Bournemouth manager Marco Rose has insisted he was not concerned about their start to the season, as they now enjoy the good times instead.
Rose arrived in the summer to replace the hugely popular Andoni Iraola, who left before joining Liverpool.
He had big shoes to fill after the Spaniard’s highly successful period in charge on the South Coast, which included European qualification last season.
Things did not get off to the best of starts either. The Cherries went six games without a win to begin the campaign, drawing three and losing the other three.
But the underlying statistics hinted there was improvement to come and that proved to be the case. A mid-Autumn surge has now seen them win six consecutive games in all competitions without conceding a goal. That’s included 3-0 wins over AC Milan and Manchester United.
Positive change
Things are moving in a much more positive direction, but Rose insists he was not concerned at any points.
“It probably should have been three to six points more,” he told Kicker.
“Slapstick, individual mistakes (cost us). We played good ball, I never had to explain myself in the club, everyone was convinced of our path. The boys have confidence, are courageous.”
That doesn’t mean here wasn’t some reflection from the Bournemouth coach, though. He admits they tweaked things behind the scenes.
“You might have to get the ball in the opponent’s half from time to time and try to settle there,” he admitted.
“We managed to manage this balancing act. It was a process, so we have now become very stable on both sides.”
Premier League and Europe
Bournemouth are on the up as a result of those changes. They currently sit 8th in the Premier League, just two points outside the top six and four outside the Champions League places.
Things are even better in the Europa League, where they sit fourth in the current standings after three wins in their first three games. Winning the competition could get them Champions League football, but Rose is having none of that talk.
“No, I’m not thinking about that,” he insisted.
“Our goal is to move into the round of 16 after a good start without the intermediate round, because every match helps us less this season.”
He is simply taking it one step at a time. And, for now at least, he’s only seeing positives from his move to Bournemouth this summer.
“Nothing negative at all,” he concluded.
“It’s pure football. I like the people of England who are very respectful of each other. I feel really comfortable.”
