A Nil-Nil how very unlike AFCB

Well, we didn't get the three points we all hoped for against the noisy neighbours last weekend. A nil-nil draw was so unfashionable that nobody predicted that score in our score predictions! But perhaps we should focus more on the fact that Bournemouth kept their second clean sheet in a row, which is almost just as unheard of.

Begovic to the rescue.

You have to go back, almost a year, to 25 November 2017 when Bournemouth played Swansea City away for the last 0-0 draw involving AFCB. Bournemouth simply don't do games when they don't score, or let one in, so what Southampton achieved was pretty special and we should give Mark Hughes some credit for the way he set his side out. To nullify the threat of Brooks and Fraser was a major part of his plan and the two-centre halves of Stevens and Hoedt were very strong under pressure, once they had weathered Adam Smith first sortie into their box.

When Iwatch a goalless draw, I always come away thinking you have been short changed, but Asmir Begivic was again at his best in goal and did extremely well to keep a shut out with chances falling for Austin, Armstrong and Gabbiadini in particular. Bournemouth could easily have lost the game 0-1, or even won it 1-0 with the chances that King and Aké might have put away another day.

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I did feel that Bournemouth did play better in the second half, and tried to build some momentum with the crowds' help. Still, it was an end-to-end game and yet with few chances. So I'm not that disappointed to see Bournemouth remain in sixth place in the table, and still with a chance to make it 20 points from 10 games going into their next match. UTCIAD!

Breaking Southampton's back line is AFCB's mission

The Bournemouth players have to not only be strong in midfield and get the ball into Southampton's box regularly to have some joy in this match, but they also have to get to the Saint's back line. This is the real part of the game that AFCB have to be successful at and it has probably been the attack that Eddie Howe has been getting frustrated over. But Josh King and Callum Wilson can't play well if they are not found, and the central midfielders must do more to get forward than we have seen in the last two games.

The Cherries at St Marys last season.

Southampton have strong defenders in van Dijk, Bertrand, Hoedt, Yoshida and Soares, even if Cedric has been ruled out of the game. While the Saints are a couple of points better off than the Cherries it is not that they have been keeping clean sheets. In fact they have let in 17 goals to Bournemouth's 16 from the first 14 games, so the defences might be similar in strength at first glance. But you have to go back until 21 October to find a game when Southampton did not concede in a game and their away performances have only resulted in one away win.

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While AFCB fans are wondering if their team can find the form of last season, Southampton fans may be asking whether their team can defend as well again as they did against Man City. Two good defensive performances in a row for Southampton in away games is not something they have managed this season and that should give some hope to Eddie Howe.

Bournemouth can't continue to play poorly in front of their home fans and with this game their should be a more lively atmosphere than normal. The aim must be to give Southampton's defenders no time on the ball and to make it difficult for the Saint's to break out. It will need energy and plenty of stamina to keep the pressure on, but it is the high-pressing siege game that Bournemouth need to master again. If there is no pressure on Southampton's back line and King and Wilson are expected to run 30-40 yards just to get to the Saint's box we can expect another shallow performance form the Cherries. 

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