On Saturday, Eddie Howe left his position as Bournemouth head coach by mutual consent. Some were shocked by the 42-year-old’s exit. However, for some, it was the right time for the young boss to leave the south coast club.
There was no doubting that the Cherries were simply not good enough over the season. The team from the south coast lost 22 of their 38 league matches. The end of season table does not lie and Howe has to take some of the blame.
Eddie Howe has left #afcb by mutual consent.It's been an unbelievable journey, thank you so much for the memories Eddie ❤️ https://t.co/SCVnCkbSpy— AFC Bournemouth (@afcbournemouth) August 1, 2020
Eddie Howe has left #afcb by mutual consent.It's been an unbelievable journey, thank you so much for the memories Eddie ❤️ https://t.co/SCVnCkbSpy
Although Howe has shown many good coaching attributes during his time with the Cherries, he did make mistakes that a more experienced boss may not have made.
One of the areas that Howe failed to address was the Cherries defensive problems. Only Aston Villa and bottom club Norwich conceded more goals than Bournemouth in the English top-flight last season.
Unfortunately, this was not a new issue as in most of their time in the Premier League Bournemouth struggled defensively. However, they had players in attack to bail them out. This season was different, as the Cherries were not as potent in attack.
Big-money signings Dominic Solanke and Jordon Ibe have failed to live up to their potential in the last few seasons. In fact, Ibe was so bad that the Cherries allowed him to leave as a free agent at the end of last month.
Howe could not have foreseen the failure of the pair, but it may make him evaluate his transfer targets more carefully in his next job.
Somebody recently compared Howe to Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, who had a similar experience with Mainz. Despite his team being relegated, Klopp was applauded for his efforts in taking Mainz to beyond anybody ever predicted they could.
Howe seems like a decent coach and if he goes on to achieve half of what the Reds boss has in his career, then he will be elated.