Having been unbeaten in their first six Premier League matches under Gary qO’Neil, the subsequent decline of his Bournemouth side has been steep: after last week’s loss in London, they have been beaten in eight of their last nine.
Only a 3-0 win over fellow strugglers Everton has split two streaks of four straight defeats, and the Cherries are looking particularly short of ideas in the final third.
They have lost their last four by an aggregate score of 9-0, and the South Coast club have never before lost five on the spin without scoring in the top flight; illustrating the size of the task facing O’Neil at the season’s halfway stage.
Despite the promise of fresh funds from Bournemouth’s new owners, movement of players either in or out has been in short supply so far this month, and a team also eliminated from the FA Cup by Championship pace-setters Burnley is clearly bereft of confidence.
As no Premier League ground has seen fewer goals than the Vitality Stadium this season (19), and only Wolves (six) have netted fewer at home, O’Neil would surely prioritise reinforcements up front if offered a say on the matter.
Nottingham Forest, though, have scored just twice in their nine away fixtures since promotion, and Bournemouth have recent history on their side too: four wins from their last five against Forest include the clubs’ only previous top-flight meeting, in September.
Homegrown hero Brennan Johnsonscored from the penalty spot in that bitter defeat, but his more recent performances – and those of his teammates – have reached another level; transforming Forest into a team to be reckoned with.
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The Reds have won their last two Premier League games, beating Southampton 1-0 and Leicester 2-0, and seeing off their East Midlands rivals on home soil will have been particularly sweet for their long-suffering fans.
Twice, Johnson was teed up to score by an increasingly influential Morgan Gibbs-White – the club’s record signing – and Forest have now averaged nearly two points per game over their past six outings.
At the midpoint of their top-flight return, Steve Cooper’s hastily-assembled squad sit 13th in the league table and are also anticipating next month’s EFL Cup semi-final tie against Manchester United, so surely expect to return to Nottingham with all three points on Saturday night.
