As Bournemouth fell to a 1-0 defeat against ten-man Crystal Palace on Tuesday night, a performance that featured little creativity or inspiration, manager Eddie Howe walked over to the fans at full-time, pointed to his chest, and said ‘my fault’. He wanted to take responsibility.
Once Palace defender Mamadou Sakho was shown a straight red for a rash challenge on Adam Smith at Selhurst Park, Bournemouth were expected to take charge of the game. What followed was a period of unambitious passing, despite having 69% possession, a lack of urgency, and fragility against Palace’s counter-attacks, one of which resulted in Jeffrey Schlupp firing home the winner under keeper Aaron Ramsdale.
Eddie Howe Struggling for Solutions at Bournemouth
Immediate Reaction
“It is a tough one for us to take,” said Howe after the game to reporters. “We needed to get something from tonight’s game and we are hugely disappointed we haven’t.
“We didn’t do enough with the ball and we didn’t hurt them enough. Credit to them for how they defended in their shape. We should be able to do better and I have to take responsibility for that.
“When you’re in this form, it is a tough one to work out, we could have won all of these games but we have lost them narrowly.”
The performance was indicative of wider issues that Bournemouth are currently facing. The Cherries have lost their last four Premier League games and are on a horrible run of just one win in ten matches across all competitions. After an excellent start, which saw them climb to third in the table after six games, Howe’s men are sliding down the table and in danger of being dragged into a relegation battle.
It is worth noting that it is not the first time Bournemouth have been faced with such a situation. In December 2018, they endured another run of four straight Premier League losses and then went on to lose 4-0 to Liverpool, 5-0 at Tottenham Hotspur and 4-1 against Manchester United. Fears grew that they would be candidates to go down but the Cherries found form again and finished 14th.
Inconsistencies
It would perhaps be naive to suggest that Bournemouth will not get back to winning ways, especially given the sensational job that Howe has done in comfortably keeping the club in the top flight. However, cracks are beginning to show in a team that is suffering at both ends of the pitch under Howe.
Offensively, despite the likes of Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser, Harry Wilson and Josh King at their disposal, things look insipid. Bournemouth have scored only 18 league goals this season – fewer than Burnley, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa. Furthermore, they rank 14th for shots per game. Callum Wilson and King have been inconsistent, while fellow striker Dominic Solanke has failed to score this campaign.
The struggles in front of goal for Bournemouth seem to be stemming from the lack of creativity in midfield. They rank 12th for total chances created (19) and 15th for key passes per game (8.1), with the lack of a link between the midfield and attack stifling the effectiveness of the passing game that Howe has spent years implementing.
The reluctance to purchase a creative midfielder is now being seen as a missed opportunity but the absence of 22-year-old David Brooks cannot be underestimated, either. The Welshman is yet to feature in the league this season after damaging ankle ligaments in the summer and his attacking exploits from midfield are being badly missed – he scored seven league goals and provided five assists during his debut Premier League campaign in 2018/19. As a result, the reliance on Harry Wilson, the club’s top scorer, has increased considerably.
Defensive Issues
Defensively, there are issues, too. Twenty-one league goals have been conceded – the fewest by clubs in the bottom half of the table but more than Sheffield United (14), Wolves (17) and Crystal Palace (18). The absence of Steve Cook, who has recorded 50 interceptions and blocked 21 shots this season, was a big loss at Selhurst Park on Tuesday. His partnership with Nathan Ake has been crucial to preventing Bournemouth’s defensive situation from getting worse.
Worryingly, Bournemouth’s defence is receiving little protection from the midfield. Jefferson Lerma, signed for £25 million last year to be the shield in the centre, has been ill-disciplined and inconsistent. No Premier League player has picked up more yellow cards (seven) than the Colombian.
Only Manchester City are averaging fewer tackles per game (13.8) this season, while Bournemouth also rank 14th for interceptions (9.8) per match. As a result, Howe’s men are having to deal with increasing pressure on their goal and on inexperienced keeper Ramsdale. They sit ninth for shots conceded per game (13.7) in the league.
Eddie Howe has rightly earned many plaudits, not just for taking Bournemouth from the depths of League Two to the Premier League, but for the way he has done it. His belief in playing a smooth passing game and getting the best out of his squad, despite a relatively limited budget, has been the catalyst behind the Cherries becoming a stable Premier League club.
Yet, the concern is that there seems to be no Plan B. Bournemouth are lacking in pragmatism and failing to turn their high possession-based game into one that creates chances regularly. Consequently, opposition sides are doing their homework and exploiting weaknesses in their system.
Howe may need to find a new way fast because, at the moment, his team is way short of its best.
Eddie Howe Main Photo
