PUNDIT Martin Keown insisted Cherries had to “play with desire” to escape the bottom three and added: “The heartbeat has gone a little bit from Bournemouth.”
The former England international, a three-time Premier League winner, was at Vitality Stadium for BT Sport as his former club Arsenal overcame Eddie Howe’s men 2-1 in the FA Cup.
And 53-year-old Keown insisted the Dorset outfit had to do everything they could to put pressure on their opposition – rather than inviting it on themselves.
He told BT Sport: “They’ve got to analyse it better and come up with the answers for the players – but then the performance has to come from the players.
“They have to play with desire but where’s that coming from? Is it coming from the manager, or the players? Because the heartbeat has gone a little bit from Bournemouth.
“I do feel they would be better pressing and putting the opposition under pressure. This game against Aston Villa (on Saturday), there’s an equal pressure.
“If they win the game they go above Villa – so it’s equal for both teams. You’ve got to get in and around the Villa players, make it difficult for them, don’t sit off them as they did against Arsenal.”
He added: “It doesn’t have to be perfect football, you just test people. Ask questions of people. Put the pressure on the opposition – whereas it always feels the pressure is on the Bournemouth players.
“They are in possession and there’s a pressure. You can feel it – a fear they may lose the ball.
“Don’t put yourself in that position. If you’re not going to play out from the back and do it well enough – be a little more direct in your play.”
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