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.

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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.

Tyrone Mings will hope to quickly move on from Ibrahimovic incident

At last Tyrone Mings has served his five-match ban for the FA's disciplinary panel and the incident with Zlatan Ibrahimovic can become a footnote in a day that actually was greater for AFCB than it was for Tyrone. Yet, Mings contributed massively to the point at Old Traffprd and the side wanted to get something from the game not only for themselves but also for Tyrone.

Tyrone is available for the first time since his five-match ban at Man Utd.

Indeed, the Man Utd away game will be seen as a turning point in AFCB's 2016/17 season, and for Tyrone it was probably the best and worst of days. Now he has been able to get right back into the thick of things and put himself in contention for a place in the squad to take on Spurs. Obviously, Simon Francis and Steve Cook have since had a pretty good run in the team and have been a valuable part in the unbeaten run that has only just fallen against Chelsea. Tyrone will have to wait again for his chance, and yet I bet he will just be overjoyed to be competing for a place again.

The central defence is an area of the pitch where big money hasn't really been spent in any great quantity about AFCB with the exception of Tyrone. Moreover, AFCB are trying to bring Baily Cargill through to play more games in the first squad and there have been strong links with the Cherries continued interest in Chelsea's Nathan Aké. Whether Aké joins this summer or AFCB look elsewhere in the market, I suspect that the number of goals against that have now reached 59 goals is something that will force the Cherries to look carefully at improving that area of their game. It's now very possible that the Cherries will let in more goals than the 67 goals of 2015/16.

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For Tyrone there is a need to get back into the games. He will want to play some minutes before the end of May, just so that he can shut the book on the Ibrahimovic incident and I think everyone at AFCB will be pleased when Tyrone can think about football rather than something that happened in the past.

Mings' ban is a big blow but not unexpected

I have watched and re-watched the alleged 'stamp' by Tyrone Mings on Zlatan Ibrahimovic numerous times and while I'd like to believe it was unintentional, as many have commented, there is no way anyone but Tyrone Mings can say if he wanted to avoid the collision with Zlatan. For the FA Regulatory Committee though there can't be any unclear signals given out. A player who intends or doesn't intend to injury, but does land a blow on another player is going to find themselves in retrospective proceedings if the match officials don't see it. 

Tyrone will get through this. 

I am not so surprised by the outcome of a five-match ban. A player could have been seriously injured, and head injuries can be life threatening, and that is why I believe the FA made a stand, which is unfortunate for Tyrone. Tyrone Mings has explained that he did not want to injure Zlatan and as an AFCB fan I'd like to accept his view, and I am glad that the club has fully supported their player, but I don't think anyone condones any intended violence - there is a line. There is certainly no place for violent conduct on a football pitch and if the panel decided that the charge should be higher than a three-match ban for violent conduct, there was only one way that the ban was going.

AFCB have been unable to reduce any of the match bans that Simon Francis was handed out in recent seasons and they have not managed to ease Tyrone's ban this time. AFCB certainly don't get any favours and while they see this decision as 'extremely disappointing', there will have been an expectation that Tyrone was likely to get a lengthy ban after the comments coming out of the FA on Monday, when the charges were announced. The safety of any player entering the pitch has to remain paramount.

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My only hope is that Tyrone is not vilified throughout his playing career for this one incident. The player has said it was an accident and if that is good enough for Zlatan Ibrahimovic it should be enough for fans. Zlatan himself has a three match ban and I bet that both players wish that the whole episode is moved on from quickly. At the end of the day, we all want to see football on the football pitch. 

AFCB will come out a tighter unit from this and the players can motivate themselves by trying to do even more to win the next five games. UTCIAD!

Baily Cargill had part to play at Old Trafford

AFCB fans love to see one of their own come through the youth teams to make it to the first team, and while Bailey Cargill has played for the Cherries in the cups and has been in and around the first team for some time, it was great to see him get his Premier League debut at Old Trafford. It's not a bad place to make an appearance and Baily will have that on his record for the rest of his life now.

Baily has had to wait a long time to break his duck in the Premier League.

There were only 12 minutes of normal time and five minutes of injury time for Baily to play out. Tyrone Mings had been through the wars all right and it was still a very important time for Bailey to come on with AFCB trying to hold out for a point, with nine other tired men on the field. Cargill immediately fell right into place though with a great tackle on Ibrahimovic, and he even went up the other end for one of the corners that AFCB won towards the end of the game. Like many, I was hoping that it could be a fairytale story of Bailey getting the winner, but while that did not materialise it was just great to see the young defender getting minutes on the pitch in such a big game.

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This will make it easier for Eddie Howe to think of sticking Baily in games now when he is needed, and I'm sure AFCB will find they have a top-rated centre-back who will be able to develop in the Premier League in future seasons. There are some players ahead of Baily now and it will have been hard for him to see Simon Francis and Tyone Mings deciding to convert to centre-backs, but in a way it is good for Baily to have a series of players who are also learning that position at the same time, and I really hope that he does get a few minutes going forward, so that he can become a player that Eddie Howe can rely on when they need an extra defender.

The move of Marc Wilson to WBA has really opened up that chance for Baily now to come through and while Eddie Howe is not quick to introduce young players, I think it will become increasingly hard to keep Baily out of having some more involvement soon. If Tyrone Mings faces a match ban and Simon Francis is still not 100 per cent fit, then Bailey could have a massive part to play during the run-in.

Of all the players to see red - no one would have picked Surman

AFCB will await to hear what the outcome is after Kevin Friend hands in his match report form the weekend's game, to see if Tyrone Mings faces any retrospective action after his afternoon of antics with Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Old Trafford. AFCB needed to up their aggression in games, and the line is always finely balanced between going too far and being a constant recking ball in the oppositions' faces. You want to put off your opponent's game, but you can't be reckless and out of control, and yet if you had picked a player most likely to see red on Saturday, I don't think many would have expected it to be Andrew Surman.

Surman will miss the next game for his red card.

Funnily, I thought Andrew Surman was having a decent game for once before he was dismissed from the field of play. The Match of The Day crew correctly pointed out that there had been an earlier forceful challenge from Luke Shaw on Adam Smith that evaded any punishment, and Andrew Surman's crunch tackle on Luke Shaw that earned the Bournemouth captain his first yellow card was very hard to separate as being anything different from the earlier challenge. Kevin Friend would probably say he let a few early challenges go, but needed to rein it in, and unluckily for Surman the referee chose his tackle to reset the clock on what constituted a foul.

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You cannot defend Surman's second yellow card though for the push on Ibrahimovic, even if the Swedish player went down like he had been hit with sledge hammer. Ibrahimovic was himself walking a tight line in disciplinary matters, having got a yellow card for mouthing off at Kevin Friend after the penalty that Bournemouth were awarded. That was part of the reason for such a delay over the penalty being taken it seems. But Ibrahimovic and Mings were trying to push each other to the limit all game. It is amazing that none of the match officials were really aware of how much they were misbehaving. For AFCB though it was probably the right tactic. If Man Utd were fully concentrating on their football, they would have been a different proposition and the Cherries would have struggled more.

All the antics gave the game an edge and drew United into trying to get even in their little struggles rather than just trying to get the ball in the back of the net. It worked for AFCB and the team probably needed to get themselves worked up to bring the best out in themselves on the pitch after recent defeats. I can't say it would work every time, but it has given AFCB more metal to their game, and at the moment they need that passion and togetherness to ensure they survive this season. It was a great all round team effort in which the fans played their part too.

Can the Cherries take advantage if Utd rest some players?

I get the firm impression hat Jose Mourinho has got his team playing reasonably well, but not as good as he wants at the moment. The win against Southampton in the League Cup final was something he can put on his mantelpiece, but he is really driving his players on to get into the top four and that is a big problem for Howe's players on Saturday.

Man Utd at the opening game of the season.

If we had any doubts over whether Zlatan Ibrahimovic was top-class or not, we surly have seen the evidence this season. He has mastered the English game and is enhancing his reputation all the time. United look half the side without him but luckily for them he hasn't missed many games. I also will be not liking the prospect of Juan Mata's name being on the team sheet as the hard working midfielder always pops up with goals and is excellent at timing his runs to tear apart defences. It should of course be Paul Pogba that sends shudders down AFCBs' players spine and yet he has found it harder to live up to his potential, although I am sure he is getting closer to what Mourinho ants from him.

I can go on looking at the possible scorers and yet I have my fingers crossed that Mourinho spares AFCB all of the first team squad at Old Trafford with important games coming up for the Red Devils against FC Rostov and Chelsea. Eddie Howe is probably looking at who didn't play against Southampton for Man Utd in the Cup final last weekend and one name kind of stands out - Wayne Rooney. Yes, he may have been disappointed not to play in that game, even if he did get to lift the cup as club captain and he probably wants to show Mourinho that he's still got it! AFCB are lucky to have a Wayne Rooney coming towards the end of his career potentially lining up against them though than a young terrier who used to gobble up any mistake a team made at the back.

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Add in players like Michael Carrick, Mario Fellani and Daley Blind who also did not start the cup match and just perhaps there is a possibility that Mourinho will take a bit of a gamble in this next game against the Cherries, leaving some of his big hitters on the bench. It may seem little relief to AFCB as they get ready for this match, but it is going to stop any Man Utd team playing at Old Trafford the week after they have won the first domestic cup competition of the season.

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Rival Lines: "I wouldn't mind Kasper Schmeichel at Utd," Old Trafford Faithful

Rival Lines
Match Preview: Man Utd v AFCB
Blogger Interview: Old Trafford Faithful
Twitter: @OTFaithful

This week I had a good conversation with Jason at the popular Old Trafford Faithful website ahead of AFCB's trip to the theatre of dreams. United are starting to get their act in order and a strong finish to the season could still see them winning three cups and perhaps a top four Premier League position, so the gulf in class to the Cherries seems as immense as ever. But does that make United fans pleased with Jose Mourinho?

CC: If Utd won both domestic cups, but didn't win the Europa League and come fifth in the Premier League, would you still see this as a successful season, having missed out on the Champions league again?

OTF: I think we’ve been so lucky as Manchester United supporters recently, and our hunger for success is huge. The last three years have been a real reality check for us, and winning the FA Cup after going trophy-less for a few years was absolutely superb. The EFL Cup win this weekend was so sweet, and I’d be overjoyed if we win retain our FA Cup title. Surely, that has to be considered a success?

CC: Man Utd have a heavy schedule and Jose Mourinho has not been slow in letting everyone know about it, but are their many Utd players that should be getting more game time who will benefit from this situation?

OTF: Jose has chopped and changed quite a lot recently and everyone is getting plenty of minutes. Sergio Romero has been the biggest benefactor recently and he’s more than taking those chances. I’d love to see Luke Shaw get a look-in, but Jose just doesn’t fancy him...

CC: When do you think the season rally started for Man Utd this season, because it wasn't a great start and why do you think the team were slow starters in the League?

OTF:  Zlatan Ibrahimovic without question. I dread to think where we’d be without his goals in the big moments. He’s been wonderful for us. In terms of someone who has really got things going for us, I’d look firmly in the direction of Henrikh Mkhitaryan. He’s brought some flair and creativity to the table, and he’s really began chipping in with goals and assists.

BB: Has all the talk about Rooney's record club goal talk and media gossip about China actually taken some of the attention off of how well Mourinho now has the side playing?

OTF: First of all, I’m delighted that Wayne Rooney has broken the record. He’s given his absolute all for this club for well over a decade, and he deserves it. Jose is the master of distraction and taking the eyes of the media off his players and it seems to be working well right now. With that said, I wouldn’t mind Rooney leaving for China as the performance levels haven’t been there.

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CC: Has Mourinho fully won over the Man Utd supporters or does he need a couple of good seasons to be considered a special manager for the Red Devils?

OTF: We love him. Since the day the appointment was made I think we all knew he’s the right guy for the job. His track record speaks for itself and he’s already one of the best bosses this country has ever seen. We’re lucky to have him, and I’ve no doubt the glory days will return under his guidance.

CC: If David de Gea leaves this summer would you be in favour of Kasper Schmeichel being signed by Utd?

I like Kasper Schmeichel and I think he’s a proper top quality goalkeeper. The thought of David de Gea leaving is absolutely frightening though. In my eyes, he’s the best in the business and it’d be impossible to replace him. I wouldn’t mind Kasper at United, and he’d surely attract a lot of attention if the unthinkable happens at Leicester.

CC: In the last three Premier League matches for Man Utd you have faced mid-to- lower placed teams in Watford, Leicester and Hull. Clean sheets have followed in these games, so the real test for Utd will come when they play the top five - or do you worry about them slipping up against a side like Bournemouth?

OTF: We’ve dropped plenty of points against those lower placed teams. Look at Stoke City both home and away, and even Burnley at home earlier in the season. There is always a little bit of a worry but that’s just the pessimist in me!

CC: Ibrahimovic never seems to do much running, but the ball comes to him like a magnet in the box, so do you see younger strikers at the club picking up things form him or is he just unique with a very different game to the likes of Rashford and Lingard?

OTF: I think one of the reasons we brought Zlatan in is purely down to the effect he can have on our youngsters. Imagine being a 19-year-old kid like Rashford learning from one of the best in the business? It’s insane.

CC: Who would you say has been Utd's best defender this season and is it an area where you'd like to see changes next season?

OTF:  Eric Bailly. 100%. I didn’t expect much from him when Jose made the move over the summer, but he’s been absolutely sensational. He’s quick, always on the front foot and he just doesn’t give the opponents a sniff. That said, we look rather light in that area with just Bailly, Jones, Smalling and Rojo - particularly when Rojo and Smalling have been playing so poorly recently.

CC: What do you make of AFC Bournemouth's prospects for staying up this season?

OTF: Ask me this a fortnight or so ago and I would’ve said it was a foregone conclusion that you’d stay up. Now, I’d be a little concerned to say the least. Their form has to be alarming for the fans, and they haven’t been good defensively recently. Now I’ve said that, put your money on Bournemouth keeping us quiet this weekend...

CC: I don't think Old Trafford Faithful are alone in not wanting to bet who is going to face the drop this season - hopefully AFCB will put in an inspired performance to get more points on the board soon. I was glad to hear that Kasper Schmeichel is now seen as a worthy keeper to come to Man Utd now, at least in the opinion of Jason at Old Traffod Faithful, but I wonder national papers have not pressed this question a bit more of late - especially seeing how well he has played in the Champions League. AFCB of course are perhaps thinking of a change in the goalkeeper line up next season and we could do with Artur Boruc marking his retirement from the Poland team with a shot stopping master class in front of the Red Devils. Many thanks to Jason and please see what he makes of their League Cup win at Old Trafford Faithful - I get the feeling he fancies Utd beating two south coast teams back to back!

Mings stepped up his game - now the others at AFCB must do the same

I was fairly critical of Tyrone Mings in his recent appearances for the Cherries, so I was pleasantly pleased with how well he did at the Hawthorns at keeping Solomon Rondon quite. He did it by much better reading of the game and by using his large frame to make Rondon less of a focal point than he might have been for WBA. I guess Tyrone is going to have a similar role to play on Saturday against another big name in the game - Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Tyrone is looking much more settled at centre-back.

Tyrone may be enjoying his chance to play in the Premier League, but he has had to be thrown in at this level having only just started to learn how to be a centre-back. Simon Francis has similarly been converted to a centre-back and it is going to be questioned come the end of this season whether converting wing-backs was really the best solution to Bournemouth's lack of central defenders, when they sold Tommy Elphick and Marc Wilson wasn't seen as being up to the job of breaking into the first team. Fans have been calling out for a big centre-back signing and yet since the days of Sylvain Distin there has not been a player in the team that has had an imposing physique. Meanwhile, Baily Cargill still awaits his Premier League debut.

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Tyrone Mings is the player that is most likely to try and take that job on now of being a physical bully if you like at the back. He may not be a heavyweight, but he has the height and what I do like about him is that when he is seeing things early he looks a very accomplished player. He passes the ball very casually and it seems to be natural for him to hold off attackers when under pressure. What he has to make sure of is that he is on the same wave length as Steve Cook and I believe this is starting to come now.

Even if Simon Francis is fit come mid-March, it may be that Tyrone Mings and Steve Cook are going to be Eddie Howe's best pairing to try and stave off the threat of relegation at the back.

Other News: Arur Boruc retires from International football.

Opening day defeat for the Cherries against Man Utd 1-3

Match Report

AFCB 1 v 3 Man Utd

14 August 2016

Attendance: 11,355 (including 1392 Man Utd fans)

AFCB welcome Man Utd to Dean Court.

It is a measure of how far AFCB have come that hime fans were rightly disappointed with the result if not the performance of their defeat against Man Utd. In what was a fairly even first half, Man Utd got themselves ahead through a Juan Mata strike, after a mistake by captain Simon Francis that gifted the Red Devils the opener. More second half goals followed for Man Utd when Wayne Rooney netted on 59 minutes and then Zlatan Ibrahimovic blasted a long range effort into the bottom corner of Boruc's goal to make it 0-3. AFCB are not a team of quitters though and they got one goal back after a special strike from Adam Smith. A full comeback was never on the cards though, as Mourinho's side upped their sideways passing to retain possession and keep AFCB out for the last 20 minutes.

The new Premier League banner.

AFCB move along the Man Utd line.

Man Utd prepare for the game.

AFCB get into their first huddle of the season.

You can view more pictures on Match Day Gallery. 


The team selection was fairly bold by Eddie Howe. He played a 4-3-3 formation with King Wilson and Ibe playing up front and Lewis Cook adding strength to the usual pairing of Suman and Arter and last season's main back four was also selected. 

The first day of the season is always a special moment and the sun was out to greet the layers in their new kits and Jose Mourinho looked immaculate in the touchline in his suit. With the game under way it was Man Utd that kept the ball from the start, before Callum Wilson drove the first shot wide for AFCB after four minutes.

Man Utd to kick off.

The pace of the game was quick and Lewis Cook and Ibe were winning their fair share of the ball but the fouls were not getting pulled up and Utd seemed to be the beneficiaries. AFCB were being brave, in playing from the back, despite Utd trying to hem them in near their own box on goal kicks.

A big cross from Valencia saw Ibrahimovic's eye's light up, but Francis and Adam Smith did enough to stop him getting their first with Francis taking a blow. Ibe, Smith and Lewis Cook were starting to dominate up the right side with their intricate play and Ibe was the focal point of most of the Cherries' play.

When Utd did break and Anthony Martial did get into the box, on the left, he blasted well wide of the goal. Down the right side Antonio Valencia played in another dangerous cross that ended up being shifted by Mata on to Rooney's feet, and while he did not hit his shot with great power Boruc had to get down to his left sharply to make the save on 27 minutes.

A stray Jordan Ibe cross had Valencia scrambling back to head it from the six yard box and as AFCB came forward Harry Arter took aim and fired well wide and over.

The game turned on a short back pass from Simon Francis to Artur Boruc, Mata was straight on it and Artur Boruc stood firm and spread himself to make a great save only for the ball to bump back off Simon Francis and straight to Mata who had a simple job of tapping in for the lead. AFCB would have to come from behind after being 0-1 down at half time.

AFCB have to reflect on an unlucky goal.

The scoreboard finally works for a bit, but was on and off all afternoon.

Second Half
Andre Marriner kept up his shoddy refereeing with a corner kick off Eric Baily given as a free kick, but when Rooney went over in the box at least he did not give Utd a penalty. Utd's second goal was not long in coming though and it pretty much killed off AFCB. Valencia had put in a deep cross that Martial shanked back to Rooney, and his header back across Boruc found the net. It seemed easy and the close first half seemed a distant memory.

Utd were well in control now and looked to extend their lead. AFCB perhaps switched off when that second goal went in as from the restart it was Utd again pushing forward and Adam Smith gave a free kick away. Zlatan lined up a special shot and Boruc had to be at his best to dig it out of his top right corner. 

Zlatan was not to be denied though. A cross ball from the left to Ibrahimovic, some 25 yards out seemed fairly innocuous, but there was no pressure on the ball from the AFCB midfielders or defenders and Zlatan simply had a go and slotted his shot in through a crowd of players to beat Boruc on his right side 0-3.

The half time team talk had done the tick for Mourinhio's men. They looked home and dry. Callum Wilson was subbed for Lewis Grabban and Benik Afobe came on for Jordan Ibe. The change at least brought some luck for AFCB as Grabban's ball to Adam Smith on the edge of the box was taken in his stride and the full-back stepped inside and drove his shot high and with power into the back of the net 1-3.

There were still some 21 minutes to go. AFCB couldn't do the unthinkable, could they? Well Mourinhio has drilled this side well already. They didn't panic. A misplaced pass from Juan Mata and the Spaniard was taken off and Mkhitaryan was on. 

Meanwhile, Afobe was berating Daniels for a slow through ball where the big forward was caught off side. Gradel was then brought on in place of Lewis Cook. Man Utd also brought on Schneiderlin in place of Martial, as time was running out. 

The referee eventually showed a yellow card to Ander Herrera for the umpteenth unfair challenge on Josh King, while Rooney was also withdrawn to bring on Depay.

Four minutes of extra time brought a near golden goal for Andrew Surman, but De Gea got down well to his left to keep it out. Afobe then raced in at De Gea after a shot by Adam Smith almost fell into his path, but Gradel probably had an even better chance, when a scramble left him searching to get the ball under control, just a few yards out - but he was blocked at the last.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Max Gradel after the game.

Jason Tindall with Andre Mariner - he might want to question some of his decisions!

Summary
The scoreline reads like it was a convincing win for Man Utd, but it had been a tight game all the way up to half time with just one individual error setting Utd on their way. Before that they had been under pressure, and if the Cherries had got ahead it could have been a very different day. Instead the goal gave Utd confidence and they romped away with the win despite a lot of promise from the Cherries. Eddie How will not be disappointed with the way that AFCB kept themselves in the game in the first half but he will have concerns that the porous defence did not seem that troubled and yet let three goals in at home. It leaves AFCB propping up the Premier League and that is not a position anyone wants to be in. However, I did notice that Josh King and Gradel were exchanging word sand Harry Arter acted swiftly as peacemaker by guiding King away. In my mind it is good that there is arguing as it matters to the players and they'll fight hard to get the points they need.

Man Utd troop over to their fans.

Not a great day for Simon Francis.

AFCB
Boruc, A Smith, Francis, S Cook, Daniels, L Cook (Gradel 81),Surman, Arter, Ibe (Afobe 68), Wilson (Grabban 67), King

AFCB Subs
Federici, B Smith, Gosling, Aké, Afobe, Gradel, Grabban

Man Utd

De Gea, A Valencia, Bailly, Blind, Shaw, Fellaini, Herrera, Mata (Mkhitaryan 75), Rooney (Depay 89), Martial (Schneiderlin 85), Ibrahimovic

Man Utd Subs
Romero, Rojo, Carrick, Depay, Mkhitaryan, Schneiderlin, Rashford
Referee: Andre Marriner - all at sea!


Chimes' Ratings
Boruc 6, A Smith 8, Francis 6, S Cook 6.5, Daniels 6, L Cook 7 (Gradel 5.5), Surman 6, Arter 6.5, Ibe 7 (Afobe 5.5 ), Wilson 6 (Grabban 5.5), King 6

Transfer news SkySports is reporting that experienced Stoke and Republic of Ireland central-defender Marc Wilson is set to join the Cherries for £2m this week. 

No back three experimentation for AFCB

I was wondering if we might at least see one half of AFCB playing with three at the back this summer. It is a useful option when the team goes down to 10 men and at the moment with so many defenders struggling to make it back in the selection list it could provide a method to cover the problems Eddie has in sending out a back four.

The three centre-halves almost pick themselves with Daniels, Aké and Francis. But the wing-back system is much preferred by Eddie and to see Nathan Aké up against Zlatan Ibrahimovic in his first Premier League game for AFCB against Man Utd would not be an easy task. So all the preparations have been for four at the back with different players put in at right back.

Steve Cook and Charlie Daniels at White Hart Lane.

Packing the midfield is still something that AFCB will try and do against a Man Utd side who will look to control the game there. Josh King is very good at falling back in when things get overrun in midfield and Eddie could start with three central midfielders in any case.

Simon Francis awaits a header.

The defence is where AFCB have there problems though. Covering up with midfield players and experimenting with players out of position is not good in the long-term and it was interesting to hear when questioned after the Reading match about the need for another central defender that Eddie Howe dismissed the thought that he had targeted a signing already. All he was keen to stress is that the team would be strong enough at the start of the season. What I did get from the way Eddie was that by batting away such questions is that he does feel pressure about his defence, and that could indeed lead him into the market again, even though Steve Cook, Brad Smith and Adam Smith have added to the number of fit players. 

Either way, a back three is not something that I expect AFCB use in the Premier League this season unless they happen to go down to 10 men and it is a game Eddie still thinks they can get something from offensively.