He discussed responding from last week's 2-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers, the depth in his squad and the latest on Covid-19 protocols ahead of the next matchday. 

The Cherries travel to the Riverside Stadium for a 12.30pm kick-off, the game being televised live on Sky Sports this Saturday. 

We picked out five key points his spoke about ahead of the game.  

Bouncing back 

I've been really pleased with the team in training. They've been really positive throughout the week. As always, they'll understand where we need to improve and certainly last week, for large parts, I thought we played well.

There were certain elements of the game that I didn't like and we've gone over that. Those are areas that we need to improve in certain moments, certainly in the way they got their goals.

With regard to second phase set plays, there were parts to go over but I've had a very good reaction from the players. We're looking forward now to a tough game against Middlesbrough and, beyond that, the remaining part of the season really. 

Scoring goals 

Dominic Solanke has been a large part of that and Philip Billing has contributed - Jaidon Anthony has also done his bit. There's obviously an element of wanting to get goals from other areas of the pitch.

That's set plays mainly but we understand that and we're constantly working on it. For the last four or five games, we've had to tinker a little bit and change certain things due to injuries or certain situations. That's probably had a slight effect on us in that sense but it's always something we're looking at in terms of getting other goals into the team. 

Midfield options 

It's a difficult option when they're all fit. At the moment, that's not been the case, so we've had different situations with injuries and suspensions. It's always trying to find the best balance and best chemistry within the team.

Over the last few weeks, Ryan Christie's played inside the pitch, we've seen the majority of his stuff played outside before, but this is where we're currently are and we've been juggling a little bit. 

Middlesbrough's threat

Like always, they've had a new manager go in and it takes a little bit of time. The last three results and they're unbeaten, so it's a tough game and a tough place to go. They've got quality in their side, so I think we understand a manager and coach in Chris with huge quality.

I've got a lot of respect for him and I've faced his teams a few times. As I say, it's going to be a tough test, especially with an early kick-off, but we'll be prepared and ready for the challenge that faces us. 

For the majority, they've played a back five. They look to control it with the ball a little bit more under Chris Wilder. I think it's still really early and he is trying to put his stamp on it. I think we're probably not seeing the real Chris Wilder team but there are changes there. They have their threats and we need to be prepared for that. 

Covid-19

No, we don't have any cases at the moment. I think it's like anything at this moment in time, it's a delicate situation and one we've lived in for the last couple of years.

It seems as though it's just rising a little bit at the moment. We're in an environment here and in football where we follow a lot of protocols. We're in a safe situation, if things change by that then we need to be adaptable.

At this present moment in time, the last thing people probably want is for football to stop in any way. At the same time, if people's safety was coming into question then that might have to take place and I'm sure it will.