Marco Rose was left frustrated by Bournemouth’s late defensive collapse after Manchester City came from behind to claim a dramatic 2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium.
The Cherries looked on course for an impressive result after Marcus Tavernier’s first-half goal, but late strikes from Marc Guéhi and Josko Gvardiol turned the game around.
Rose was encouraged by much of Bournemouth’s performance but believes his players failed to manage the decisive moments.
Rose frustrated by late defending
Bournemouth frustrated Manchester City for long periods and remained ahead until the closing stages.
However, their resistance was finally broken when Guéhi converted from Rayan Cherki’s corner before Gvardiol completed the turnaround in stoppage time.
“It’s really disappointing,” Rose said. “At the end we needed to finish the game. We had many good moments, we suffered, we found triggers to win balls, we had chances.
“But at the end we had two situations where we defended not well enough. One corner kick where we got blocked and one situation we were just too passive around our box.”
Those two moments ultimately transformed what could have been a major away victory into Bournemouth’s first defeat of the new campaign.
Bournemouth must learn quickly
Rose nevertheless saw plenty of positives in his team’s performance.
The Cherries competed well against a City side that controlled possession and managed to create opportunities when transitioning forward.
But Rose wants his players to become more aggressive when protecting results late in matches.
“If you see the clock ticking and it’s five minutes to go you need to stay active,” he explained.
“You need to go forward and put them in uncomfortable situations. These are things we are going to speak about and we will try to do it better next time.”
Rose believes the foundations of the performance were strong but insisted Bournemouth now need to improve the small details that decide Premier League matches.
Key Points
- Bournemouth suffered a late 2-1 defeat despite leading Manchester City for most of the game.
- Rose criticised two defensive situations which allowed City to complete their comeback.
- The Bournemouth boss was encouraged by the overall performance but wants greater aggression late in matches.
- Rose believes improving the details will be crucial to turning competitive performances into points.
What’s Next?
Bournemouth now have six days to respond before hosting Everton at the Vitality Stadium on August 29.
Rose is expected to focus on the defensive mistakes that cost his side at the Etihad as Bournemouth chase their first Premier League victory of the season.
Can Bournemouth turn this encouraging performance into three points against Everton?
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