Peter Neil Bell's Blog: Cherry Chimes, page 48

Smashed 0-3 by Watford - the Cherries are in deep, deep trouble

Match ReportAFCB 0 v 3 Watford12 January 2020Attendance: 10,384 A bottom of the table clash.Are Bournemouth one of the worst three sides in the Premier League this season? On this showing, yes, they truly are. While hardly managing a shot in the first half, Bournemouth fell behind to a goal of their own making, by gifting Sarr the ball by playing out form the back and seeing Decouré clip the ball past Mark Travers. It only got worse with Troy Deeney lashing in a second goal on 65 minute, before Pereyra made Bournemouth suffer even more with a third goal in added time. Even Eddie Howe has run out of excuses for his players' poor performances.
Bournemouth had Adam Smith and Nathan Aké back from Injury in defence and Mark Travers got a start in goal over Aaron Ramsdale, who had a hamstring problem. Billing was moved to the bench, despite scoring two goals in the FA Cup last week.

Ramsdale joins the fans in the North stand.More images on Match Day Gallery

Match Description
It was a defending noise at the start of the game. Sarr put an early cross in AFCB 's box but Harry Wilson defended well.

Sarr then was put through but shot wide after Fraser gave the ball away. Watford's corner was cleared by Steve Cook for a second corner. Denney went down on the box but VAR said no foul.

Aké was playing at left back and Adam Smith on the right. I'm not sure why Aké can't play centre-back when Bournemouth had Rico on the bench.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream eBook version -available now!Adam Smith's shot bounced up towards Solanke but Foster got there first to smother it.

Lerma was fouled is fouled. Harry Wilson pulls a save out of Foster for a corner. Lerma wins some headers but Callum Wilson couldn't get a shot away.

Adam Smith is booked for sliding in on Sarr. Meanwhile, Harry Wilson has hurt his shoulder.

 There'sno real pattern to the game, but many tasty challenges. Francis gives the ball away and Travers saves well at the near post from Delefeuo. Really poor from Francis. Deeney heads wide from the corner.

Gosling blocks Decouré. Bournemouth are playing themselves into trouble at the back.

Advertisement Coastal Garden BuildingsFraser puts too much on his cross. Fraser gets in behind again on 24 minutes for a corner. Aké challenges Foster in the air, but the ball doesn't drop Bournemouth's way.

Deeney wins a header but it's wide. Harry Wilson goes for a long shot and gets a corner.

Lerma knocks his knee but continues. Adam Smith goes down and gets a free kick. Lerma volleys it over.

Travers makes a mistake at the back giving it away to Sarr, it is crossed back for an easy tap in by Decouré. Francis gave Travers the ball right on his goal line and Steve Cook didn't exactly make himself easily available for Travers. That was careless and has gifted Watford the goal they wanted.

 Bournemouth free kick. It's cleared.

Fraser gets a corner, Adam Smith gets back to tackle Deulofeu.
A goal down at half-time.Second half
Fraser crossed well but Foster cat he's it ahead of Gosling. Going makes a good break but can't get Solanke in. Mariappa crossed to Doucouré but the header is weak. Watford have a corner. Capoue  has a shot blocked.

Fraser gets a corner. Callum Wilson heads wide. Lerma then shoots wide.

Ake hurts his back but runs back and Deulofeu. has put the chance over.

Deeney is carded for fouling Harry Wilson. Callum brings the ball down from Fraser's cross but puts it wide.

Lerma and Gosling are subbed for Billing and Lewis Cook on 59 minutes.

AdvertisementBilling bursts into the box but can't control it. Wilson and Solanke break well before Fraser's cross is held by Foster. Chalobah shoots wide for Watford from distance.

Sarr gets down the right and when his shot is blocked, Deeney lashes it in for 0-2 on 65 minutes.

Steve Cook stops Deulofeu and Deeney hits the rebound at Travers. Billing volleys wide.

Francis blocks Deulofeu and Watford have a corner. Harry Wilson is subbed for Sam Surridge.

Surridge beats a player to get in the box but has no shot. Foster punches a free kick away ahead of Steve Cook. Sarr is subbed for Pereyra on 82 minutes.

Decouré shoots and it goes out for a throw. Billing shoots wide at the other end.

Decouré is subbed for Success on 85 minutes. Delefeuo is subbed for Gray on 90 minutes. Four minutes of added time go up.

Watford grab a third despite Fraser saving a shot on the line, Prereyra scores.
Bournemouth are rooted in the bottom three.Summary
A dismal performance by the Cherries. They couldn't keep the ball and they didn't know how to work the ball well enough to create any chances. Meanwhile, they caused their own chaos at the back by playing it out when under a high press. I wonder if the players have their own heads sometimes. They can choose when to go long and play safe and when they have time to play out from the back, but taking unnecessary risks in the team's current position is asking for trouble. As Eddie Howe said, they never recovered from the first goal.

AFCB Line up AFCB subs: Boruc, Rico, Simpson, Surman, L Cook, Billling, Surridge
AFCB player ratings
Travers 5, A Smith 5, S Cook 5, Francis 3, Ake 5, H Wilson 4, Lerma 4 (Billing 4), Gosling 4
(L Cook 5), Fraser 7, Solanke 4, C Wilson 4.

Ref Watch: Mike Dean - 5/10

Cherry Chimes MoM: Ryan Fraser - he really kept trying.

Watford
26 Foster, 6 Mariappa, 4 Dawson, 15 Cathcart, 11 Masina 14 Chalobah, 29 Capoue
23 Sarr (Pereyra), 16 Doucouré (Quina), 7 Deulofeu (Gray), 9 Deeney

Watford Subs
1 Gomes, 18 Gray, 20 Quina, 22 Success, 24 Dele-Bashiru, 25 Holebas, 37 Pereyra

In other news, Asmir Begovic has a medical for Inter Milan.

Bournemouth are due an upturn in form

While other teams near the bottom of the league have been picking up points regularly, Bournemouth have stuttered in the league and have been caught. The FA Cup aside, Bournemouth have not won a league game at home since the 1-0 win over Manchester United on 2 November 2019. It's a record that Bournemouth have to improve on and that starts this weekend.
AFCB have to come together and bring their best football today
to get past Watford in a crunch game at the foot of the table.There are reasons for the failure to pick up points, but having not done so at home for the best part of two months, Eddie Howe has to start getting a tune out of his players. Dean Court must be the place where the players feel they can win games and until they start to visualise winning again at home, they will find they fall even further behind.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream paperback 13.49 The advantage is with Bournemouth for the match against Watford. They are at home and must make that count. The players have had a good two weeks to digest the result against West Ham and they can steel start the New Year at home in a positive way by taking points off a team that they need to stay above. If Bournemouth's players can't get focused for this game they really are in trouble.

Advertisement Coastal Garden Buildings

The bad run can't continue for ever. Eddie Howe has always managed to turn it around and while this has been a difficult period, the players should start feeling refreshed if they can turnaround their form now. The players, like the fans, have to believe this squad is good enough to finish mid-table and they have to be positive now in everything they do. They have a challenge in front of them and they have to give it their very best shot to get the points they need. One win won't save the Cherries, but this game will go a long way to building that belief, if they can get that win.

Advertisement

The results on Saturday were not totally unfavourable and if Bournemouth finish the day in 16th place it will have been a great weekend. Let's get right behind the lads - we really need a win. UTCIAD!


Possible AFCB line up AFCB Subs: Boruc, B Smith, Simpson, Gosling, Surman, Stanislas, Solanke

Will the Nigel Pearson bubble burst?

Watford have had quite a revival under Nigel Pearson. The managerial bounce factor has well and truly landed at Vicarage Road. But how long does such a bounce last? Nigel Pearson came in at Watford on 7 December and since then the Hornets have managed to pick up 10 points from five games. It has seen Watford rise to within three pints of safety and Bournemouth have a big job to do to halt the resurgence of the yellow and black shirts.
AFCB need to find the back of the net on Sunday.To some extent Watford's bubble lost a bit of air when Tranmere Rovers came back to earn a 3-3 draw in the FA Cup last weekend ,having been 3-0 down to Nigel Pearson's side. Pearson just laughed it off but he may be starting to wonder if he has started to lose some of his invincibility. That game was also important for the red card that was handed out to Roberto Prereyra, but the card was overturned this week and Prereyra will now be available to play against the Cherries, which is a bit of bad news for AFCB.
Advertisement

While Watford have been impressive at home, they haven't found it as easy to win games away with Pearson only picking up one point on the road. That may give Bournemouth a slight advantage in the betting stakes and Bournemouth have started to score again in home matches. Bournemouth could well be meeting Watford at a good time if they can get players back and halt the Hornets rise. Losing to Bournemouth would be a big blow for Watford and they could start to feel that catching teams like Bournemouth is going to be beyond them if they come away from Dean Court with nothing.

Eddie Had a Dream eBook version - NOW £7.99! 

Pearson has got Watford organised and defending. It has enabled them to stay in games and get a few results. But Pearson will start to come under pressure when he doesn't pick up points. Everything has gone pretty well for Watford since Pearson has come in. There just might be some hope for Bournemouth if they can burst Watford's bubble this weekend.

AFCB Home Form
WLLLD

Watford Away Form
WLLLD

AFCB Match Preview

Is Ibe's time up at Bournemouth?

The Daily Telegraph has hinted that Crystal Palace are interested in taking Jordan Ibe and Bournemouth may be able to say goodbye to Ibe to give them funds to re-spend this window or the next one. While Ibe has found himself out of favour for non-footballing matters, he is a talent that should be playing games and not left out of contention for games, so I'll be pleased if he gets his move.
Jordan Ibe on the move? Leicester City and Crystal Palace have shown interest in IbeThe jury was always out on Ibe who has often temped fans in to thinking he could become a match winner, but more often than not failed to live up to his suggested pedigree. Bournemouth might have had little choice but to buy players that had found it hard to make their way in the Premier League. Now they have found that strategy doesn't always pay off.


Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream eBook version -available now!

Jordan deserves a fresh start to try and deliver what he can in the Premier League. he may just not have found the club that suits him yet. It wouldn't surprise, me if he did well at a club like Crystal Palace or Leicester City, but I only hope Bournemouth don't simply try and get him out the door no matter what the price. Bournemouth should look to get his market value.

AdvertisementIf that works well for Ibe and for AFCB, I think the fans will be pleased with such a deal. We need players that not only want to play for the club but that suit the club and can have an impact. It is unfortunate that Ibe hasn't got us out of our seats more often at Dean Court, but he is an asset, and worth money that could bolster the squad in other areas. 

Advertisement


Quick Link: This morning's post on Cherry ChimesCan AFCB keep Ake

Can AFCB keep Aké?

The newspapers are full of stories about Chelsea lining up Nathan Aké for £40m this transfer window, following the clause they put in Aké's contact when he signed for AFCB. While Chelsea have their own problems in shifting Andreas Christiansen to make room for Aké, we still don't know if Nathan would rather stay at Bournemouth will his team-mates and fight on in the relegation worrying season.
How much does Aké want to stay?Nathan Aké is injured at the moment but there is no doubt that he is Bournemouth's top defender and losing him in the current campaign would be a huge blow for Eddie Howe and AFCB's survival chances. I hope the choice is left with Nathan as to whether he moves this window or not. If Chelsea take him reluctantly, it won't do him or Bournemouth any favours.
Advertisement

The task for Bournemouth is to find more central defenders that have the control and alertness to danger that Aké has. Even if Aké stays now he is likely to be tempted away in the summer. He is good enough to be a Chelsea player and Bournemouth have benefited greatly from having him at the club. We can't stop him developing when he needs to try and force his way into the Netherlands' starting line up.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now!Chris Mepham and Steve Cook are the central pairing that Eddie Howe will have to rest his hopes on to see out the season if Aké does go and he doesn't being in another central defender in January. While I don't worry about them being up for the challenge, the impact of Aké leaving the dressing room is what I'd be concerned with.



Advertisement Coastal Garden Buildings

Eddie Howe says he is powerless in the Aké transfer saga. If Chelsea had not put their clause in, Bournemouth could make far more money from selling Aké elsewhere. But it sounds like AFCB have their hands tied and Aké's future is perhaps going to be down to Aké in the end as it should be.

AFCB's fightback must start against Watford

Bournemouth's players don't have many more chances to pick up points if they don't do it in games against teams like Watford this Sunday. With only two teams below the Cherries, these are games that are not easy to come back from if they are lost. We have seen too many weak performances by the Cherries and the players and the home crowd have to get up for beating Watford, who have always been a team that has been one of our closest rivals having come up in the same season to the Premier League.
No more slip ups.What we need to see is fight from the players. This game could well be very scrappy and far from a beautiful game. But Bournemouth have to try and win every tackle and every high ball. Win the basic battles and get the opposition on the back foot. That has to be the game plan. Bournemouth can't afford Watford to feel confident about the game with sloppy passing and backing off to give them space.Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream eBook version -available now!Watford haven't won away since November and even then it was against Norwich. Their revival has been built on wins at Vicarage Road and they have only picked up a point away at Sheffield United of late. Bournemouth have to put Watford under pressure and make them feel that they are not going to get anything on the road from this game.

AdvertisementWhile we have seen a performance in the FA Cup, we still await to see Bournemouth okay another team off the park in the league. They can do that in this game and give themselves every chance of then going on t take points off Norwich in the next game which I expect will be even more difficult. The fightback has to start here though. The three points against Watford are a lifeline and it's important that AFCB grabs it.

Advertisement
Coastal Garden Buildings

Watford match is huge for the Cherries

Every match is big in the Premier League but the game against Watford this weekend is arguably the biggest match in Bournemouth's Premier League history to date. It may not be a match against a top six side, but it could well define whether Bournemouth have a good chance of staying up or are looking down the barrel of relegation.
AFCB have the chance to escape the bottom three this weekend.While it is only three points up for grabs, it will be decisive in many respects for any team that loses. The game could see Watford or Bournemouth out of the bottom three and both sides will know that defeat will be a huge blow with the other side opening up a gap on the other. Neither team will be happy with a draw as a point is simply not enough to ease the pressure. We have seen Aston Villa, Southampton, Watford and Everton pick up points very quickly in recent weeks and Bournemouth can't keep dropping points if they want to survive.Advertisement Coastal Garden Buildings

Much of what Eddie Howe says will have to be directed on how well the players are now doing at Dean Court and how they can make the ground a very hard place for Watford. They must attack the game and do it without fear. Getting the upper hand will be Eddie Howe's first aim and it has been rare to see the Cherries find that quick start to games they have had in previous seasons.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now!If the players can get their minds focused on playing their football and not thinking about the consequences of the game then they will be ready. If they can hit Watford hard and early, they may well knock the fighting spirit out of the Hornets. A win would be demoralising for the loser and it's vital that Bournemouth don't show weakness now. This is the time to show up and the fans are also part of that. We must push out team on and encourage them that they do have what it takes to pull away from the bottom three places in the league.

Advertisement

Can Solanke keep scoring?

It has been a long and painful road to see Dominic Solanke get his first competitive goal for AFCB. It wasn't a great goal, but the fact that he has ended the draught can only be good for his confidence and for the team. Solanke knows that he can score for this team and he can take that into the next game, whereas he was probably doubting himself having gone 38 appearances I believe without hitting the back of the net.
Solanke has to score regularly now.Goal scorers often do go on a run of goals after a barren spell. It could be that Solanke feels freer to take more risks now and be a little more selfish in front of goal. In order to score you need to believe that it's going to run for you and that if there is an opportunity you are determined to make it count. Solanke's mindset should have changed now. He can start a new leaf and take 2020 as a new year with plenty of opportunity to restart his AFCB career.
Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream eBook version -available now!

While Eddie Howe says Solanke has been a benefit to the way he wants AFCB to play, the team has not been functioning as a whole and if the Solanke part is fixed, then it's one less piece of the jigsaw that needed to be sorted for AFCB to become a better team. It is important though that Solanke believes that he is fixed and that he can be the striker he wants to be. I don't think we have seen anything like the player that Solanke believes he can be and it will be intriguing to see how he attacks games from now on.


Advertisement
We saw Solanke get into goal scoring positions when both Stanislas and then when Callum Wilson were on the pitch against Luton. Solanke kept on making runs and getting in the box. As long as he keeps looking to make space for himself in the last third, then he has a chance of adding to his goal. But he has to find a way of playing well with Callum Wilson if he really wants to ensure he gets a regular starting place and he won't have long to make an impression, before a fully fit Josh King wants to get back into the starting line up.



Advertisement

Can FA Cup win get the Cherries back in the winning groove?

While a win in the FA Cup may make fans feel better about the club, it is the league that will pay the bills. Staying in the Premier League will take a big effort now, but will an FA Cup run really help the players to win more games in the Premier League?
backing up wins has been a problem all season.
Can the Cherries do it this time after the win against Luton?Eddie Howe always talks about momentum and how winning can become a habit. That is what we now need at AFCB and beating Luton may seem a long way short of having a team ready to beat Watford, but this week there will be a smile on players' faces and training will be a lot less stressful than it has been of late. The boys know that if they can get a win against Watford then their situation will improve massively. They can't afford any time for negativity. It has to be now that the focus on wins begins and the climb out of the relegation places begins, because it will only get harder if they can't get out at the first attempt.
Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now!Of course, it wasn't all of the first team that played against Luton and there are a number of players still nursing knocks. But there is a few days before the next game and if one or two players can get back to fitness, it will be a great help. While the attacking nature of the team may be in a better place with Callum Wilson and Dominic Solanke having scored, it is the defenders that Howe perhaps needs back more than most for the game against Watford. If Nathan Aké or Adam Smith could return, the team will be looking a lot stronger.

AdvertisementIt needs a few things to build a really positive momentum. The FA Cup win is a good start, but it has to be a good week of training and some news of players coming back for it to be a really great week that will hopefully culminate with three points.


Advertisement Coastal Garden Buildings

Bournemouth back among the goals

It was all about the goals in the FA Cup for AFCB. Yes, it was important to win but Eddie Howe needed the team to win in style with plenty of goals, and they achieved that with a 4-0 pounding of Luton. A feel good factor was needed for the players and the fans as preparation for the most important games to come yet in AFCB's Premier League survival.
Billing needs to prove he is not a one game goal scorer.Kris Temple at BBC Radio Solent said that not many Bournemouth fans would have picked the players to score who did manage to get on the score sheet against Luton. The biggest surprise was probably to see Dominic Solanke net his first competitive goal. While he was unlucky not to score in the first few minutes of the game, he kept plugging away and got himself into the box, where I have said he need to be to get his goal. Solanke might not have broken the net with a thunderbolt, but his shot crossed the line which is all he will have needed. The reaction of his team-mates said it all. He has been under tremendous criticism and it was great to see that he just might have turned the corner.
Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream eBook version -available now!Just as miraculous was the scoring ability of Philip Billing. He had also not scored for the Cherries, but scored twice with some calm opportunism to time his runs well. The first goal was well kept down by hitting the volley into the ground and his second was almost passed in the right direction and the deflection gave the keeper no chance to stop the shot.

Advertisement

It wasn't a perfect performance by Billing. He made some mistakes to let Harry Cornick in on goal in the first half and he gave the penalty away that Luton didn't manage to take, so it was a mixed bag for Billing, even if he was the most influential player on the pitch for me.

Finally, Callum Wilson hardly waited to put his first few steps on the pitch before scoring his first goal since September. Callum is essential for AFCB to improve their league position and his goal led to the salute that has not been seen for a long time. It felt natural for Callum to stick his chance away, it was a quick move from Harry Wilson and he finished with no hesitation.


Advertisement

Now the players have to take this scoring panache into their next few games and start believing that they are a team that has just had some bad luck, but is on the way back to form.