Arsenal defeat shows Bournemouth progress – Howe

Bournemouth’s progression in the past 12 months is now evident, according to manager Eddie Howe after being impressed by his side despite their loss to Arsenal at the weekend.

Howe’s side finished 16th in their debut Premier League campaign, five points clear of the relegation zone.

They currently sit 12th in this season’s standings and Howe thinks that is a clear illustration of their growth from the last campaign.

Last season’s fixture at the Emirates saw Arsene Wenger’s side run out 2-0 victors, and, despite the same winning margin, Howe is adamant Sunday’s 3-1 loss was a better defeat than 11 months ago.

“I feel that it was a more even game than the one last season. I thought we started very well in it but then their quality showed and we dealt with their threats better,” said the former Burnley boss.

Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

“You look at the players we’re missing, Artur Boruc, Charlie Daniels and Andrew Surman – they’ve been key players here for a number of years and they know how we play inside out so to go to Arsenal without them and produce the performance we did speaks volumes of the quality of the squad.

“I think that experiences like that, where we play the top teams, enable you to play the other sides in the division with more confidence.”