Rival Lines: "Arter's a better player than Wilshere," Anfield Wrap

Rival Lines

Match Preview

Liverpool v AFCB

Blogger Interview: The Anfield Wrap

Twitter: @anfieldwrap

I had a promise to keep with the Anfield Wrap as they had asked me to do some work for them last time AFCB played Liverpool and I was unable to take them up on their offer. So getting back in touch with Neil Atkinson was a chance to catch up on his opinions about the season Liverpool are having and wondering if he had got over the 4-3 game at Dean Court earlier in the season. I fear revenge could be on its way!

CC: Can you feel the pressure of the top four finish mounting on Liverpool?

AW: That pressure has been there all season. It's clearly the target on the side. Liverpool showed far more composure than Everton in the Merseyside Derby, but the path to top four becomes clearer and clearer as we get closer to the end of the campaign. I think it's very much in the club's hands at this stage – 17 points from the remaining 8 games should be enough to get what we need.

CC: Adam Lallana is going to miss some games, but do Liverpool fans only value him when they see how the team plays without him?

AW: Not anymore. Lallana has had an excellent season and Liverpool supporters in general value him very highly now. He has had a strange Liverpool career but the hope is that he is now coming into his prime. He doesn't have pace to lose and gets smarter and smarter month by month. He's so good technically. I hope he at least stays on this level for the next 2 seasons, if not even to improve.

CC: Are all the injuries now starting to hinder Liverpool?

AW: Yes. The short answer. Yes. How couldn't they? Injuries hinder every side. Liverpool will face Bournemouth short of Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana and Sadio Mane. That is three of Liverpool's first choice front six. Each will be missed in a different way. Henderson primarily for his ability to set the pace, Lallana for his guile, Mane for his pace and goals.

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CC: Has the keeper situation settled down at the club and is Joe Hart a realistic target this summer for Liverpool?

AW: I would be hugely surprised if we went after Joe Hart. I just don't see Jurgen Klopp spending that much – wages and fee – on a goalkeeper. I think the whole situation remains in flux. Had Simon Mignolet been a new signing in December people would be happy with him – one error against Chelsea aside. But he hasn't been and he still has all of that memory (as does everyone else) of not quite being reliable enough. Karius appears to be very much second choice. Danny Ward is doing very well at Huddersfield.

I have no idea what happens next.

CC: Is it fair to criticise Jurgen Klopp seeing how close Liverpool were to Chelsea before Christmas and now looking at the gap to Chelsea?

AW: In general, no. On a game by game basis Liverpool could have been a bit better and overall I think Liverpool could have both planned to be and actually been better in January. However we're talking here about being perfect. He has had a good season.

Instead he found themselves one attacker and possibly one midfielder light while dealing with a lot of games – the manager and club could have addressed that last summer. The gap is 10 points. There is every chance the season ends and it is about seven points given the nature of remaining fixtures; Chelsea have had one great run and been consistent since that run, and sometimes a side is just too good.

CC: Going out of the FA Cup to Wolves was no doubt disappointing but has it given Liverpool a better chance of getting in that top four?

AW: That the FA Cup Semi Finals are all other sides aiming to finish in the top four would suggest not. But the focus could be helpful. I think not getting to the semi-final in the EFL Cup but getting to the semi final in the FA Cup would have been more useful in terms of keeping the league momentum going.

CC: Liverpool have a good run-in with no top six sides to play but are there any fixtures that you see as the most likely to be a banana skin?

AW: All of them and none of them simultaneously. They are all games Liverpool should get three points from. That they won't get 24 points goes without saying, and so they will slip up somewhere. It's hard to know at this stage of this season who is fighting for their lives and who isn't. I thought Bournemouth had done enough to stay up, but Hull's resurgence suggests they still need to find a couple of wins and I expect them to make it extremely difficult at Anfield. Across the last two seasons there has been a massive amount of fight and togetherness about Bournemouth.

CC: Have the fans fallen out of love with Daniel Sturridge?

AW: The extent to which they were in love with him is up for grabs. I very much was. He's a ridiculously talented goalscorer but his fitness has become so difficult to manage. He won't be playing his football at Liverpool next season and that is a massive shame but that is best for him, best for the club and best for whichever club is lucky enough to have him.

CC: Are you at all surprised that Jordan Ibe and Brad Smith have found it hard to get a regular starting places in the Bournemouth team?

AW: Not at all. Brad Smith is very much one of those players who could well end up looking too good for the Championship and not quite good enough for the Premier League.

Ibe is more interesting. He clearly has a lot of the tools to be a good player but can't quite put it together. I wonder if he needs a positional shift. He did well at Anfield at right wingback but may well be worth looking at as a candidate as an attacking right back. He does his best work with space to move into.

CC: Is Jack Wilshere a player that Liverpool should be interested in making a move for over the summer?

AW: Very much not. One tick on Liverpool's criteria for summer signings has to be with reference to fitness record. Liverpool have too many players too prone to injury and before even getting in on the level of the player Liverpool need to make some harsh choices.

I also think Harry Arter is a better player than him and if Liverpool were looking for a squad option in midfield they could do a lot worse, but players where possible should play and Arter would be best served by running Bournemouth's midfield.

Adam Smith seems to have slightly gone off the boil watching from afar. I liked him last season. Josh King has recently been banging the goals in. Again, a player who needs to play though. It's boring but most players should probably stay where they are and especially working with a manager like Eddie Howe.

CC: What are your views about Eddie Howe - some see him as overrated while others see him as a future England manager?

AW: I think he has shown he is clearly very good at coaching, organising and motivating a group of players and that he has his way of playing football. He deserves enormous credit for the job he has done, especially as it is fair to say Bournemouth's recruitment hasn't been great last summer. I think his path is slightly complicated in terms of what job he does next, but I don't think that should be at the forefront of his mind. Bournemouth need a good summer and to aim to break 50 points next season. I think they are capable of that.

CC: Bournemouth have only done the double over one club in the Premier League - Swansea. Do you expect Liverpool to avoid adding to this statistic?

AW: I do but I expect a very hard game for The Reds. Patience will be key. It could well become attritional from here, the top four chase and Liverpool will need to get ahead and see the game out on Wednesday night. I would predict 2-1 Liverpool and a nervy last 10 for The Reds.

CC: There were some excellent points made by Neil there and the thought of breaking 50 points in a season seems like gold to an AFCB fan like me. Still AFCB have to aspire to do even better and while the Cherries are trying to move on from just thinking about staying in the league, Liverpool fans such as Neil are dreaming of a top four finish which I think they can get this season. Whether Liverpool give the chasers such as Man Utd and Arsenal a sniff though is down to games like this one against AFCB and the Cherries have usually performed well at Anfield so I'm also expecting a tight game.

Catch up with The Anfield Wrap which has a good diagnostic of whether redemption for the early season defeat to Bournemouth is on or not. Let's hope NOT!

Premier Talk - Pressure back on the Cherries

Is Afobe doing enough?

Benik may wonder at times why his name is still sung loudly by the fans when he has moments when he'd rather the ground swallowed him up. The AFCB fans are fair though and they want players to succeed. I kind of see affection for Afobe replacing what the fans had with Tokelo Rantie. In such analysis, it may not be the best future outlook for Benik.


Benik is struggling to make a regular impact on games.

What AFCB do like above all is a trier, and I just wonder if Benik's labouring style really gives the impression that he does give everything in games. It was notable to me in the game at Southampton that Benik wanted to get back to help the team and won a lot of good headers in AFCB's own box. That's the kind of work that will get him plenty of thanks from team-mates, but it's up the other end where AFCB are desperate for Benik to become a sharp shooter. At times I see him making progress and yet at St Marys it was two steps back again, with his second half chance that he looked well placed to score but which he slipped it the wrong side of the post.

Does Benik have that killer instinct to finish off moves? Is he hungry to be the best striker at AFCB? I would want to see more if I was Eddie Howe, as I saw more movement from Southampton's Rodriguez in making those diagonal runs off the centre-backs and early shots that troubled AFCB. Southampton's defenders had much less to do to guard against a static Afobe. It was only when runners like Fraser and Wilshere started to come from deeper that Southampton found it hard to stop the flow of AFCB in the second half.

I think Afobe needs to see himself as a generator of play as well as a goalscorer. He need sto try and look to get to the ball first and drive on and beat a player, rather than just waiting for other players to hopefully find him. He may be reliant in service like all forwards, but he could do more in my book to start the process as he may find that by giving and going he gets the ball back in positions that are ripe for scoring from. At the moment, he acts more like a scarecrow and scarecrows don't move very far.


The latest injury nes is that Andrew Surman may be out for the rest of the season with a knee-liaament injury.

Intensity brings the best out in AFCB

I was listening to Harry Arter's post-match interview and his comments about Eddie Howe being a little disappointed with the first half performance and the lack of intensity about Bournemouth's game early on. I do think that a faster game with the Cherries using all the energy they have when on the ball is the way the team plays at its best. But it almost needs a trigger for AFCB to find that level in their play, and when they don't they can get picked off.

AFCB will aim to keep the work rate high against Liverpool.

The important thing for me at Southampton was that AFCB stayed in the game for the first 45 minutes. So often we have seen a poor start against our rivals and the game has been done by the first 30 minutes, and by getting that platform Eddie Howe could speak to the lads at half time and get them to pick up some more. The introduction of Jack Wilshere has been very valuable in the past two games, but I feel that he should come back into the side now from the start. AFCB have to hit the big teams with everything they have and can't wait.

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If AFCB are to knock Liverpool off their stride it will be by making it into an end-to-end scrap as it was at Dean Court. The Cherries need Liverpool to also attack with intensity and this will give them gaps at the back to get behind Liverpool. It should be a very entertaining game and defences might be found wanting.

AFCB look a much better side when Ryan Fraser is galloping forward without caution and being quick of thought. It is the same with Adam Smith and Charlie Daniels pushing on and whether the spark comes from one instant or not it seems hard for AFCB to play in this way for a full 90 minutes. But intensity and AFCB are a magic combination, and it is what will being the Cherries points against the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs.

A clean sheet at Saints is something to savour

We were all disappointed by not getting the win at Southampton that the side probably deserved. Yet, on reflection how often have we seen AFCB record a clean sheet? This was also a back-to-back clean sheet, even if the Swansea game was a couple of weeks ago. Such a result is something fans would have bitten your hand off for only two months ago.

AFCB had the Saints on the ropes at times!

Considering that AFCB have never won at St Marys, it will have been the optimistic few that expected an away win in the late evening kick off on Saturday. However, I do see a really gritty side of AFCB being reborn in recent games. They played a structured game at St Marys that saw them not only contain a good Southampton side, but actually gather themselves to really storm them in the second half, and play as if they were the home side. The penalty miss from Arter and unfortunate post hitting, by Adam Smith, came out of the rising pressure that AFCB were putting on the Southampton goal, and the creativity of the side is looking good. Good enough to keep Jordan Ibe and Junior Stanislas out of the side, by the way.

The performance of Artur Boruc was another one for the scrapbook. He may not have had to make many saves that Eddie Howe would not have expected him to get to, but he kept alert all game and made Southampton's strikers have to take a second look or think twice about their shots on some occasions, and his careful positioning made it easier for him to make the saves.

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Steve Cook is also raising his standard all the time. I kind of flinched when he went down in the first half as a result of his saving tackle with Rodriguez. But he shook it off fairly quickly and I find Steve Cook the most switched on and alert to danger of the back four. That's why I get worried when he is injured or out of the team. This season he has played in all the league games and he has to be a seen as a major bedrock for AFCB's success.

The Cherries' penalty dramas continue

Harry Arter isn't the first and won't be the last to miss a penalty for AFCB. He was somewhat of a surprise spot kick taker, but had a real desire to take the kick. His passion is something I am sure Eddie Howe wishes he could bottle, and yet when you need a penalty scored you need a bit of luck, and a bit of steel, and a clear mind for what is going to happen. But the enormity of the moment may have got to Arter along with a rather less than firm pitch that didn't take the strain of his standing leg.

Never mind Harry, at least AFCB are getting a lot of
penalties even if they aren't taking them well.

We now know that Harry's have a bit of a problem at St Marys with penalty kicks as Spurs' Harry Kane did a similar job in December 2016. I liked the way Gary Lineker surmised that the groundsman would not be shortlisted for any awards this season. But players have to inspect where they are going to put the ball down and their surroundings before the kick, and do players really need to take the leather off the ball to score from 12 yards?

Bournemouth have regulated their penalty kick takers and perhaps this has given lots of players the chance to score which is good for team moral. But when you have several players then missing, it is almost better to not make so many players go through the same disappointment as it only makes them all rather dejected.

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While AFCB will decide in their own way who takes the next penalty, I see Josh King and Junior Stanislas as the best two candidates. They both like to be accurate and as attacking players they should be putting themselves forward. I think the unselfishness of King is something that perhaps holds him back from having that ruthlessness of the very top strikers. Look at Harry Kane and Diego Costa, do they shun spot kicks after missing one? Hardly ever, they want to be the main man and to take the responsibility. King wasn't on the pitch when Arter took his penalty, but perhaps he wouldn't have fancied the job.

Check out This is Anfield today for some of my views ahead of the match with Liverpool on Wednesday.

Cherries and Saints fail to hit target 0-0

Match Report

Southampton 0 v 0 AFCB

1 April 2017

Attendance: 31,847

The Cherries come out to take on the Saints.

We should have known better on April Fool's Day that there would be a game that was going to make some one look foolish. I'm not sure if it was Harry Arter, Benik Afobe or Dusan Tadic at first, but at the end of the game I thought it was all us travelling fans who had see a great game with some appalling finishing. Southampton could have had a big scoreline by half time, only Tadic seemed to lose his bearings whenever he got near goal and the game really should have seen a goal when Josh King unselfishly passed to Afobe in front of goal just after the hour, but his off balanced shot had AFCB fans looking for somewhere to hide. Adam Smith came within a whisker of scoring as well when he hit a shot that deflected onto the post. The clearest opportunity was surely when Ryan Fraser was pulled down in the box and Harry Arter stepped up to try and score from 12 yards. His standing foot slip at the big moment though meant the points would be shared.

Southampton made an effort to welcome Bournemouth fans.

Eddie Howe kept the same line up from the previous game but Harry Arter, Junior Stanislas and Baily Cargill found their way onto the bench.

More pictures are up on Match Day Gallery.

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The game took a while to get up some speed. Bournemouth pressed high to try and win the ball high up the pitch and Southampton found the first clear chances when Tadic saw the Cherries' defence part like the sea and he ballooned his shot over. He had hardly had time to contemplate that wastefulness before Cedic put in a good cross that Tadic managed to side foot wide.

Steve Cook then had to make a last ditch tackle on Rodriguez in the box which he accomplished well although he hurt his leg. Cook soldiered on but went down a few minutes later when Tadic had again fired wide. 

AFCB were getting some possession but finding it hard to get behind the Saint's back four. Meanwhile Rodriguez was making good diagonal runs and Redmond was industrious in his running on the left wing. Rodriguez even looked to have scored on 15 minutes from a Redmond cross but was ruled offside. 

Rodriguez was still looking to test Boruc and had another low effort saved at the near post. Rodriguez had another shot go wide on 19 minutes, but AFCB were starting to liven up, even if the Saints were awarded the first corner. Bournemouth won their first corner moments later and it led to Gosling slamming his rising shot over.

Bournemouth continued to add corner pressure with Cook winning a near post header that led to Surman having a superb chance to score from six yards out, but Davis somehow managed to clear.

The Saints were still pushing forward well and Tadic was getting closer following a good build up with Cedic and Redmond, but saw his effort flick the outside of the post.

Boruc did have to make a save though when Rodriguez broke free on the angle and Boruc moved quickly to his top left corner to keep the shot out and kept the score at 0-0 at half time.

The teams go off at half time.

Second half

The second half had a peculiar start as Surman came out to play but then immediately decided his hamstring wasn't right and had to be subbed for Harry Arter. Bournemouth started to get the upper hand, but a pitch invader slowed things down for a few minutes as we watched a steward haul the Saints fan to the ground after having seen him get a selfie with Fraser Forster.

AFCB suddenly kicked into action with that and King's headed battle win over Yoshida saw him race towards the box and deciding to square the ball to the well placed Afobe who had a bit of time but lost his cool when he saw Forster rush towards him and the shot went agonisingly wide of the left post, when it looked simpler to score.

At the other end Redmond hit a shot straight at Boruc and with Tadic not able to follow up because of Cook's sliding clearance, Ward-Prowse swung his shot wide of Bournemouth's far post - another let off.

AFCB were just getting up a head of steam. Saint's decided to sub Ward-Prowse and Rodrigues for Boufal and Shane Long.

It was Long that locked on to an early ball through in behind AFCB's defence and he also managed to fire wide on 69 minutes. 

Bournemouth decided to replace King with Wilshere to give them more control. It certainly worked. Fraser bust through into the box and while he was blocked the ball fell out to Adam Smith who hit  a low drive that looked destined to find its target, but it was deflected on to the post and Pugh struggled to get something on the lose ball before it rebounded out for Gosling to hit over!  

The Cherries were really causing problems now and Fraser's explosive burst of pace was checked by a Saints defender and we all looked to the assistant referee - penalty! Arter decided he was taking the kick and Forster was doing everything to put him off by standing right up to the penalty spot and towering of AFCB's number 8. The gamesmanship worked well though as Arter slipped and hot his shot high into the stand from 12 yards. 

Tadic was subbed for McQueen.

There were still 11 minutes to go, but everyone knew that was as good a chance as AFCB could have hoped for. But Arter again shot a curling drive from just outside the box that Forster saved well to his left. The Cherries couldn't find another route to goal and the game was destined to end 0-0 with Romeu picking up the only yellow card in added time.

Some how n body scored!

Harry Arter said thanks to the fans bit was soon seen walking
off ahead of the rest, disappointed with his penalty miss.

Summary

AFCB will have come away form this game knowing that two points escaped them and yet they were the strongest team come the last 20 minutes and had Southampton hanging on. The finishing was terrible from both teams and the penalty misses seem to be haunting AFCB at the moment. Still, only Chelsea and Liverpool have come away with clean sheets from St Marys this season, so Eddie Howe was right to say it was a good point gained.

Saints
Forster, Cedric, Stephens, Yoshida, Bertrand, Davis, Romeu, Ward-Prowse (Boufal 63), Tadic, (McQueen 80) Redmond, Rodriguez (Long 63)

Saints' Subs
Cáceres, Clasie, Long, Boufal, Højbjerg, McQueen, Hassen

AFCB
Boruc, A Smith, Francis, Cook, Daniels, Fraser, Surman (Arter 46), Gosling, Pugh, Afobe, King (Wilshere 70)

Cherries' Subs
Allsop, Cargill, B Smith, Arter, Stanislas, Wilshere, Ibe

Jack Wilshere gives his short to a Bournemouth fan. 

AFCB Ratings

Boruc 7, A Smith 6, Francis 6, Cook 7, Daniels 6, Fraser 8, Surman 5 (Arter 6), Gosling 6,
Pugh 6, Afobe 5, King 6 (Wilshere 7)

Referee watch: Jonathan Moss - 6/10 let things flow and let a few bookings go. He missed a few corner/goal kick decisions but had a good game.

Finishing above the Saints would be special for the Cherries

There are not too many targets that the Cherries will have left to do if they manage to secure their place in the Premier League before the end of April. That would be tremendous, but it would be really pleasing if AFCB could finish above those Saints down the road who have not been topped by another south coast team in recent memory.

Can AFCB get a win at St Mary's?

For Bournemouth to do that they can take a giant step by beating them on Saturday and overtaking the Saints by three points. There is going to be a lot of desire from both sets of players not to lose the game, but it really would push one of them towards a strong chance of a top 10 finish. AFCB have not won at St Marys and its a record that really might now be able to change. Southampton will still be favourites at home and with their squad of players, but for nine goals to be the only thing separating the two sides at this late stage in the season, there may not be many better moments to play the Saints and get one over on them.

Southampton will hope that the memory of their last home game back in early February against West Ham is a very distant memory when they step out for this game. Southampton have been a bit hit and miss at home with the 3-0 win over Leicester probably their best game at St Marys in 2017. But they have not had any rhythm in the fixtures or results to be totally settled at the moment, and AFCB could find that an away win at Southampton would give them the momentum to finish stronger in the run-in.

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The team news will be much watched, and with Manolo Gabbiadini already announced as out, this is a huge boost for the Cherries. AFCB will be aware though of the form of James Ward-Prowse who won an England call up, and Nathan Redmond who will also be back from the England squad, and the way Steven Davis always drives the Saint's midfield has been something that few AFCB sides have dealt well with. Southampton are a strong side even when they have a couple of players out and they will have got over the League Cup defeat, so catching Southampton on a bad day now seems unlikely.

What AFCB have to concentrate on is not having a bad first half and competing all over the pitch to make it a game where Southampton begin to worry more about what AFCB can do, rather than dominating the game themselves. Both teams will want to control the game though and I expect a real battle for the points, and would not think that a 1-1 draw would be too far away as a prediction. A win for the Cherries though would start to signal that they would be on their way to achieving their highest finish in the Premier League - now that would be something to celebrate! UTCIAD!

Southampton Home Form
WLLWL

AFCB Away Form
WLLLD

Possible AFCB line up

Boruc (GK), A Smith (RB), Francis (CD), S Cook (CD), Daniels (LB), Ibe (RW), Gosling (CD), 

Surman (CM), Pugh (LW), Afobe (FW), King (FW)

Bench: Allsop, B Smith, Cargill, Arter, Gradel, Stanislas, Wilshere 

In other News - Eddie Howe wins his first Premier League manager of the month! Congratulations Eddie!! while Artur Boruc was voted player of the month.

The Cherry Chimes' Newsletter is out today.

Cherry Chimes' April Newsletter brings you the best stories on the blog and the thoughts behind them from last month, plus there is a special Newsletter article entitled: Josh King's on fire - your defence is terrified!

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