Bournemouth’s Lewis Cook must play against Manchester City

I’ve mentioned in the past how Lewis Cook is a huge talent. He’s never really got his chance to nail down a starting place in the first eleven at my side AFC Bournemouth since signing back in the summer of 2016.

But I’m saying it’s now or never for Eddie Howe to put some faith in a player who I think will captain England one day.

In our midweek League Cup win against Birmingham City Lewis Cook was one of the highlights. Although he wasn’t sensational, he was always looking to move the ball up the pitch. And it’s exactly that kind of forward thinking we have been severely lacking so far in the league.

Too many Cooks won’t spoil the broth

There’s also the argument that he couldn’t do much worse than the midfield we’ve played in our first couple of Premier League games this season.

Andrew Surman and Harry Arter have looked well off the pace, lacking any intensity or drive. They also seem to be struggling to decide between them who should be pushing forward and who should be protecting the back four. It’s all rather unseemly.

Lewis Cook on the other hand is best when he plays well ahead of the defensive line – so he can pick out forward passes that Surman would struggle to. His confidence is also sky high considering he captained the England Under-20s to World Cup victory this summer.

Even his stats attest to this, as in only six appearance last season he clocked up two assists. Surman could only notch the same amount in nearly four times as many games (22). In 35 games Arter got four assists.

Although games aren’t played on paper, these stats would seem to demonstrate that Lewis Cook will surely be given a chance in our first eleven sooner rather than later.

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Pack the midfield

There is the argument that he lacks physicality to play in a central midfield pair though. And it’s an argument I would largely agree with.

However I think many of our current problems lie in the fact that Howe is stubbornly sticking to a 4-4-2 (or 4-4-1-1 if you want to be really picky) formation that has never consistently worked for us.

We’ve actually looked much better when we play five across the middle in my opinion. Especially against the bigger sides. Instead of making us more defensive it’s actually made us look far more threatening. Just take a look at our performance against Hull City at Dean Court as proof of this – where we won 6-1.

So with that in mind Lewis Cook could take up the empty space Jack Wilshere has left behind. I think he could become even better than the Arsenal man in time too.

Big challenge

Of course the game against Manchester City this Saturday will be tough whoever we play. The Citizens have scored fifteen goals past us in just four Premier League games. We’ve scored one goal in reply.

To give us the best chance of a result we need to stay solid and frustrate Pep Guardiola’s side as long as possible. Then hope we can take one of the few chances we’ll – hopefully – create.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Lewis Cook needs to start this Saturday if we’re to have any chance of creating those chances and therefore avoid defeat. Whether Howe feels the same I’m not so sure though.