Även om det kanske är svårt att tänka på annat än Champions League nu får vi inte glömma att vi fortfarande har jobb kvar att göra innan vi kan vara säkra på att få vara med i turneringen nästa säsong. En del i det jobbet är lördagens hemmamatch mot Bournemouth. Våra motståndare har i princip säkrat kontraktet redan, de 38 poäng de har på tolfte plats håller dem tio poäng från nedflyttning. Simon Reed(@ebtks) både skriver om laget och har en egen youtube-kanal där han delar med sig av sina tankar om laget. Den här veckan gästar han dessutom oss och ger oss sin syn på laget och ger oss dessutom en uppdatering på hur en av våra gamla talanger sköter sig.

1. Tell us a bit about the season, are you satisfied with the way you have played and the amount of points you’ve gotten?
It’s been a strange season, and not a hugely enjoyable one. We’ve struggled to put in consistent ninety minute displays, and have therefore never quite ”ignited” this campaign. Last season was the high watermark and we’ve not quite lived up to it sadly – we won’t get anywhere near as many points as we did last season.

2. Are there any differences between Bournemouth this season and last season?
We’ve toughened up a lot this season in comparison to previous top flight campaigns. We’ve only taken a few batterings and have found ways to get results from games we would have lost last season. Our stats on points gained from losing positions is remarkable.

3. This is your third straight season in the Premier League, why do you think you have managed to stay up and establish yourself in the league?
Eddie Howe. It’s as simple as that. Without him we’d never be in this position. He is the heartbeat of the club and we’d be lost without him.

4. What is the next step for Bournemouth? What do you want to see from the club next season?
I want to see us make serious steps forward in getting our new stadium built before we inevitably get relegated once Howe leaves. That and some serious upgrades in some areas of the pitch, namely defence. Players such as Marc Pugh, Simon Francis, and Charlie Daniels have been legends for us but we have to move on from them if we’re to survive much longer in the Premier League.

5. Who is your player of the year?
No competition, Nathan Aké. He has been consistently excellent in every game and doesn’t really ”feel” like an AFC Bournemouth player – he’ll be off to a top 6 club after next season I fear. If not sooner.

6. How has Jordon Ibe´s season been? Any signs of improvement?
Yes, he’s improved on last season – although that, admittedly, would not be hard. He is our leading assist maker with six, but he’s still had a very up and down campaign. He’s well suited to being one of the attacking prongs of the 3-4-3 we utilised earlier this year, but sadly Howe is persisting with 4-4-2 for many games – which doesn’t suit Jordon at all. He has as at least shown some sign of being worth the fifteen million we paid for him over the last few months though.

7. What kind of game do you think we will see at Anfield?
Honestly? A rather one sided one. Even after your Champions League midweek game I fear for us a bit on Saturday, as I think our recent spate of comebacks have masked some rather uninspired displays. I don’t imagine we’ll play deep so it might be entertaining however. There’s a good chance Howe will play a more attacking formation than you’d expect though so it might be quite an open and entertaining affair. I’m expecting Liverpool to win comfortably regardless