Bournemouth vs Huddersfield Town

Competition: EFL Championship Matchday 18

Date: 12/12/2020

Score: 5-0

Ground: Vitality Stadium

5 Conclusions from the Game

1. The team selection was all wrong!

I was not expecting to get a result from the game today and was expecting us to lose, but to do so 5-0 was a complete shock. 6 changes were made pre-match and while I was surprised by the line-up it was clear that Carlos was resting players for Wednesday night. I thought Rowe had an okay game, while Jadon Brown could have been stronger to prevent the first goal. I thought Bacuna and Diakhaby played better than they usually do, while Danny Ward and Alex Pritchard faded out of the game. I think 6 changes proved to be unsettling on the team and clearly, the changes that were made were not of the same quality of the players they were replacing.
The most surprising thing for me was that for someone who doesn't like to make subs during a game, then makes 6 changes between two games.

2. Lack of Leadership.

Juninho Bacuna leaving the field as captain today showed how few leader's Town have in the side. I actually thought Town didn't play well after Hogg went off against Sheffield Wednesday and today was no different. Toffolo and O'Brien were the only people in the team that had captained Town in a competitive game before and it showed. It just needed someone to take charge of the team in this difficult moment and no one threw themselves forward, which was very disappointing to see.

3. The squad is threadbare!

I think whether you want to say that the second team players are not good enough or there is not enough quality in the squad, it was clear today that Town's team is nowhere near good enough to finish this season higher than mid-table. Isaac Mbenza coming on for Danny Ward shows this perfectly, Mbenza was on the bench so he could be rested, but in the end, he had to come on due to the injury Ward sustained. If Town had a larger squad, then Corberan could have given a proper rest to his first-team regulars, because it was clear to see today that Corberan was expecting defeat and didn't want to risk certain players picking up injuries.

4. A spineless performance.

I thought the Cardiff and Brentford performances were poor, but this performance against an admittedly good Bournemouth side was nothing short of pathetic. You look at senior players and today they were embarrassing. Naby Sarr gifting Bournemouth a two-goal cushion inside 15 minutes, while Harry Toffolo delivered his worst performance of the season which further compounded Town to defeat. As I said before, I think Town lacked leadership, but I don't think many of the players could leave the field knowing they had put in a good performance.

5. The only positives.

I don't want to dwell too long on what was a miserable Saturday afternoon, but I do think there were some positives to take from today. Town fans (If any were left watching!) in the second half got to see Brahima Diarra make his debut. The young Frenchman got 40 minutes of action and while he didn't really make much of an impact, it was great to see someone who the club value so highly, make his first appearance. I think it was a tough game to make your debut and especially considering the situation Town were in when he came on, I think he shows promise for the future and I would like to see him play again in the future.
I don't really think you can say anyone played well in a 5-0 defeat, but I thought Diakhaby played much better than he has previously this season, while Juninho Bacuna looked a lot more sensible when in possession.
Anyway, the only good thing about this season is that the games come thick and fast, so we only have to wait till Wednesday to try and get this result out of our system as Town are away to Coventry in Birmingham.

Town Team:

Starting 11: Ben Hamer (45' Ryan Schofield), Aaron Rowe, Naby Sarr, Rarmani Edmonds-Green, Harry Toffolo (71' Romoney Crichlow), Juninho Bacuna, Lewis O'Brien (71' Alex Vallejo), Alex Prtichard, Jadon Brown (53' Brahima Diarra), Danny Ward (56' Isaac Mbenza), Adama Diakhaby
Subs: Ryan Schofield, Romoney Crichlow, Brahima Diarra, Alex Vallejo, Isaac Mbenza, Carel Eiting, Fraizer Campbell, Pipa, Matty Daly
Formation: 433