However, don’t let the loss of yet another staple in the calendar detract any from what promises to be a Christmas cracker (sorry, sorry).
Keith Andrews has already used the press conference for this one to big up what he describes as The Cherries ‘high octane’ brand of football after seeing his own team win on their travels last weekend. Victory at Wolves seeing The Bees just a win off 9th-placed Brighton.
Whatever Keith says about Bournemouth, and you’d expect nothing but the utmost respect and caution from any manager ahead of any game, the stats tell a different story.
The visitors are on a terrible run of form at present, having picked up four points from their eight games played since the start of November. They’ve won none of them, with just Burnley and Wolves below them (2 points and 0, respectively) in the current form table.
Their current mood, probably not helped by Manchester City reportedly now in advanced talks to secure the signing of Antoine Semenyo. With Chelsea also sniffing around ahead of the transfer window opening, there may never be a better time to play Andoni Iraola’s side.
I’d say that Keith will throw the kitchen sink at this one, although with a visit from Thomas Frank and those members of his Spurs squad not currently injured or suspended, who knows where we go? Does he hold something back? Certainly, December has been prevalent for seeing the side chopped and changed but with Damsgaard and Henderson both missing from the starting XI at Wolves, surely this time they’ll get back in? Surely?
Rico seems to have LB sewn up as does the Duracell bunny that is Michael Kayode on the right. Two centre-backs can only be the only option and with Keith using Tuesday’s press conference to lavish praise on KLP, one would hope he’s reached the point of playing the game at hand rather than looking ahead. Of course, December has been congested but we’re now back to an almost regular run. As such, I’m hoping he’ll begin:
Kelleher, Henry, Kayode, van den Berg, Collins, Henderson, Damsgaard, Yarmoliuk, Schade, Lewis-Potter, Thiago.
Again, all this is very easy from the sidelines. Whatever decision a manager makes ends up being dissected to the nth degree should the team fail to win or even connect as a unit. At times we’ve looked disjointed – the visit of Leeds United a fortnight ago was one that still giving me nightmares – whilst that win over Wolves was our first in five games. Yet the table doesn’t lie and the Bees’ home results have been largely wonderful.
Nobody needs a repeat listing of the high-profile scalps claimed at The Gtech so far this campaign beyond saying look where Aston Villa are in the table now. Wow! How has that happened up the blind side? The third-placed Villans a mere win off the top yet Keith Andrews has outmastered Unai Emery twice already this season. Let’s be honest, who predicted any of that when we began proceedings at Nottingham Forest back in August?
It is a cliché as old as it football itself but we really do need to take every game as it comes. This time of year, especially. The Bees will be on a high after that way win but whatever frame of mind the visitors are in, Keith has the tools up his sleeve to go full tilt from the get-go. If he wants to. Channel the approach seen from kick-off against Manchester United rather than the Wimbledonesque stylings of our draw with Leeds and then let the rest play out.
Bournemouth may be ‘high octane’ but the Bees are no slouches when they put their mind to it. This one is there for the taking if Keith gets his balance and pressure right.
