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Bournemouth, the perfect team for Tottenham to rebound against

By Gary Pearson

LEICESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 03: Eddie Howe, Manager of AFC Bournemouth (R) shows appreciation to the fans following the Premier League match between Leicester City and AFC Bournemouth at The King Power Stadium on March 3, 2018 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
LEICESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 03: Eddie Howe, Manager of AFC Bournemouth (R) shows appreciation to the fans following the Premier League match between Leicester City and AFC Bournemouth at The King Power Stadium on March 3, 2018 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) /
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Dusting themselves off and hopping back on the horse against Bournemouth tomorrow, Tottenham look to expel any negative residual feelings leftover from Wednesday’s Champions League exit. 

Bournemouth is the perfect team to come up against in the aftermath of emotionally distressing loss and here’s three reasons why:

3. Bournemouth won’t park the bus

Eddie Howe instils belief into his side, the English manager encouraging Bournemouth to play an enterprising, free and fluid brand of football rarely seen from teams in the lower half of the table.

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The Cherries set up to try win every match, playing expansive, with the intention of keeping their opposition consistently on the back foot. They’ve scored 20 goals at the Vitality Stadium this season, only four fewer than Chelsea have scored at Stamford Bridge.

You might be wondering how any of this is good for Spurs. Well, Bournemouth will allow Spurs time and space to play their brand of football, too.

The Cherries have conceded 21 goals at home and are intermittently a bit loose defensively. Spurs have the personnel to cope with Bournemouth’s attack and will relish the opportunity to be a constant threat going forward.

2. Bournemouth aren’t relegation favourites

Bournemouth are by no means safe from relegation, but, importantly, there is some breathing room between them and the teams mired at the foot of the table. With five teams between them and the bottom three, Bournemouth have created a slender buffer.

The Cherries are six points clear of the drop zone and, while not safe yet, will secure their place in the Premier League next season with five points from their last nine matches. It’s a far-cry better than playing a side deep in relegation trouble, as desperate teams are slightly more capable of miraculous results.

1. Historically, Tottenham perform well against the Cherries

Without a loss to Bournemouth, Spurs have won five of six previous encounters. Tottenham outscored Bournemouth 17-1 in those five wins. The Cherries’ only goal came in a 5-1 defeat at home three years ago. Spurs have kept a clean sheet in four straight matches versus Eddie Howe’s side and will be looking to continue this rich vein of form in tomorrow’s clash.

Next: Does Tottenham make lineup changes for Bournemouth?

Harry Kane has six goals in four matches against Bournemouth which includes a hat trick in 2015 on his only visit to the Vitality Stadium.