AFCB Vital Blogs

Vital Verdict – AFCB v Luton Town

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Written by kirsikka

Sometimes you judge a game on it’s own, sometimes it forms part of an overarching pattern to consider.

Slow start? Check.
AFCB goal against the run of play? Check.
AFCB dominates and scores a second? Check.
Opposition make tactical changes at half time? Check.
The balance of play completely changes in the second half? Check.
AFC Bournemouth head coach Scott Parker doesn’t make changes? Check.
They score? Check.
Parker then looks to shut up shop? Check.
Nail-biting finish? Check.

There are always unexpected games when you need to sit in to protect a lead. It shouldn’t be happening in virtually every match though. It’s a sign something isn’t quite right in the tactics. Especially with that regular pattern.

Having said all that, we’re top of the table and remain unbeaten in the league. Still, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t recognise where we have an issue. That was the mistake with former AFC Bournemouth manager Jason Tindall, a belief as long as the points came it would all work out in the end. Let’s not allow history to repeat itself.

Positives: Ryan Christie’s first-half performance

Negatives: Christie and Philip Billing’s second-half performances. Anonymous would be kind. Plus, the second-half tactics.

Man of the match against Luton

Christie

Christie

Billing

Solanke

Solanke

Kelly

Kelly

Your say…

Neil Dawson said…

It’s a tough one to pinpoint. We looked so slick after the first ten but too many balls flash across the box.
With the dominance we have had in a few games we should be out of sight but we never are. Dominic Solanke has been excellent this season and scored well but he doesn’t positionally read a lot of those chances we create. Jaidon Anthony and Christie are even less prolific and Jefferson Lerma and Ben Pearson just don’t score unless it’s one for the cameras a season so we don’t maximise our periods of dominance like Eddie Howe’s championship-winning side did.

We are always likely to concede and then mentally a one-goal lead in any league is tough and I think we have Gary Cahill to thank for why we’ve started holding on to leads.

The key though is to maximise the good spells and to do so in absence of a lethal center-forward we need David Brooks to play as he has goals in him and potentially Junior Stanislas if we can get him fit. Maybe Jamal Lowe as well. We won’t take enough chances against the top teams with the front three we had against Luton Town in my opinion.

That said, we really shouldn’t grumble as our start has been excellent and our good spells are a joy to watch.

Matt Stevenson wrote…

Here’s the xG timeline to back up the summaries. We registered no shots in the second half. Billing’s chance was rated more or less 50:50, whereas Dom’s goal was about 1 in 12. They had Adabeyo’s big miss early on (6 in 10), the goal was nearly 7 in 10 and Adebayo’s late chance was about 1 in 3. The stats alone look like we were lucky to get all 3 points.

Nerve-wracking listening on the radio as it sounded like one-way traffic in the second half.

Capture.JPG

fritter added…

I just traveled back in time and watched the Blackpool game again. This time we held on for the win.

Such a negative second half. Handed them the initiative, then sat back. Christie gave smith no options. Every pass from Christie went sideways or back.

We retreated, leaving no options upfield.

Mepham again, an indication of the ‘safe’ aspect of Parker’s tactics. We looked more vulnerable with 3 centre-halves.

In summary, Parker hasn’t learned from the Blackpool game. That’s his preferred tactic. – Join the conversation, click here.

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Up The Cherries!

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