Gary O’Neil has told his Bournemouth players they must be more clinical in front of goal but he believes they are on the right track in their fight for Premier League survival.
Saturday’s 1-0 win at fellow strugglers Leicester was a rare away win for the Cherries, only their second in 10 on the road, and it lifted O’Neil’s side out of the bottom three.
The goal, five minutes before half-time, came gift-wrapped due to a horrible mistake from Leicester midfielder James Maddison, whose blind backpass was picked off by Philip Billing and dispatched beyond Daniel Iversen.
But Bournemouth were good value for the win, having created a string of opportunities throughout the first half and early in the second while limiting a poor Leicester side to only a few half chances late on.
O’Neil’s only complaint was that his side did not put the game to bed earlier, with a Billing free-kick clipping the outside of a post and Iversen making saves from Billing, Dominic Solanke, Jack Stephens and Chris Mepham.
“It was a similar message at Brighton where we weren’t clinical enough and there’s still work to be done,” he said.
“We need to make sure we take chances because there could a be slip or a set-play goal which would mean you only come away with one point which would have been a travesty with how comfortable we were.”
With the battle at the bottom so tight, even a short run of good form can make all the difference with eight games to go, and O’Neil’s message was one of positivity.
“Whether the game is against someone in and around you it doesn’t change your approach, but the lads have won four out of their last eight in the Premier League, they’re in a good spot,” he said.
For Leicester, it was a second home defeat in a week since the departure of Brendan Rodgers, and one that brought an angry reaction from the home fans who got behind their team at the start, but greeted the final whistle with loud boos and some chants of ‘You’re not fit to wear the shirt’.
News that the appointment of Jesse Marsch could be confirmed imminently has brought a mixed reaction from fans, but the Foxes are running out of time to fix things if they are not to be relegated just seven years after winning the Premier League title.
“At this stage these games are big games,” interim head coach Adam Sadler said. “It’s fair to say the size of this game, there was a lot of hype around it, and all the players are bitterly disappointed.
“We’re a collective. This is a time where we have to stay together. The job Mike (Stowell) and I have done this week has been pretty much focused on staying positive and I’m sure we’ll do that. We have to stay united and keep encouraging each other in the right way and prepare for the fight.
“We’re not thinking (about relegation). We have to remain purely focused on getting this football club to stay in this division. The work starts again this week preparing for next week’s game. It’s another opportunity to try and get some points.”
