Eddie Howe has been speaking to the press this morning, offering an update on the fitness front ahead of tomorrow’s clash with Wolves and reacting to our FA Cup quarter-final draw.
He’s revealed that Sven Botman is ‘looking good’ after being rested at Blackburn in midweek, but insists that Elliot Anderson is ‘not in the condition to play regularly yet’ after recently overcoming a long-term back injury.
Alexander Isak and Joe Willock are ‘getting there’ when it comes to reaching their peak fitness levels after spells on the sidelines, while Matt Targett is back in training but ‘might need a bit more time’ before he’s deemed available for selection. Kieran Trippier is fine despite being taken off in extra-time at Blackburn on Tuesday night.
On the cup draw, Howe feels you have to beat teams like Man City to win the trophy and ‘believes we can win’ ahead of our trip to the Etihad in two weeks time. Here’s what he’s had to say on all of the above:
Howe on Man City draw – “I don’t think anyone wants to play Manchester City, or to play them four times in a season, but if you are going to go all the way you will need to beat a team like Manchester City at some stage in the competition. I believe in the qualities that we have. I believe we can win.”
Howe on Sven Botman – “Sven is another player to come back from a longer term injury. He needs more individualised training to get him back to his best. We may see him tomorrow. He’s looking good.”
Howe on Elliot Anderson – “It was a frustrating time for Elliot, but we are very glad to get him back. We must be careful with him. Since his rehab and getting back out on the grass, he has looked good. He is strong and versatile. We really wanted to get him on for penalties the other night and we know his qualities so was great to see him out there.”
“Very similar to Joe Willock and a couple of other players, he’s technically fit but isn’t in the condition to maybe play regularly. We’ll need to nurse him back as we want him to be fit, we have to be careful. His versatility has meant he has been a huge miss for us as he can play wide and centrally. When you miss him and Joelinton at the same time, a lot of your versatility as a squad goes.”
Howe on Isak and Willock – “They’re getting there. Alex has had a groin problem three times so naturally there is maybe a feeling he needs confidence in his body and how he is performing. These two games have been good for him to help him feel that his body is strong. The work behind the scenes has been good and I’d like to think he’ll improve with each game.
“Joe is slightly different because of the time he was out. We’re trying to nurse him back to full fitness as quickly as possible. He’s got qualities that even if he isn’t 100 per cent fit and you’ve seen that in the last two games.”
Howe on Matt Target – “Matty might need a bit more time to get back, given his hamstring injury, but he is training now. To get back to their absolute best, I think you need that period of training behind you.”
