Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe explains that improvements on defending are needed ahead of their match against Norwich this weekend.
Following a 1-0 defeat against Arsenal the cherries drop to 10th place in the league levelled with Tottenham Hotspur.
The Cherries boss said: “Our defence is a key area we need to improve on, without a doubt, as the season unfolds.”
“We looked solid but unfortunately we lost the game on the first half’s possession.”
Despite the result, Howe insisted that the team played to the best of their ability.
He hopes that tomorrow’s game could be the first of many clean sheets.
He stated: “This league is very tough to keep a clean sheet in. That’s one of our biggest goals at the moment.”
Howe also touched on the recent departure of Tyrone Mings after he made his debut for England last Monday, along with his struggles while playing for Bournemouth.
Mings was among several England players that were subject to racist chants by the Bulgarian fans in the international game earlier this week.
“I thought he was very professional. He performed very well in terms of the situation. There is only positivity towards Tyrone from my side, he worked very hard and acted professionally.”
Howe added: “He had a really unfortunate time here. He was never able to build momentum.”
Dealing with Norwich’s attacking threat
Norwich’s Teemu Pukki has scored 10 goals since the opening game of the season.
Howe said: “He’s a very good player. He scored 2 really good goals on international duty. We know his strengths and his threat. Any team that has a goal scorer like that in their team is a dangerous team.”
Norwich city are another team looking to keep their first clean sheet this season after a string of defeats.
Despite this Howe praised the way that Norwich have looked.
“I think they’ve been really impressive. I admire any team that has a clear philosophy.
He continued: “I think they play really good football. I really admire their way of playing. We know from our cup game about how good they can be.”
Howe is confident in the team bouncing back from international duty.
“We are building momentum this season, and this will be a key game for us.”
AFC Bournemouth will take on Norwich City on Saturday 19th of October at 3:00pm at the Vitality Stadium.
By Samuel Genduso
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