Bournemouth have been in poor form by their standards recently, and boss Scott Parker has outlined what his side needs to do to get back on track.
Bournemouth sit in 2nd-place of the Championship table after a blistering start to the season before December.
But recently, they have had a drop-off in form.
The Cherries haven’t won any of their past five league games, and have only two wins in their past eight.
But the flying start to the new campaign has played a massive part in them being the current runners up in the table having gone the first 15 league games unbeaten.
Parker’s side have faced three of the current top seven-in-a-row in their last games, drawing to Coventry City and Fulham whilst picking up no points against Blackburn Rovers.
Although injuries have been a running theme in the squad, to reach their goal of promotion back to the Premier League after missing out last season, a big change in performances will be needed.
This is what Parker had to say on the Cherries’ recent performances, via Bournemouth Echo:
“A couple of things really. We need to get everyone fit, we need to get our players back on the grass.
“We need to get a full fit squad back in play, of course we do. Then you go back to basics a little bit, you turn the screw a little bit and let’s get back to basics.
“We’ve done that. I think the players have reacted in a very good way and they have over the course of the last four or five games.
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“Is it where we would have wanted to have been? Of course not.
“But you look throughout the league, there are other teams in and around the top who are in probably a bit of a similar situation – teams that have not won in four or five and this is the dynamics of this division really.
“First and foremost, hopefully we get some players fit and some players back in Jefferson Lerma off of suspension and we’ll be fine.”
It looks as though the Bournemouth boss is confident of a quick turnaround, and will be hoping to do so starting this weekend against Middlesbrough.
Both ends of the pitch have been weaknesses recently for his side – letting in too many whilst not scoring enough to see out games.
With the likes of Philip Billing, Junior Stanislas and Jordan Zemura returning, the next fixture could be the all important game they start to kick on in their bid for promotion.
Up next for the Cherries is a long away trip to Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon in a 12:30pm kick-off.
