Eddie Howe has accepted it would be “silly not to utilise the squad” ahead of a busy period of fixtures; starting with tomorrow’s trip to Old Trafford.
With injuries piling up and fatigue evident in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Wolves, the boss has hinted at rotation ahead of our Carabao Cup clash with Manchester United on Wednesday night.
He insists “everyone has to step up” as we head into another tough run of games, with Arsenal to come on Saturday, followed by Borussia Dortmund away on Tuesday and a long trip to Bournemouth next weekend.
Howe admitted it’ll be a “juggling act” over the next few games, saying he’ll utilise those players able to play in different positions. With this in mind, it’ll be interesting to see if he’s tempted to play Anthony Gordon up top and Joelinton on the left, with Callum Wilson rarely able to start three games in a week.
The likes of Tino Livramento, Paul Dummett, Matt Targett and Lewis Hall all starred in our third round win over Man City, so it would be no surprise to see some of them start in Manchester. Here’s what Howe had to say:
“It’s a busy period for us. We look forward to Manchester United next. They’re are a top team with top players.
“We will have to utilise our squad, we have Arsenal and Dortmund coming after, we would be silly not to utilise the squad – but we are going there with a game plan and to compete.
“There are positives in amongst a couple of negatives we’ve had. I think you’re always going to have that in the season we’re currently facing, the risk of injuries is higher with the amount of games we have.
“That is where the power of the group has to show, everyone has to step up. Everyone has to give a bit more.
“In the next few games, we’ll be juggling minutes and making sure we remain very competitive. When players enter the pitch, they must be able to give their best.
“In this next game (Man Utd), it’ll be a juggling act for us. But we do have the players who can play in different position – it’s a strength of our squad – so we’re certainly going to utilise that.”
Howe then issued a defiant message ahead of the game, insisting we are ‘highly motivated’ and ‘determined to win’, with a chance of reaching the quarter-finals on the line:
“We’ve got a chance to get into the quarter-final, the players are highly motivated. I think the players, myself, coaching team all loved last year’s experience.
“So, we want that again, but we can’t underestimate that going to Old Trafford is still one of the biggest tests in football. When the game kicks off we will be determined to win.”
