AFC Bournemouth manager Jason Tindall was without Philip Billing for the trip to Stoke City on Saturday night, the Cherries boss also opted to drop the out of form David Brooks to the bench.
Those changes saw a switch of system, with Diego Rico and Sam Surridge coming to the starting line-up.
The changes didn’t really work and whilst the two sides came in at half-time goalless, it would have been the home side who were happier with their performance. A change in system with Brooks replacing Surridge didn’t lead directly to the winning goal, but it coincided with some better play from the visiting side. Lewis Cook, who had almost opened up Stoke during the first half only for Dominic Solanke to hit the crossbar, did eventually find the key to the door which was dispatched by Junior Stanislas.
Tindall told Sky Sports…
“I spoke beforehand about the fact that every time we’ve had a setback, we’ve bounced back in the right way and won our next game and against a really tough Stoke side we’ve managed to do that again tonight with a really good team performance.
“They are a physical side who go from back to front quite quickly and you have to do the ugly side of the game, so to speak, and defend your own box well. I felt we were excellent at that tonight.”
Man of the match against Stoke
L Cook
S Cook
Rico
Stanislas
Junior Stanislas has scored 7 goals for @afcbournemouth this season – already the joint best scoring season of his career, equalling his 2016-17 total 👏🍒#STOBOU #AFCB pic.twitter.com/iQzRdX0KEC
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) January 2, 2021
🍒 Statement from @afcbournemouth after Junior Stanislas suffered some abhorrent racist & personal abuse on social media. Absolutely disgusting. #afcb https://t.co/NmcugvDxZ1
— Kris Temple (@kristemple) January 3, 2021
"I felt we defended our box really well, whilst also creating a few really good chances at the other end."
We'll leave you with the gaffer ❤️ #afcb 🍒
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) January 2, 2021
https://twitter.com/lloydkelly4/status/1345504396701036545?s=20
Cold Saturday night in Stoke ❄️✅
+3 Points ✅ pic.twitter.com/2BhTXa2quY— Lewis Cook (@lewiscook_) January 2, 2021
Written by Matt Stevenson
I’ve been mulling over the last two games, and if things were ‘fair’ (which of course they aren’t) in my view we’d have taken 2 points, Brentford 1, and Stoke 1 having drawn both games.
In reality, we are 1 point up on this, Brentford 2 points up, and Stoke 1 point down.
If you’d have been offered the reality over the ‘fair’ would you have taken it? We are 1 point up on all teams bar Brentford (and Stoke) which might ultimately put us in the automatic promotion position, but the 2 points extra for Brentford might see them finish above us and we end up third.
I didn’t arrive at a clear preference, so thought it would be interesting to get the consensus view. Obviously, I wanted 6 points from the two games, but they were two tough away games.
Sorry for the hypothetical question.
Whilst I’m here, in answer to another thread, coldest game – Grimsby away 2008, late November, in the snow, close to the North Sea, on a Friday night in a gale. I think it was on Sky (and there was less than a hundred in the away end).
redharry wrote…
I think at this stage of the season you would always take the maximum points – 1 win 1 defeat over 2 draws. Right now you just want to maintain your pace. At the end of the season an individual game takes on more importance if it is against your neck and neck rival.
Taking in the Luton game, thats 4 points from 3 tough away games over the xmas period, add in 2 home wins before that and its 10 points from 5 games. Keep that up and we get promoted.
Monmouthred wrote…
How many times over the years, have you said to yourself, if we just had x more points, we would have made promotion/play offs/avoided relegation?
Often a very limited number of points, make a huge difference (ref season 19/20 for example).
So maximise points every time. – Join the conversation, click here.
The updated table!
We see you, @SwansOfficial 👀#EFL | #SkyBetChampionship pic.twitter.com/vQhkrOKtNr
— Sky Bet Championship (@SkyBetChamp) January 2, 2021
