Bournemouth In Focus: Michael Appleton

- Leicester City must be aware of Bournemouth泹s effective brand of football, says Michael Appleton
- The assistant manager says the Foxes must nullify the threat of forward duo Josh King and Jermain Defoe
- Bournemouth are two positions behind City heading into Saturday泹s fixture at Vitality Stadium (3pm kick-off)

The Cherries currently sit second from bottom in the Premier League table after six fixtures having already faced the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City during that run.

For over 75 minutes, Eddie Howe泹s men repelled the Everton front line last time out, but two quick-fire strikes from Oumar Niasse meant they returned to the south coast empty handed.  

Discussing Bournemouth泹s early season form, Appleton said: "They'll be disappointed in terms of the points they've picked up, just as we are. Ultimately, their performances have been good.

"They played well for 60 or 70 minutes last week and created quite a few chances against Everton, only to lost to two goals in a pretty short space of time.

"They're a side that have established themselves as we have. They have a style that is easy on the eye. They play quite open at times but probably not as open as they were in the first season and I think that was quite a big learning curve for them.

"Certainly, they're one of the more expansive sides in the division. We have to be aware of that and hopefully I think if anything, it'll probably suit us."

Expand photo

Michael Appleton oversees a training session at Belvoir Drive.

Appleton says the Foxes are well aware of Bournemouth's forward threat, with Norway international Josh King and Jermain Defoe, scorer of 159 Premier League goals, likely to lead the line at Vitality Stadium.

"It's going to be difficult," Appleton continued. "I worked with Josh very briefly for a small period of time when I was at Blackburn.

"He actually got injured in my short time there, but the reality is you've got someone in Josh who's relatively young in terms of experience in the Premier League, but scored a hatful of goals last season.

"Then you've got probably one of the best goalscorers in Premier League history in Jermain Defoe, who probably feels like he's got a few years left in him at this level to score more goals.

"We're going to have to be aware of the threat that they pose. Josh can pose a real threat in behind and Jermain used to do that in his earlier days, he probably gets into more of a no.10 position and likes to get the ball to feet.

"They've got a good combination and we're going to have to make sure that we nullify the threat that those two cause."

Appleton had plenty of praise for Bournemouth boss Howe, who after leading his side to England's top flight, secured a top-half finish in the Premier League in 2016/17.  

"It's been over two periods and it's been impressive," Appleton said of Howe's tenure at the Cherries. I remember when Eddie first took over at Bournemouth and they had the troubles that they had and they were so close to going out of business.

"He did ever so well and then obviously got his opportunity at Burnley. It didn't really work out for him and he found himself back at Bournemouth.

"The job that's he's done since going back there speaks for itself. To take a side from League 1 to the Premier League is no mean feat and it's a good club.

"It's a really beautiful part of the country, but because of the size of the club itself, it can't generate the numbers of fans that some of the clubs in London, the Midlands or up north can generate.

"He's still able to attract players to go down to the coast and he's probably more so him as a person and as a coach and the playing style they've had over the years."

Over at Belvoir Drive, an uninterrupted week of training has prepared the Foxes well, says the Club's assistant manager.  

"It's been really, really positive," an optimistic Appleton said. "We made a real effort at the start of the week to stay positive with the players and get after them a little bit.

"We want to make sure that the way we finished the game on Saturday, by trying to finish strong, we take that forward this week.

"The players have trained really well. They trained very hard on Monday and Tuesday and again they were at it on Thursday. It'll be tapered down a little bit today (Friday) leading into the weekend."

Appleton believes a victory ahead of the second international break of the season could be crucial for the majority of sides in the Premier League, not least City, who could potentially climb four places with a triumph.

He added: "It'll be no different for most of the teams going into the weekend for different reasons. It'll be a great opportunity for us to get something out of the game.

"It's the first time that we go into an international break where, like most teams, that one result could give the place such a huge lift.

"The performances have been good so far. We've come up against some top sides so I hope the players get their reward for the effort that they've put in over the last few weeks.

"If they do, the positivity of the players by the time they come back after the international break leading into the West Brom game will be great."