Points against the top six will again be AFCB's big challenge

Bournemouth have looked in good shape at the start of this season. Their first big test though came away at Chelsea and it was a test they couldn't quite conquer.  For 70 minutes though they did stay in the game and even had chances to snatch something. Finding the resolves to extend that kind of performance to 90 plus minutes is where the Cherries have to get to, if they are to get points off the best teams in the league.

Chelsea were just too strong for AFCB, but the
Cherries don't play another top six team until November.

It is early days and Bournemouth were never going to go unbeaten for the season. The Everton game was perhaps the first match were fans would feel Bournemouth would have to play particularly well to get something from the game, and going to Stanford Bridge was always going to be another step up. Bournemouth also had the difficulty of Chelsea being extremely confident after their strong winning performances and a need for their new manager to get the team playing well at home.

It was quite a different scenario from the away match at the Bridge last season when Antonio Conte was having problems and Bournemouth romped to a 0-3 win. Getting the odd win or point off the top six teams though is often vital, if you want to stay in the league and when the top teams are not playing so well they do drop points, as we have already seen with Man City this season. So going into the big games it's important that AFCB believe they still have a chance of getting something from the game. I thought for times at the end of the first half against Chelsea that the defiance in the team was growing and that a result was possible. But in the second half the potential breakaways became less frequent and with the ball constantly in Bournemouth's half, there wasn't the opportunity to relieve the defence enough.

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After the event it is easy to say how would have done better to make some subs on 60 minutes. I am not sure why Eddie Howe didn't, as the control of the game was in Chelsea's hands and Howe didn't do anything that obvious to try and change that. He may have been waiting to see how Sarri's subs would be fitting in, but in that 12 minutes before the first goal, Chelsea had brought on Giroud and Pedro and were fresher and more eager to get that first goal.

Hopefully, when AFCB play the next top opponent they are not so hesitant in changing the team just because they have held out for an hour. If it is a squad game, the players on the bench have to be able to contribute. Bournemouth have to do everything they can to get points off of the top teams - they can't pick and choose where they are going to get their points.

The Transfer Index shows every football transfer since 1992 in today's money - check out AFC Bournemouth's transfers and others. 

Arsenal's quality just too strong for AFCB

Some times you have to hold your hand up and say that was just too good from the opposition. In Mesut Ozil Arsenal have a player that unlocks defences in a flash and he'll do it against better defenders than we have at AFCB. Still, seeing Arsenal cut through the Cherries' defence was only prominent during the last third of the match.

Marc Pugh warms up before the Arsenal match but only played 45 minutes.

While it would have been great to see what pressure AFCB could have put Arsenal under, had the Gunners not got the second goal when they did, it is those slight differences in experience and the execution of moves at key moments that differentiate the top teams from the rest. Sitting back and watching Mesut Ozil's goal without my AFCB hat on, it is easy to see that it was a great goal and made to look very simple with Giroud's excellent heel on to pass the ball back into Ozil's run. Andrew Surman and Steve Cook became spectators in that one second and the whole back line was undone. There was not much anyone could do about it and Ozil was not going to miss every time he got through.

The big difference with sides like Arsenal is that they almost switch into another mode when they see a goal chance coming. They don't get flustered or excited. It's a time of maximum concentration and ball control and they simply don't let you get a tackle in. They work it quickly and accurately and to predict where the ball is going.

I do believe the quick turnover of games in 48 hours was telling on the Bournemouth players because of the way that they play with high intensity. But it was perhaps unfortunate that Arsenal were the team to play just hours after the Boxing Day game as AFCB knew they would have to deal not only with the running energy of Oxlaide-Chamberlain and Walcott, but also the trickery of Ozil and Giroud. But it doesn't get tougher than that and the Cherries were not given a battering, which is helpful in terms of confidence. I don't think AFCB would have been able to go to the Emirates a season ago and come away with just a 2-0 defeat and have taken the game to them in the fashion that they did in that first half.  The building blocks are getting stronger for Eddie Howe's team but we know there are divisions within the Premier League. 

Transfer Gossip
Fulham's Ross McCormack is said to be a target for the Cherries this transfer window, according to Shoot. His value is said to be £11m. Later today you should also see my latest Shoot article about Dan Gosling available to read.

The Boxing Day hangover may still remain for Arsenal

The AFCB players have to find some energy from somewhere for the match against Arsenal. It may only be 48 hours between games but Arsenal played a few hours later than the Cherries, so they have less time to recuperate. This is where the extra cash that AFCB have spent on ice baths and treatment rooms really come into play and while I am not sure if the team will travel up by coach or fly, I expect they will be fresh and ready to go with high-intensity when they see the Gunner's logo on the side of the Emirates stadium.  

Artur Boruc will be keen to add a clean sheet against Arsenal to his record.

The Christmas period is always a busy period and Dan Hodges will have the players  well set up to recover their energy quickly. I am not sure if the Southampton battering of Arsenal did the Cherries much good, but the defeat will be fresh in the heads of the Arsenal players which could be a good thing if the Cherries can have a good start and put them under pressure from the off. The game is a late kick-off at 5.30pm and that will also not sit comfortably with Arsenal after the late game against Southampton, even if it is in their home stadium. The Boxing Day hangover may still remain for Arsenal.

We know that Arsenal have a big squad, but they have also got injury worries - most notably Sanchez and Cazorla. But they have great talent at their disposal and players like Oxlaide-Chamberlain and Walcott will be a big test for Daniels and Smith, while Giroud has been scoring a lot of goals. Arter and Gosling will also have to take on Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil - doesn't it make you excited? I hope Eddie does not over think the threat from Arsenal though. The Cherries have to give Arsene Wenger's team something to think about and Josh King and Junior Stanislas can do it against the best teams as we have seen this month already.

Every Bournemouth player is going to need to be on their game but they have to be as excited about this game as the fans. If they perform and get a result at Arsenal it will surely have been the best footballing month in the Cherries' history.   

Later today, I answer some questions on the Cherries on the Gunners Town website - look out for my interview at Gunners Town.

Rival Lines: Junior Stanislas worries You Are My Arsenal

Rival Lines
Match Preview: Arsenal v AFCB
Blogger Interview: You are my Arsenal
Twitter: @YouAreMyArsenal

I wanted to give you readers some idea of how the Premier League is spreading its wings across the Atlantic, especially following AFCB's tie-up with Peak6. So when it came to contacting an Arsenal blogger I got in touch with Michael Price on the You Are My Arsenal site that operates out of the USA. If you did not think the game was big over there check out the You Are My Arsenal website's twitter account - 70.6k followers!

CC: How did You are my Arsenal get started over in the USA?

YAMA: We started in 2008 when the US supporters club made substantial changes to it's posting policy on what was then really the only place online for US Gooners to congregate. We originally started out as a place for a few of us to discuss matches and the team in general. I'm based in Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia, East coast, USA.

CC: How do you see the games in the USA - do you go to a favourite local drinking hole or do you live stream at home - and do you miss not seeing Arsenal games live?

YAMA: Most of the games I watch either from the comfort of my own home or live in one of two Gooner-based pubs local to me. Yes, not seeing them live is difficult. Prior to 2000 I was over at least twice a year to see them.

CC: What is the amount of support for Arsenal over on the States and are they a team that many US fans have really taken to for any particular reason?

YAMA: I don't have any concrete numbers but we are one of the largest clubs supported in the US. When they were over in New York two summers ago - they had to cancel events because they completely underestimated the response and the venues were too small. The New York and Philadelphia supporters clubs are two of the largest in the US have been recognised by the club as their own stand-alone official clubs. If you didn't come to Arsenal a long time ago, I'd say recent converts like the way the team plays, likes its a challenger and probably one of the clubs that is on US TV all the time.

CC: I picked Arsenal pre-season to win the Premier League in 2015-16 - was it the right team to back?

YAMA: Hard to say after getting drubbed 4-0 to Southampton on boxing day. But I had them pegged on to win and I am going to stick by that. Even with the loss on Boxing Day, it's not the end of the world. Especially given the uncertainty in the league this season.

CC: Are the number of London derby matches the biggest worry to Arsenal fans when it come to making a viable title challenge every season?

YAMA: I don't think so. I actually think it lends to the strengthening of the side. Any derby is always a big match. London derbies are for the king of the capital. Obviously though, the North London Derby is the biggest and most meaningful.

CC: Who do you believe has been Arsenal's best player this season so far and what Premier League game has been most memorable?

YAMA: Mesut Özil bar none. And 3-0 win against United sticks out so far. We completely annihilated a team that we've not beaten with any regularity in the last few years.

CC: Olivier Giroud has been banging in the goals but are you convinced about Theo Wallcott being a number 9?

YAMA: I think the tandem gives us two different options up front. We've got Giroud with strength and hold up play (And that near post diagonal run) and we've got Theo who is looking to exploit the gaps between the back 4. I do think Theo is making a strong case for himself as a number 9.

CC: The Gooner's midfield has been tremendous with Ozil, Cazorla and Ramsey so can you see Wilshere being injured as a big loss this season?

YAMA: It's a big loss because it hurt our ability to rotate and rest someone like Cazorla who is now injured until March. Wilshere would've made it easier to rotate and likely gotten Cazorla rested throughout the first half of the season.

CC: Joel Campbell has been finding his feet in the team, but do you think he is better than Oxlade-Chamberlain?

YAMA: I think it's a toss up between the two. Joel Campbell seems better in keeping the ball than Oxlade-Chamberlain but the Ox offers more hunger going forward. Both need improvement in their decision making in the final third.

CC: Do you think Alexis Sanchez will want to move on if he does not win silverware this season?

YAMA: No. I think Sanchez wants to be the main man and at Arsenal he is that. In all of his moves he moved for playing time. I think he at a minimum sees out his contract then decides.

CC: Does Arsene Wenger need to buy players in January and who would you suggest he buys?

YAMA: I do think he has to buy. I'd like a DM and Winger for cover.

CC: What have you made of AFC Bournemouth's start to the season?

YAMA: I've been impressed with the run of late. They've not given in and really took chances when they had to and had some good wins against the likes of United and Chelsea.

CC: Are there any AFC Bournemouth players that you think Arsenal need to be particularly wary of?

YAMA: I like the looks of Junior Stanislas. He clearly has bought into what Howe is doing and I think he can cause problems for a team that is going to be smarting after the Boxing Day massacre.

CC: What is your score prediction for the match?

YAMA: Head says 0-0 draw
Heart says 1-0 bounce back win for the Arsenal

CC: Many thanks for You Are My Arsenal taking some time out over the busy Christmas period to answer Cherry Chimes' questions. Please do take a look at the You Are My Arsenal site which asks Is it Arsenal's year? There's also a match report on the Man City top of the table clash and I expect a preview of the AFC Bournemouth game will soon be up on the site.