AFC Bournemouth
Interim development squad coach Bruce Suraci has challenged his players to react in a positive manner following the friendly defeat to Eastleigh.
The Cherries travelled to Silverlake Stadium on Tuesday but fell to a 3-0 defeat and Suraci was disappointed with the energy levels in the team.
He said: “We felt, as a group, we didn’t have the energy that we’ve had in training or in previous games.
“The lads looked like they lacked the motivation to do the things that involved running, like running in behind or pressing the ball, and as a result, we got punished from our own mistakes.”
Suraci believes the experience will end up being a positive for the squad, who discussed the importance of impressing people with their energy.
He singled out the performance of Dominic Sadi, who impressed with his strong work ethic even though he missed his usual quality in front of goal.
Suraci said: “You look at Dom today, his end product wasn’t as good as it has been but he ran hard, reacted well and was aggressive.
“We just had a long chat with the group and emphasised that is what we want them to do as it makes them more reliable for a future manager or in the first-team, whether or not their quality on the ball is 100%.
“As we’ve had in every one of our games, we had a mix of players and ages but in fairness to the younger lads, they worked really hard and that’s all we can ask from them.”
The Cherries are back in action on Monday when they travel to the Powerday Stadium to take on QPR in the Premier League Cup.
With two wins from their opening two games in the tournament, the development squad have made an excellent start.
Suraci welcomes the pressure that the game will provide and is looking forward to seeing a response.
“This has been a harsh day for them emotionally, a bit of a sting, but a good one in the long run as hopefully it will put them in a deep, reflective state.
“We’ve got three sessions until what they will see as a big game, which is a good place to be as it creates pressure, it’s a big week for them in their minds.
“Every academy game is a great opportunity for the boys to learn and we’ve got the chance to build on today with a good performance on Monday.”
Supported by
