Cherries chief Howe has been forced to drop third-choice Allsop in at the deep end against the likes of Diego Costa and Eden Hazard at Stamford Bridge on Saturday – with Adam Federici and Artur Boruc crocked.
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“I don’t think we’ve defended too badly this season, just individual mistakes and a few setbacks and disappointments have come our way, but the players have come in every day working hard, focused on the next game and tried to improve themselves”.
He said: “It certainly looks like they are back to their normal selves and I thought the way they played against Tottenham (0-0 draw last Sunday) defensively was excellent and I don’t think you can doubt their attacking quality”.
“If you had told me that at the start of the season I think I would have thought we would be around the top four”. If we can win here we can win anywhere.
Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 43 home league games against newly-promoted teams (W37 D6), last losing to top-flight new-boys in April 2001. “We were fantastic, especially in the first half”.
Glenn Murray scored a late second half header to earn the Cherries a priceless three points, as they aim to avoid a relegation battle this season. But we saw it out and nicked the goal to thankfully get a much-needed three points.
Only five points separate the two sides in the table but the Blues are on a three-match unbeaten run. The longer the boys are spending in the division, the more confident we are becoming about our game plan. I am sure they will pick up points and climb. “It is just about trying to get the better of the individual battles”. “We fully respect them as a team and we are going to have to be at our very best to get anything”. When he first came to England that was the thing everybody absolutely loved about him – his aggression, his will to win and I do not think that has changed.
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When asked if he was offside for his winning goal, Murray replied: “I didn’t feel like I was but it doesn’t matter now”.
