: Daniels plays in Wilson, but his trickery doesn't enable him to set up a shooting opportunity.

37: Nantes break and Oliviera Tavares hits a first time cross narrowly over the bar. Still 0-0

38: Wilson slips the ball through to King but a well-timed challenge means he is quickly dispossessed. 

43: Another great save from Federici! He gets down low to save from Audel, who was through one-on-one.

Half time: @FCNantes 0-0 @afcBournemouth

#afcb make their way back out on to the pitch. It doesn't look like they are making any half time changes.

48: Ritchie is booked for a clumsy challenge on Thomasson

57: Elphick is penalised for a foul 30 yards out, but Oliviera Tavares' set piece sails over the bar

59: Francis is fouled by Moimbe and #afcb have a free kick just outside the area. Ritchie to take..

60: His low free kick is cleared. A reminder it is still 0-0 between @FCNantes and #afcb :

66: Iloki flashes a shot across goal from a tight angle - a good chance for the hosts

71: First substitution for #afcb as King is replaced by Costa

81: Best chance of the game for #afcb as Kermorgant lays a free kick off to Francis and he hits it wide.

86: Double substitution for #afcb as Wakefield and Carmichael replace Gosling and Surman.

87: Penalty to #afcb !

87: Kermorgant resumes play after the substitution with a free kick, which is handled in the area!

87: Ritchie loses his footing as he goes to take the spot kick and hits it over the bar. Still 0-0. 

89: Butcher replaces Elphick for #afcb . Still 0-0:

Full time: @FCNantes 0-0 #afcb.

FC Nantes will be a step up in class for Cherries

Last season FC Nantes finished 14th in Ligue 1 scoring 29 goals in their 38 games. It may not sound like a tremendous record until you look at some of the sides that finished above them. They play at the 38,000 capacity Stade de la Beaujoire-Louis Fonteneau which was inaugurated in 1984, while the club was established in 1943. FC Nantes have honours too having picked up the Ligue 1 title eight times and the French Cup three times. 

Their current crop of players  include Papy Djilobodji who is a centre back that was closely linked with a move to the Premier League over the summer with AFCB and Southampton reportedly interested. But last week it was said that the defender is departing the club - so where is he going? Issa Cissokho has certainly just moved to Genoa, but may be a name that sounds familiar as he is the brother of Aly Cissokho who plays for Aston Villa. 

Remaining at the club though is captain and left back Olivier Veigneau and winger Johan Audel who has played for Toulose and VfB Stuttgart in the past. Another of their star players is Jordan Veretout (a striker that AFCB have been linked with) who plays on the right behind the main striker and hits a mean penalty - he's just become a father. This summer FC Nantes signed Icelandic striker Kolbeinn Sigthorsson but he has suffered a foot injury and is now unlikely to turnout for the French side in the friendly with the Cherries.

Nantes manager is Michel der Zakarian who is in his second managerial spell at the club. He also played 140 times for the club as a defender. FC Nantes have been playing a series of friendlies in Belgium with their most recent match against KRC Genk who recently played Charlton Athletic winning 1-0. They previously beat Saint-Etienne 2-0 on 16 July with Yacine Bammou, their Moroccan striker getting on the score sheet. Their other friendly was against FC Bourg-Peronnas which ended 1-1.

AFCB may look more like a full strength side for this match as the build up to 8 August gets ever closer. 

Well done to Baily Cargill on his new three-year contract at AFCB and also to the U21s who drew 0-0 away to the Saints. It was also good to hear that Brett Pitman has scored four goals in three Ipswich pre-season games.