Eddie Howe’s mantra has always been that Bournemouth will never betray the principles that have got them this far, even when his players are punished for their ambition in possession, and he refused to blame Eunan O’Kane for the mistake that led to Leicester City’s late equaliser.
O’Kane had already been burnt once, giving away the ball in a dangerous position and picking up a booking for a panicky tug of Danny Drinkwater’s shirt, but the midfielder continued to play with fire and Bournemouth’s hopes of earning their first home win went up in smoke when he dithered again in his own half.
Jamie Vardy raced into the Bournemouth area, Steve Cook brought him down and the Leicester striker blasted in the equaliser in the 86th minute. Yet Howe stood by O’Kane.
“I’m certainly not going to tell him not to receive the ball in the middle of the pitch,” Bournemouth’s manager said. “The demands are now that you’re going to have less time and every mistake is going to be at a higher risk of being punished. The aim is to improve.
“It’s two ways. You can’t have someone on the ball and have no one ahead. We’ve got some good technical players and, if there are any goals we concede from giving the ball away in tight areas, I’ll take the blame because that’s how I want my players to play. So no finger-pointing at all.”
Bournemouth’s willingness to take risks is progressive and brave, even though it can make them vulnerable at times. Howe does not want his players to locate Row Z. Get rid? That is not how Bournemouth play. Howe wants them to improve, to be comfortable with the ball, to play their way out of trouble with intelligence and calm.
Not that Bournemouth are a soft touch. They refused to be intimidated by Leicester’s physicality but the men in red and black stripes were a little black and blue after a bruising encounter. Bournemouth’s squad looks stretched after Charlie Daniels, Max Gradel and Tyrone Mings went off with knee injuries. There are fears that Mings and Gradel could face lengthy absences and Howe will look to spend before the transfer window shuts, although he admitted that players with Premier League experience could be out of Bournemouth’s budget.
Another worry for Bournemouth is that they did not make the most of their dominance in the first half. After scoring four in the win at West Ham United last week, their lack of conviction in the final third returned against Leicester.
However Callum Wilson is a striker who can make something out of nothing. His fourth goal of the season was a brilliant overhead kick in the 24th minute. “I don’t like to get ahead of myself,” Wilson said. “It is nice to get four goals but it’s only four goals and I’ve still got a long way to go to reach the heights I did last season.
“You’re getting less chances. Defenders are a bit more alert and quicker but they shouldn’t really be disrupting my flow because I am quite quick anyway.”
Claudio Ranieri was impressed with Bournemouth’s organisation and the harmony of their football made Leicester’s manager liken them to an orchestra. City were just crashing cymbals together for the majority of the match but their relentless attitude preserved their unbeaten start.
“We are learning to be an orchestra because I have been working with them just one month, and then it is more difficult for me to make an orchestra,” Ranieri said. “But Bournemouth play very well at every situation, throw-ins, set plays – very well.”
Ranieri was asked how long it will take before Leicester can match Bournemouth’s pretty tunes. “I don’t know,” he said. “It’s important to take a point and after that we have time to make some good songs.”
Man of the match Callum Wilson (Bournemouth)
