ClapThis weekend’s Premier League action certainly served up some intriguing matches, many of which gave us a pretty good idea of what some clubs will be doing in terms of their position in the table this season. Some of the games, of course, hit the standard status quo, and then a few were positioned somewhere in the middle.
As reported by BBC and The Guardian, one such game that fits into the latter’s description is Bournemouth vs Manchester City. While many could characterise this as a bit of a David vs Goliath kind of clash, the Cherries have come on leaps and bounds over the course of the last few years and are now considered, by many, to be Premier League regulars.
Preventing greatness
Thanks to a David Silva masterclass they came up short at the weekend, but it certainly wasn’t through lack of trying. It was clear to see that they were attempting to implement a different sort of game plan into proceedings, and that game plan paid off for a while – with Wilson’s free kick being the highlight of the afternoon for Eddie Howe’s side.
In general, though, while they conceded three goals, they can hold their heads up high knowing what they did well and where they still need to improve.
“We did have our chances and that’s the frustrating thing,” Howe said.
“Compare this game to our previous encounters against Manchester City, and that’s the most we’ve created by a long way. We were a constant menace to them physically, but it was a really tough afternoon – we really had to dig in for long spells.”
Don’t follow the script
Sometimes you just can’t beat greatness, but you can certainly put a dent in their plans to completely and utterly run through you. That may seem like an odd perspective or a weird way of looking at things, but all you need to do is take one glance at the teams that simply roll over and do precisely nothing to stop City from going on a tear. You may not believe those individuals exist, but we can guarantee that they do.
“I’m happy because on this pitch it is so hard, so we are happy for the three points,” he says. “That [second] goal was very important because then we are more relaxed. Always when David receives the ball, I follow him because sometimes the pitch is no good and I know maybe the ball is moving in the grass and then I score.”
Those are the words of Sergio Aguero – you know, that absolutely phenomenal footballer that plays for Manchester City and has been scoring goals for them for years and years on end.
That’s just one of the many star names associated with this wonderful football club, and one of the many that Bournemouth had to try and deal with.
Some feel like their time in the top flight is going to come to an end sooner rather than later, but we can’t see that happening.
