Peter Neil Bell's Blog: Cherry Chimes, page 51

King and Wilson to start against Arsenal?

While Callum Wilson got half the game against Burnley, he didn't make much of an impact on the game. He has to get his goals going again if Bournemouth are to pull away form the danger area in the table, and Bournemouth should be looking to do all they can to get him firing again.
King and Wilson an fire AFCB back up the table.I feel there is a certain animosity growing between some fans and Callum Wilson. It's almost as if fans expect him to be able to turn it on in a flash. Even when he pulled up injured against Liverpool, some fans were wondering why he didn't chase harder for the ball. I don't see any lack of effort from Wilson though. He just needs chances. When they come he might not take the first one, but he rarely misses two or three.
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With Josh King one of the players who is playing quite well also failing to score, there needs to be a bit of a reminder to King and Wilson about how good they can be together. If Bournemouth can get their front two on the ball and shooting around the oppositions box, the goals will come. That needs fast wing play and early crosses. Bournemouth haven't been playing on instinct. If they can get back to the full out hard running on the wings and quick delivery, we could start to see some results again.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now!Bournemouth have to give Arsenal something to think about and their back four is not blessed with pace. If Wilson can get one-on-one with David Luiz as much as possible, I fancy his chances to beat him once or twice, if not more times in the game, just on speed. If King also plays right up, alongside Wilson, then he too has the pace to outstrip this Arsenal defence.

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While Solanke only had 10 minutes against Burnley, I can't see him getting a longer opportunity until perhaps the FA Cup game against Luton. That could be his chances to bang some goals in.

Merry Christmas everyone! And thanks for dropping in on Cherry Chimes throughout the past year.

No shots on target for Bournemouth means no points

It's hard to fathom how Bournemouth managed to play a game at home without getting a shot on target. This wasn't against Man City or Liverpool, it was Burnley. The offensive side of Bournemouth's game has fallen away and I have thought for some time that it was being propped up by Harry Wilson, and without him, the Cherries look short of goals.
The Wintery conditions didn't do much for AFCB's game.Bournemouth did manage three shots against Burnley. It is becoming a real problem and 19 goals from 18 games is just one of the reasons why Bournemouth are at the wrong end of the table. We haven't seen the Wee-man add to his single goal against Everton, while Callum Wilson and Josh King haven't been found in goal scoring positions or had the chance to miss a big chance. 
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While you can say Aaron Danjuma had been missing chances in the past, he had been getting in where it hurts. Lewis Cook was removed at half-time, perhaps because he wasn't having any effect on the game. But he was playing out of position having to play where Danjuma would be had he been fit. The strategy of playing five midfielders at home just doesn't work. This was a case of Howe being over loyal to a team that had played away at home a few days early and got an unexpected result. The team against Burnley wasn't a team to attack strongly enough.
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The goals have dried up. Without goals you don't win games and my worry is that AFCB don't have the funds in January to do much about it unless a player or two is sold to being someone else in.  Bournemouth have now scored one goal in their last four games. The problem is staring everyone in the face. Bournemouth need to take shots and look to test the opposition keeper or they won't be getting the points they need.

Did Bournemouth get too wrapped up in the heat of the Burnley game?

There is an element of my thinking that says Bournemouth got too wrapped up in the Burnley game plan of battling rather than playing football. The free kicks were far too many and the players needed to get down to running with the ball, rather than retaliate for getting clipped. Of course, we are not taking the knocks and as a player it must be annoying to keep being persistently fouled. But the idea has to be to play to your own team's strengths and not get mixed up in how the other team want the game to be run.

Bournemouth ended up playing Burnley's game.To beat the physical game, you need players that are going to raise their skill levels. They need to be quick on the ball and have great touch to leave the opposition behind. There was no emphasis on quick play around the box, and getting caught up in the battles was only going to make it a dull and scrappy game.


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The crowd got caught up in the battle as well. It didn't create the kind of atmosphere for a decent game. Perhaps we didn't like the weather either, and Martin Atkinson didn't help with his let it go attitude to some very physical challenges. Sean Dyche says we can't have it both ways - no divers and no hard tackles, but there is a line on hard tackling and some challenges bordered on reckless.
Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now!Dyche knows that it does put a passing side off to go in hard on them, and Bournemouth players need to look at how the better sides deal with the Burnley's of this world. Perhaps the referees are more protective to the top six sides, but it is usually quality that wins the day when Burnley play the best teams.
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Why wasn't Stanislas used against Burnley?

Junior, surplus to AFCB's needs?I was baffled why Junior Stanislas wasn't being told to warm up after an hour of the Burnley game. He was just what Bournemouth needed - fresh legs, creativity and a real goal threat. But Howe chose not to play him. Whether he wanted to protect him or didn't feel it was the right match for him, I'm not sure. But when the team lacks creativity, why leave one of the most creative players in the squad on the bench?
I'd like to think that Junior was ready to play. He shouldn't be on the bench unless he is fit an ready. We know how good he is and what he can do, which made it all the more strange that Eddie didn't turn to him. Burnley was an old club of Junior's and he would have bust a gut to do well against them.

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Now we wait and see if Junior will be named as sub again on Boxing Day. Stanislas has had a long layoff due to injury and I suppose their is a fear that introducing him too quickly could be catastrophic for Junior if he were to get injured again. But Junior is a player and I'm sure wants to be out on the pitch - it's what he does.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now!Even giving him 20 minutes would have been a positive attacking decision by Howe. Instead we got Callum Wilson's half-time introduction followed by Solanke four minutes from the end of the game. Okay, it was two strikers, but what was Solanke going to do in those four minutes and added time? Eddie's subs have been strange in recent games. Perhaps he needs to look at who he has on the bench more closely and how he can change a game more by giving his subs a chance to make some impact.

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AFCB - still not good enough on the ball

If we might have thought that Bournemouth had turned the corner with their win at Chelsea, we were soon put right with the last-minute defeat that Burnley dished out. It was perhaps unlucky to lose the game to the one effort that was on target, but the team has to defend well for the entire match and they fell short. What really annoyed Eddie Howe though was that the team was not good enough on the ball.
Bournemouth need to make better forward movement for creative improvement.Taking risks and making overlaps, etc is what Eddie Wanted to see more of. I though Josh King really did try and take the game to Burnley with some amazing moments of skill and control that took him away from surrounding players on more than one occasion. Sadly, those moments were usually around the half-way line and not in the box.
Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now!I am sure the weather didn't help the game, but I wanted to see more from the wingers and more pressure on the Burnley goal. Instead, Bournemouth were very mindful of how they played and the passing was slow to go forward. Eddie must be wondering what more he can do to get the front players making the right runs and the midfielders looking to move the ball forward. Even when Bournemouth did get around the box, there was a lack of shooting and accuracy.

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Eddie Howe said the wet pitch should have been conducive to fast football on the floor, but we just didn't see much cut and thrust from our players. Bournemouth will have a much different game against Arsenal but when Bournemouth have free kicks and corners, they'll need to make more of them than they did against Burnley.

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Burnley win late - just what AFCB fans feared

Match DescriptionAFCB 0 v 1 Burnley21 December 2019Attendance: 10,020 Not the score we needed.Northern grit and the physical game is what Burnley brought to Den Court and while neither team really troubled the goal for the best part of 90 minutes, one cross and a simple header saw Jay Rodriguez snatch all three points for the northerners. Burnley players looked as surprised as any one in the ground that they had won it late on. Bournemouth had stumbled to another home defeat, and Eddie Howe had to reflect on another afternoon when the Cherries had failed to create and had fallen to a sucker punch in the pouring rain.
Bournemouth named an unchanged start eleven, but Callum Wilson returned to the bench following his hamstring strain. Burnley made one change with Taylor replacing Pieters in the starting eleven.

There are more images on Match Day Gallery .

Bournemouth and Burnley just before kick off.Match description
The first two headers were won by Francis and Lewis Cook, which set the tone. Francis again beat Wood to a long ball over the top next.

It was a bit slippery under foot with Billing and Fraser finding the ball zipping off the surface. Burnley were trying to load crosses into the box and won the first corner. Lerma beat Wood though to the ball at the near post.

Ashley Barnes left a high boot on Francis' face on seven minutes. Bournemouth were spreading the play well with Lerma but Rico hits a poor cross. Bling intercepted well in the middle to regain possession.

Rico crossed but it didn't quite get to Gosling. Francis again won his header. Billing was then fouled by Westwood. Stacey pulls the ball back to Lerma, but the shot is high.


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Lerma clatters Barnes in the air. Burnley were getting some of the own medicine from Bournemouth's number eight. From the free kick, Tarkowski wins it at the far post, but Francis clears before Wood can get the ball in the six yard box.

Bardsley goes in on Fraser. Barnes has a long shot which goes wide for Burnley's second corner. Bournemouth are winning the first balls.

Rico, Mepham and Francis combine to clear the high ball. Fraser crosses to Lewis Cook, who has a shot blocked.
Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream eBook version -available now!A Bournemouth free kick on the box is cleared on the half hour. Rico gets a good tackle in.

Francis fouls Barnes. Ramsdale catches the ball from the free kick. Fraser is fouled, where is the yellow card? Tarkowski was the offender this time.

Ramdale has to punch a corner ball over the bar. Ramsdale catches under pressure from Barnes. Gosling is fouled now. The ref has to start making bookings!

Three minutes added time. Westwood is booked! The ref has got yellow cards after all.
Not a lot of football being played - free kick, free kick, free kick!Second half
Lewis Cook is subbed for Wilson. Howe changes the team shape. Stacey is now playing right midfield and it's three at the back for Bournemouth.

An early cross from King is too quick for Fraser. Billing and Stacey do well down the right. Fraser gets a cross in from the left. Pope catches it well.

Burnley have a corner on 53 minutes. Lerma heads away. Callum wins the chase against Tarkowski with ease. Fraser's cross is caught though by Pope.

Two yellow cards go out to Rico and Barnes - Rico is suspended for the next game. McNeil takes Stacey down and is booked.

Fraser was fouled by Bardsley. Hendrick was then booked for fouling Fraser. This was all stopping the flow of the game and playing into Burnley's hands.

Tarkowski fouls. King puts a ball through and it goes under Wilson's foot.

Gosling right across the box! Burnley, sub Hendrick with Lennon on 65 minutes.


Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now!Bournemouth corner. Barnes goes down VAR check, nothing doing. Bournemouth fans are shouting at the Burnley striker 'you're an embarrassment' - love a bit of Madness, the music!

Mepham heads wide from the corner!

Bad call on goal kick from the referee. That should have been Bournemouth corner. King does brilliant turn losing three players but he can't find the pass.

No advantage played. Its pulled back for a Bournemouth free kick. Poor ball from Fraser. 72 minutes gone.

Corner to Bournemouth. Rodriguez comes on for Barnes. Stacey wins a corner.

Rico wins a corner. Lerma volleys wide!


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Lerma finds Stacey well but the cross is blocked. King shows great strength and control to beat two players.

McNeil is subbed for Brady. Burnley free kick is cleared. King shoulder barges, but its deemed a free kick. Ramsdale punches.

Seven minutes left. King is fouled. Billing is subbed for Solanke.

Pope clears ahead of Wilson. Offside anyway. Another Bournemouth free kick.

Cross from the right from Westwood, and its headed in by Rodriguez on 89 minutes. VAR, no handball. Goal stands.

Five added minutes. King in the box, a handball shout. Nothing doing.
That afternoon couldn't have gone much worse. 


Summary
What a shocking afternoon. Burnley's smash and grab game plan worked a treat for them. They annoyed, tormented and kicked Bournemouth's players while playing for time and yet when they needed to try and win it at the death, they found some quality. Well done to them, it's how they play and it works for them. It's effective against teams like ours.

Bournemouth didn't play their game though. That is what cost them. They might have had better protection from the referee, but they knew how Burnley would play and needed to play smarter. The real mystery for me is why didn't Edie Howe put Junior Stanislas on when the team didn't have enough creativity in the last third. Yes, Callum can get you a goal and so might Solanke but they need creative players to set up chances.
AFCB line up AFCB Subs: Boruc, Simpson, Surman, Stanislas, Kilkenny, Solanke, C Wilson
AFCB player Ratings
Ramsdale 5, Stacey 5, Francis 6, Mepham 5, Rico 4, L Cook 4, Billing 4, Lerma 5, Fraser 5, Gosling 4, King 6
Cherry Chimes MoM: Francis - he battled on from the first minute to the last despite a head injury.

Ref Watch: Martin Atkinson - 1/10 started off well, then forgot his yellow cards until things got out of hand. The home crowd soon hot on his back. He needed to protect players more.

Burnley
1 Pope, 26 Bardsley, 5 Tarkowski, 6 Mee, 3 Taylor, 13 Hendrick (Lennon 65), 18 Westwood, 4 Cork, 11 McNeil (Brady 82), 10 Barnes (Rodriguez 75), 9 Wood

Burnley Subs: 20 Hart,  23 Pieters, 8 Drinkwater, 12 Brady, 19 Rodriguez, 25 Lennon, 28 Long

Back-to-back wins would be massive for Cherries

The visit of Burnley gives Bournemouth an opportunity to climb the league again and that is all the players should be thinking of. There's no place for negative thoughts, but the reality is that a defeat will put Bournemouth bang back in trouble.
The team has to work together to get themselves into a better league position.The league table is still tight, but with just four points separating Bournemouth from the relegation zone a win might change the outlook for the rest of December with Bournemouth climbing a few places. Burnley will be looking to ruffle the Cherries up and it is important that Bournemouth's payers stand up to it. Lerma and Billing have to play their powerful football and try and get Bournemouth pushing on to Burnley rather than taking a back seat and reacting to Burnley trying to spray long balls into Bournemouth's half.

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Winning the knock downs and meaty challenges will show Burnley that Bournemouth are not going to allow them any time on the ball. If Burnley are hurried they will be more likely to make mistakes, and so it's important that Bournemouth look to play a fast game against a side that will be pleased if they can bring the game down to set-pieces and dead ball situations.

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Getting three points is the ultimate prize and a back-to-back win will really change the picture of where Bournemouth could take their season. Breaking the 20 point barrier will encourage the team to push on further, as they'll know the number of wins they need to get to safety will be coming down at a much better rate than it had been over the last eight weeks. Let's cheer them on today, UTCIAD!


Possible AFCB line up AFCB Subs: Boruc, Simpson, Surman, L Cook, Kilkenny, Dobre, SolankeAFCB TV match preview

Can Eddie improve his record against Sean Dyche?

Eddie Howe has lost the last two matches against Sean Dyche's Burnley and since 2016, when both teams have been in the Premier League, the Cherries have only won two of the six games with Burnley winning four. The chances of a draw them may seem remote this weekend.

Will Eddie walk off of Dean Court with another three points this weekend? 
Burnley's current away record had been quite woeful with just the one away win at bottom of the table Watford in November. But it was a comfortable 0-3 win at Vicarage Road on 23 November with both Wood and Barnes scoring and Tarkowski adding the third. Dyche might have though his players had turned the corner then having previously only gaining draws in away games at Wolves, Bright and Aston Villa.


Advertisement Coastal Garden Buildings However, Spurs soon put Burnley back in their place with a 5-0 home win against the Lancashire team. So Dyche is back to square one in working out how to get his players doing better in away fixtures. Dyche has blamed his players of giving the ball away too cheaply and getting punished for it. He might feel that Bournemouth are less adept at dishing out the punishment, but the first goal is probably going to decide this game
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Wood and Rodriguez started Burnley's last away game, so Dyche is happy to play two up front away from home. Burnley have a better goals for record than Bournemouth having netted 22 times this season and their forwards are getting the goals - Chris Wood is on seven and Ashley Barnes on five. Jay Rodriguez also has two goals. Many of these goals have been aerial and in and around the six yard box - that is where Burnley are so effective.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now! Bournemouth will have to defend exceptionally well at corners and work to win battles before they can impose themselves on this Burnley team. Burnley will be happy for it to be a scrappy game and will disrupt any flow of the game when they can. Deal with those kind of problems and Eddie Howe might just improve his record against Sean Dyche who is looking for a hat-trick of wins in a row against Bournemouth. Last season scored seven goals to Bournemouth's one in the two fixtures and its a game that Bournemouth have never managed to get a clean sheet in since their Premier League existence began.

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Burnley will be a test for Bournemouth's central defenders

Simon Francis and Chris Mepham did well against Chelsea. They'll have a different test this weekend with Chris Woods and probably Jay Rodriguez lining up against them. Rodriguez has ripped AFCB apart before and Eddie Howe knows exactly how good he is having managed him at Burnley.
Simon Francis will look to have another impressive game this weekend.The aerial battle is the first thing that should be on Francis and Mepham's minds. They have to win the headers and look for midfielders quickly when they have the ball. The ling ball should be something they are well practised at after the last few weeks, but you can bet Burnley will try the ball over the top. Ashley Barnes is probably Burnley's best striker at getting on the end of those passes, but he has had a groin injury. But who knows who Dyche will start with for sure?
Advertisements In Off the Far PostChris Mepham did well enough against Chelsea to be enlisted in Alan Shearer's team of the week along with Jefferson Lerma. He played simple passes and made some great clearances, but I was probably more impressed with Simon Francis who had had a shocker a few weeks before against Wolves. He seemed more controlled and sure of himself fitting in at centre-back at Chelsea. Eddie Howe has faith in Mepham and Francis and with one clean sheet behind them already, he could have a new pairing on his hands that just happen to work well together than when they are individually paired with other Bournemouth centre-backs.
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While Steve Cook is trying to see if he might be able to play with a wrist cast, Eddie should be impressed enough to keep with Francis and Mepham while they are doing a good job. The cover for the centre-back position is stretched with just Jack Simpson likely to be on the bench if Steve Cook isn't able to play yet. But I think Mepham and Francis may get the Christmas games now and they'll probably prefer playing Burnley to seeing what they face on Boxing Day with Lacazette and Aubameyang. Luckily they'll have a bit more time to prepare for the that fixture.

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Stanislas will add a freshness to AFCB's line up

The return of Junior Stanislas releases some great options for Eddie Howe. Whether he plays him on the right wing or perhaps behind Josh King as a stand in second striker, Stanislas has a lot to offer Bournemouth going forward.


Stanislas could be the bonus player that ignites AFCB's December games
 We have waited a long time for Junior to come back but as long as his knee is now fully fit and he's ready to play it will be like having a new signing. It is all the more important for Bournemouth that he is back will David Brooks out until March and Harry Wilson having trouble with his dead leg that apparently swells up at the moment when ever he trains.
Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now!While Stanislas might not be able to last 90 minutes he could be used to sub Gosling after an hour if Gosling does much of the running in support of King up front. What I like about Stanislas is that he concentrates when he has an opportunity to shoot and he is very accurate. It also adds a free kick dimension back into the team with harry Wilson not playing at the moment.
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What we need to see for Stanislas is a run of games to the end of the season. whether that is possible is very much unknown but he has been in and out too much over recent years and so we only ever get a fraction of the services he could deliver.