By Dan Davis (@Dan_Davis20)
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has just reached his 300th game in charge of the Cherries. His impressive record for his time on the South Coast sees him boast 145 wins, 63 draws and 92 losses; in what has been a rollercoaster ride through the football league pyramid.
The next step in Bournemouth’s remarkable history is a showdown with Liverpool tomorrow. Despite succumbing to a 3-1 defeat to Arsenal last weekend, Eddie Howe’s side matched the Premier League giants for much of the game.
Artur Boruc, Andrew Surman and left back Charlie Daniels were all ruled out last weekend through injury, and all may have to watch their team from the side-lines once again this week.
Boruc and Daniels will be late decisions, and Surman has suffered a slight setback, after “feeling a little bit of discomfort in his hamstring”. The Bournemouth boss confirmed the stalwart midfielder had been ruled out of tomorrow’s game.
The injury setbacks could prove costly for Howe’s men, who currently hold a record of losing eight out of eight games on a Sunday whilst in the Premier League.
Howe expressed his concern at the statistic: “Maybe getting used to playing on a Sunday is something we’re going to have to do better. The results have been disappointing”.
Howe also spoke of his admiration for Liverpool, who currently sit 3rd in the table with a game in hand, after going on an unbeaten run stretching just over three months.
He said: “I think they’re genuine contenders for sure. I’m full of admiration for their philosophy; the way they play.
“It’s going to be tough. I think they’re a very good team”.
The Bournemouth manager also explained how he was relishing the test for his squad on Sunday.
“We have to believe in ourselves and our game plan.’ he said. ‘I think it’s a great challenge, there’s no fear in our minds. We take this game and this type of pressure and hopefully excel”.
December is sure to be a very testing month for the Cherries, with 6 fixtures being scheduled in a month which is always the busiest for the Premier League.
Howe said: “It’ll be a key month for us, as it will for many teams. The gap between top and bottom is so small…and the gap is tight. We’re going to have to ensure that in the next few games we pick up as many points as we can, because it will dictate where we go from here.
“We’ve got some tough games to come; some great games to come. We’re looking forward to the hectic schedule, we want to play. And there’s no better time than December to do that”.
Despite Howe reaching 300 games in charge of Bournemouth, the young Englishman is keeping his feet firmly on the ground. He kept relatively discreet about his ambitions for the future, although did boldly proclaim he didn’t ‘believe anything is impossible
The Cherries host Liverpool tomorrow at the Vitality, with kick off at 1:30pm.