Harry Arter, deservedly named man of the match, and Jack Wilshere, are answering Geoff Shreeves’ banal questions.
“Jack, you matched Spurs for intensity. What was the game plan?” “That was the game plan”. “Harry, was keeping Spurs off the top of the league an extra incentive for you?” “Not really, no.”
More interesting was Arter’s view on Sissoko: “He said it was accidental, and he’s not that kind of player” and Wilshere on playing a full 90 minutes: “the manager’s been great with me. I feel like I’m getting fitter and fitter each week.”
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On today’s evidence, Bournemouth won’t be an easy game for anyone any longer – few teams can match Spurs for intensity, but they did so, and finished with more in the tank.
It wasn’t Spurs’ finest performance, the rigours of midweek and a lack of discipline combining to prevent them gaining any real momentum, aside from a spell after the half-time interval.
That ended abruptly when Mauricio Pochettino withdrew Son Heung-min and Dele Alli, and brought on Vincent Janssen and Moussa Sissoko.
Both disappointed, and Sissoko may face retrospective action for an elbow on Harry Arter. He could have been sent off, as could Erik Lamela in the first half. Perhaps, all in all, a point isn’t so bad.
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Full time: Bournemouth 0-0 Tottenham
A goalless draw, but an entertaining game. It could have been worse for Spurs after a close contest against a team bang in form, but frustration will be the overwhelming emotion; they’ve failed to go top of the league once again.
92 mins: One last chance for Spurs, but in familiar scenes, a cheap foul saps their momentum.
91 mins: Another push forward from the hosts, but Gradel can’t keep the ball in play, opting to crumple under Walker’s challenge in vain hope of a penalty. Jack Wilshere, by the way, is going to play the full game.
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89 mins: Bournemouth are finishing the stronger, with Afobe getting his head to a Francis cross from the right, and thudding his effort a foot over Lloris’ bar. Three added minutes...
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88 mins: Lamela sees his shot blocked, before Dier gives the ball away and Gradel races away from Dembélé, with Wilshere wide open in the middle. Jack can see the headlines now... but Gradel hangs onto the ball for too long, and is closed down.
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86 mins: Josh King is heading off, walking gingerly to the touchline. Ryan Fraser is on. We’ve just seen Gareth Southgate in the stands; on today’s evidence, the entire Bournemouth back four are due a call-up.
83 mins: Janssen has looked tentative since he came on, and it’s worth noting Spurs have scored once in three games since beating Manchester City. They’ve missed Harry Kane today.
@niallmcveigh In Canada Sissoko's salute to Arter's face is called "the Gordie Howe handshake"...
— John MacMillan (@JohnnyMac27) October 22, 2016
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81 mins: Shouts for a penalty as Jack Wilshere goes down in the area, trying to chase down a Josh King cross. Optimistic. Wilson has gone off to a hearty ovation, replaced by former Arsenal man, Benik Afobe.
78 mins: Sissoko and Arter exchange pleasantries after a hefty challenge from the former, and Arter goes down under an apparent elbow. Pawson decides a talking to is enough, suggesting that perhaps he didn’t see it. It didn’t look good in the replays.
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77 mins: An intriguing final fifteen minutes, particularly for Spurs. A point is fine, but a much better result for Bournemouth. A win after such an even, intense encounter would feel momentous.
75 mins: Janssen holds the ball up and finds Lamela, who in turn picks out Sissoko on the right. His cross is behind the Dutch striker, but Rose fires a shot from the left. It’s on target, but comfortable for Boruc, who unlike last season’s fixture, has left his buttered gloves at home.
74 mins: King toys with the cautioned Danny Rose, trying to get an attack going, but the intensity from both teams has dropped a little.
72 mins: Alli is withdrawn, replaced by Sissoko. He’s presumably quite tired after the midweek match, but still looked the most likely Spurs player to make something happen.
70 mins: Wanyama goes down under a challenge from Arter, and stays down briefly, shaking his head. He’s OK to continue, though.
68 mins: This game has never looked like a 0-0, but that’s what it’ll be if these teams don’t get their act together. Bournemouth have found a second wind, and Wilson causes a flurry of panic with a low cross from the right.
67 mins: Gosling, who has performed well after his late call-up, finds King in space on the right, but his cross towards Wilson is undercooked.
65 mins: Bournemouth enjoy a foray into the Spurs half, with King drawing a foul from Rose. Gradel has a chance to shoot with his right, switches to his left and sees his effort closed down. He’s then booked for rough-housing Lamela in frustration.
63 mins: Spurs win a free kick on the right, and Lamela fires it straight at goal – but Boruc collects easily. That was a little ambitious.
“Ibe is usually the first Bournemouth player subbed barring other injuries,” says Ian Copestake. “Do you have a micro second to say how he has fared?”
He contributed to an excellent team performance in the first half, but with King and Wilson offering more up front, was the obvious candidate to go off.
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61 mins: Son is fed by Lamela after neat link-up play with Alli, but sees his shot deflected behind. That’s Son’s last contribution, he’s replaced by Vincent Janssen.
@niallmcveigh Just to add some interest Rooney has done a goal. It's for Aberdeen and was offside but Rooney scored.
— phil withall (@phil_withall) October 22, 2016
He’s back!
58 mins: Lamela has made the most of his reprieve, causing more problems for the Bournemouth defence with a twisting run from the left. Adam Smith gets a boot on it, and Bournemouth make a switch – Max Gradel is on in place of Jordon Ibe.
57 mins: Bournemouth struggling to hold the ball now, and are forced to go back to Boruc after an abortive attempt at playing out from the back. Time for a change, although they’re light on midfield options.
55 mins: A brief break as Josh King receives treatment for a facial injury. Sky have apologised for ‘lively language’ from a pitchside mic, which has been industrial and unrelenting throughout this second half. Perhaps a live mic next to a dugout was a bad idea?
53 mins: Bournemouth have been pegged back by this more adventurous Spurs approach, with Alli lurking with intent around the hosts’ penalty area. They try to break away through Wilshere down the left, but he’s without support, and is inevitably beaten in a foot race by Walker.
51 mins: Moments later, Lamela finds space inside the area again, played in by Wanyama, but fires over from a tricky angle.
50 mins: Eriksen backheels the ball into Lamela’s path, and former Spurs academy player Daniels has to motor across from left back to close him down.
49 mins: Dier is almost caught cold by an inventive cross from King, but just gets his head, or his hair, to it, denying Wilson a free header from six yards out.
We need a goal
— Lord Sugar (@Lord_Sugar) October 22, 2016
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47 mins: Alli saunters forward and tests Boruc from 20 yards. The keeper dives to his right to palm the shot away. A strong start for Spurs, but again Wilson proves a useful outlet, harrying both central defenders upfield.
46 mins: Dembélé, so important for Spurs last season, slows the pace down before finding Walker free on the right. His low cross is excellent, as is Francis’ clearance from under his own crossbar.
Peep!
No half-time changes for either team.
Here’s a song to summarise the first half:
“It’s excellent to see Dele Alli in his ceaseless attempt to nutmeg as many people as often as possible,” says Norrie Hernon.
“The question does remain, though: does he call ‘megs’ as he does it? As everyone knows, it doesn’t count unless you call it.”
I bet he does.
Half time: Bournemouth 0-0 Tottenham
Plenty of effort, intensity and all that, but two statistics stand out: there have been two shots on target, and five yellow cards. There probably should have been six, Erik Lamela fortunate to escape a second booking. More shortly.
46 mins: Wilson again gets the jump on Vertonghen, peeling away to meet Ibe’s low cross, but turning it just wide. Bournemouth back on the front foot at the end of the first half.
45 mins: Half-chance late in the first half for the lively Callum Wilson, picked out by Wilshere from the right – he gets his head to the ball, but can’t steer it inside Lloris’ left-hand post.
42 mins: Rose joins his team-mates on a yellow card, bringing down Josh King. Was it worse than Lamela’s challenge? Nope.
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40 mins: Boy oh boy, Lamela is lucky here. He lunges in on Dan Gosling right under Pawson’s nose, and his expression suggests he thinks he’s going – but he gets away with a final warning.
38 mins: Lamela slips under pressure from Daniels in the Bournemouth area, drawing appeals from the away fans, before Gosling clatters Kyle Walker, and becomes the fourth name in Craig Pawson’s little black book.
37 mins: Another Spurs booking, as Alli hauls down Adam Smith in the Bournemouth half. “You’re just a shit Harry Arter,” sing the home fans.
36 mins: Spurs’ best move of the match sees Alli link with Dembélé, whose through ball finds Son in space, close to the byline. He rolls it wide to Rose, but his low cross just evades Eriksen.
34 mins: “Recover!” screams Eddie Howe, sensing his team are losing a bit of drive. They spring from defence, and Verthongen, worried Wilson could catch him on the turn, puts the striker firmly on the deck. He’s the second Spurs player to be booked.
32 mins: Walker swings in a testing cross towards the far post, but Francis and Smith are able to fend off Son, who could use some help in the penalty area. Moments later, Rose joins his fellow full-back in getting forward; too far forward, as he’s flagged offside.
@niallmcveigh It's raining in Hanoi. Is it worth going out to watch this?
— steph lysaght (@LysaghtSteph) October 22, 2016
Depends what you mean by raining, Steph. Anything above drizzle, maybe wait for the second half. Or you could go to a local game... if there’s one starting at 8pm.
28 mins: Spurs finding a little more space in the Bournemouth half, with Vertonghen sweeping a long ball to Son, who is just crowded out.
26 mins: Spurs quickly regain possession, and Eriksen strikes from distance – it’s deflected low to Boruc’s left, and the goalkeeper gets down well to push it wide. From the corner, Eric Dier, up from the back, heads a long way wide.
25 mins: Son gets his first meaningful touch in the opposing area, but stumbles over and prods his pull-back beyond the incoming Dele Alli.
“Sorry Sissoko’s not on from the start, I was kind of nostalgically looking forward to watching him run down blind alleys and pass the ball out of play” says Andy Robinson. “Still, maybe he’ll get a chance if Spurs need to waste possession later on in the game.”
Spurs bought Sissoko and sold Nacer Chadli this summer, at a net cost of £17m. What were they thinking?
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22 mins: Alli almost finds space deep in Bournemouth territory, but fails to bring the ball down. Moments later, Wanyama pings a routine pass ten yards ahead of Rose, and out for a throw.
20 mins: A series of scrappy tackles, with Wilshere penalised, and Son roughing up his marker a touch too much. He’s been isolated with the Spurs midfield pushed back.
17 mins: Lamela immediately goes into the book after that narrow miss, piling into Adam Smith on the halfway line. Wanyama, a little shaky so far, loses control of a short ball from Lloris, and is tackled by Arter – but the ball runs harmlessly to Danny Rose.
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16 mins: Spurs flex their muscles, with Alli nutmegging two Bournemouth players in short order before finding Lamela. His speculator from 25 yards clips the outer corner of the goalframe, with Boruc on his heels.
15 mins: Wilshere, impressive in that No10 role so far, slots a through ball down the left for Wilson, who scampers into the area but can’t squeeze his low shot past Vertonghen. A couple more Bournemouth corners follow, before Lloris comes and claims the ball.
@niallmcveigh Would you reckon of Janssen coming off the bench to pop his cherry? (I'll get my coat)
— Garry Bacon (@gbacon85) October 22, 2016
You’re better than that, Garry.
13 mins: Bournemouth out-Spursing Spurs so far, pressing high and passing at high speed when they force the ball away from their opponents. They win a corner, but Arter’s optimistic shot is closed down by Son.
11 mins: Dembélé and Lamela try to link up in midfield, but Spurs cede possession cheaply, not for the first time. It’s a lovely, sunny day in Bournemouth – but isn’t it always? I can’t recall a rain-lashed mudbath at Dean Court any time recently...
9 mins: This really is end-to-end stuff: Lamela is hauled down by Arter, who goes unpunished, just outside the Bournemouth box, and within seconds, Ibe and Wilson are probing at the other end of the pitch. Spurs regain possession, and are trying to slow the pace a little.
7 mins: Rose clumsily concedes possession and Harry Arter looks to break – but he’s penalised for handball, and remonstrates with Craig Pawson. I think he’s more annoyed with himself.
5 mins: ...and only more heroics from Hugo Lloris prevent the hosts taking the lead! Wilshere plays it short to Gosling, who is allowed to turn and fire across goal. Charlie Daniels strikes, but it ricochets off Lloris and somehow clips the bar.
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4 mins: It’s been an up-tempo start, with passes snapping all over the midfield. Wanyama is quick to impose himself, hauling Wilshere down disdainfully in the centre circle. The long free kick towards Wilson is troublesome enough to force a corner...
2 mins: The hosts start with plenty of purpose, Wilshere almost picking out Wilson with a through ball. Their eagerness almost costs them, as a sliced clearance lands at Alli’s feet, but Son, waiting unmarked, is offside.
1 min: I’m happy to report that both teams are in their home colours, after so many recent aberrations. Surman isn’t fit for the bench; he’s replaced by Lys Mousset.
Peep!
Here we go...
Quick bit of Bournemouth team news: Andrew Surman does miss out, and is replaced by Dan Gosling, who slots in alongside Wilshere and Harry Arter. Ten minutes until kick off. Predictions? Perhaps just because I sat through Liverpool v Man Utd, I fancy a humdinger: Bournemouth 2-3 Tottenham.
Mauricio Pochettino speaks:
“We believe today it’s a good option to play Son instead of Vincent (Janssen) up front, as we did against Manchester City. The midfield is the key battle today, so we have brought Dembélé in. I think we have a strong squad, it’s important because we play every three days. Today will be a very good test for us, we played Champions League three days before, and there is a possibility to be top of the table.”
Pochettino also appeared to call Son Heung-min ‘Sonny’, which is a strong nickname.
There could be further injury problems for Bournemouth, with Andrew Surman leaving the warm-up early. We’ll keep you updated.
It’s a big day for Jack Wilshere – he’s making his fifth straight Premier League start, his best run since 2013, and it’s against Tottenham. Will he be fired up? Probably.
Here’s Eddie Howe...
“To play in the manner that we did (against Hull) was important for confidence levels. To win three in a row at home is very good. There’s been a nice balance and tempo to the team - to win any game in the Premier League, home or away, is difficult. Spurs are an outstanding team, they’re unbeaten, and haven’t conceded a goal in open play, but we’re hoping to impose our style on them and give them a good game.”
One enforced change for Bournemouth, with Joshua King coming in for Junior Stanislas, who was excellent against Hull, but picked up a light calf strain in training, and is rested.
For Spurs, just two changes from the side that earned a Champions League point in Germany, with Kyle Walker returning in place of Kieran Trippier, and Moussa Dembélé shoring up midfield, replacing Vincent Janssen, with Son Heung-min starting up front.
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Team news
Bournemouth: Boruc; Adam Smith, Francis, Steve Cook, Daniels; Surman, Arter, Wilshere; King, Ibe, Callum Wilson.
Subs: Gosling, Aké, Afobe, Gradel, Federici, Fraser, Mings.
Tottenham: Lloris; Walker, Dier, Vertonghen, Rose; Wanyama, Dembélé; Alli, Lamela, Eriksen; Son.
Subs: Janssen, Vorm, Trippier, Sissoko, Wimmer, Winks, Davies.
Referee: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire)
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Preamble
Spurs arrive here third in the table, but you could argue that right now, they’re the best team in England – the only unbeaten team in the league, and the only ones to beat the leaders. We’ve been here before of course, when Spurs spent the back end of last winter playing like champions elect, but never got their noses in front, spending a grand total of zero days at the top.
Last week’s draw at West Brom was hardly a disaster, but showed that tendency to stumble on the way out of their title rivals’ slipstream. There is an early opportunity this weekend to finally go top, even if only for a few hours – and at a venue that at first glance, appears to be suitably accommodating.
The visitors won 5-1 here last season, Harry Kane helping himself to a hat-trick. The striker bagged another two in the reverse fixture, a 3-0 Spurs win. Eddie Howe will be relieved to see Kane stuck on the sidelines, with Vincent Janssen looking a much less potent threat up front.
That’s not all that’s changed. Bournemouth are a much tougher proposition at home so far this season, winning three of their first four games; they only managed five all last season. The 6-1 shellacking of Hull should serve as fair warning to the title-chasing visitors, regardless of the state of Mike Phelan’s side.
Kick-off is at 12.30pm in your British Summer Time; team news and build-up to follow.
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