Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe frustrated by international break
Lewis Cook 'excellent' in draw with Leicester, says Cherries manager
Sunday 1 October 2017 23:45, UK
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe is concerned the international break may come at the wrong time for his side.
Howe's side were held to a goalless draw by Leicester at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday but created plenty of chances to score and outplayed their opponents.
The Cherries were denied a penalty when a handball from Leicester defender Danny Simpson went unpunished, although Howe will be buoyed by the fact his side recorded their first clean sheet of the Premier League campaign.
Bournemouth do not play again until they face Tottenham at Wembley on October 14 and Howe feels frustrated he will have to wait to work with his players again.
"We would have wanted to build on the real positives," he said. "The past international break really did hinder us; a lot of players went away and didn't play.
"That's probably the biggest problem we have. They don't play for two weeks; they don't train for two weeks; they come back and look a little bit rusty. We hope that's not the case this time."
Howe can take heart from the emergence of Lewis Cook, however, with the midfielder impressing against Leicester after starting his first Premier League match since May.
Cook joined Bournemouth from Leeds in July 2016 but struggled to oust Arsenal loanee Jack Wilshere from the side, meaning he played little first-team football in his first season at the club.
"Lewis has progressed so much: improved most aspects of his game," added Howe.
"He was excellent. That's credit to the player [that he coped without regular football]. A lot of players in his position would have been disappointed, or at times stopped learning, developing, because they don't see a pathway for them.
"Lewis is not that type of character: he wants to get to the very top, and displayed the attitude that will help get him there.
"He's certainly got a creative eye: he can play a defence-splitting pass, create chances from nothing, has got a lovely way that he drives the ball through midfield. No one else in our midfield can do what he can."
