Buoyant Bournemouth are surely safe but Swans still risk sinking
BOURNEMOUTH have surely pulled it off but what about Swansea? Having done so much to make Francesco Guidolin feel better in recent days, his players showed just how far removed their club still is from full health.
They ought to be safe in the short-term context of Premier League survival, but there are many reasons why that cannot be taken for granted, illustrated here by three dreadfully soft goals that will have riled their Italian manager, who was missing a third straight game because of a chest infection.
It is to Alan Curtis’s immense credit and the club’s great benefit that they won two of those. But they are still only eight points to the good and that is why their anxieties cannot yet be consigned to past tenses.
Quite simply, their defence remains a mess, particularly when faced with a set-piece, and they are seemingly unable to find a way or system that gets the best out of Alberto Paloschi, their £8million January signing and the great hope of a blunt attack. Had even the first of those departments been on form, this could have been a won game.
Instead, Swansea twice fought back from behind and then lost to a Steve Cook header 12 minutes from time.
Curtis is no doubt that Swansea are still in trouble. He said: ‘Individual errors have probably cost us the match.
‘We played Norwich last weekend and Aston Villa next. If we got a result today it would have made it much easier. Villa was always must-win. Now it is must-must-win.’
For Bournemouth, there is the tremendous satisfaction of a job well done. They led through Max Gradel, brilliantly resurgent after a serious knee injury early in the season, only for Modou Barrow to level and underline the argument that he deserves more playing time.
Josh King made it 2-1 but once more Bournemouth could not make it stick, with Gylfi Sigurdsson scoring his seventh in 10 starts.
Howe was getting exasperated but when Cook headed a third in the 78th minute there was no comeback.
Bournemouth are all but safe in their first Premier League season, despite seeing their squad decimated by injury in the early stages. Howe said: ‘My official line is what you would expect – nothing is decided. We are in a good position but there
is work to do. We can’t relax for a second in this division. If you drop your levels you will be punished.’
On Gradel, who only returned from injury at the end of last month, Howe added: ‘He has had a tough season but he is made of special stuff. All credit to him.’
The pair shared a touchline hug after Gradel’s opener and Howe said: ‘I thought he was running to someone behind me so I didn’t want to commit. But it was a nice moment.’ Whether he wants to admit it or not, Bournemouth are set to enjoy a few more of those in the Premier League.