AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth head coach Scott Parker spoke to the press earlier today ahead of the Cherries’ trip to face Manchester City on Saturday.
Here are three things we learned...
1. An impressive first week for Neto and Marcos Senesi
Since the club’s Premier League opener on Saturday, two new faces have arrived at Vitality Stadium in the form of Neto and Marcos Senesi.
The former arrived from FC Barcelona while the latter came in from Feyenoord, and the head coach has been impressed with what he’s seen so far.
He told the press: “They’ve been very good; I’ve been very pleased. It’s difficult when you come in from different countries, environments and cultures.
“I’m conscious of how players settle in, and it can sometimes be quite daunting and pretty difficult, but I think this is an easy environment to come into.
“It’s a young and dynamic squad and I think both boys, certainly from what I’m seeing, have shown no effects of the difficulties. In fact, it’s probably the opposite.
“Both boys have hit the ground running, albeit without a lot of training time with us, but I definitely feel comfortable in where they currently are.”
2. A positive week following Villa win
Saturday’s Premier League opener saw the Cherries triumph over Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa, with Jefferson Lerma and Kieffer Moore netting the goals in the 2-0 win.
Parker revealed in his press conference that the effects of those three points have been visible this week.
“It’s been a big week,” he said. “A football club on a Monday morning is always a nicer place and environment after you get three points.
“It was a big win for us against a very good team in Aston Villa and I thought we did exceptionally well.
“What made us get the result was evident and key, and that needs to be a staple this year for us.”
Parker added: “Overall, it’s been a good week with three points on the board after the first game of the season.
“Now we’re going into a difficult few fixtures but these are the challenges we’re going to embrace and we’re going to take on.”
3. Looking forward to the challenge of Man City
Next up in the top flight the Cherries travel to Manchester to take on Pep Guardiola's City.
Parker revealed in his press conference that the trip to the north west is a challenge he is looking forward to.
"We understand the challenge and what we could face at the weekend against an extremely talented team," he said.
"They have an extremely talented manager in Pep as well, so it's a big challenge for us but every game brings different challenges for us.
"We've prepped this week as much as we can in terms of trying to work out what is the best way to go against this team.
"That's extremely difficult because they're a team that can adapt in every situation in their positions.
"It's a challenge that we're looking forward to and one that we're going to embrace; we're going to bring the best we can bring with us and try and get something."
Kick-off at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday is at 3pm and supporters can listen to the game for free on afcb.co.uk.
