Eddie Howe feels Bournemouth are “building momentum” ahead of Saturday’s visit of Norwich. The Cherries have made a decent start to the Premier League season although they dropped to 10th in the table after drawing 2-2 with West Ham and losing 1-0 at Arsenal before the international break.
Despite stuttering somewhat heading into the hiatus, only three points separate the south-coast club and fourth-placed Leicester, and a victory over the Canaries could lift them into the European places.
After their indifferent run before the break, getting points on the board can help get their season back on track, while they are taking on a Canaries side on the slide.
Daniel Farke’s men were smashed 5-1 at home by Aston Villa before the break and have floundered after a bright start to life in the Premier League.
While early-season wins over Newcastle and Manchester City provided hope, they have not taken any other points from their opening eight games and so sit 19th in the table.
Injuries have hurt Farke’s side, who looked naive against Villa, with their determination to play out from the back continually costing them.
With this the Cherries’ fifth season in the Premier League, these are the type of games they should be eyeing up to pick up points from amid talk of a push for the European places.
Between now and the November international break, Howe’s side face Watford, Manchester United and Newcastle, and a good run of results could see them force their way into the top six.
However, the boss is refusing to look past a “dangerous” Norwich side, instead seeing Saturday’s fixture as the chance to build up a head of steam. “I think we are building momentum in our season, so this will be a key game for us,” he told reporters. “We could’ve got more against West Ham and Arsenal, so we obviously want to win on Saturday.”
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