Eddie Howe will not 'bow to pressure' over Bournemouth selection
Tuesday 22 August 2017 07:38, UK
Eddie Howe is adamant he will not be "pressured" into fielding his strongest XI in Bournemouth's Carabao Cup tie at Birmingham.
Bournemouth suffered early exits in both FA Cup and League Cup competition last season, leading to criticism of Howe for opting to rotate his squad for games outside the Premier League.
Jermain Defoe, 34, is set to make his first start for Bournemouth in their game against Sky Bet Championship side Birmingham on Tuesday, but Howe also indicated he will have no qualms in giving young players a chance in the cup tie.
"I am certainly not going to bow to pressure from anybody to do anything other than what is right for us," Howe told the Daily Echo. "When I say that, what I mean is developing young players, giving an opportunity to our squad.
"Everyone cries out in this country for more chances for young players to play and, when you do play them and rotate the team, you get criticised for it.
"Sometimes, when you are in this seat, you are in a no-win situation but I will do what is right for Bournemouth and take the consequences."
Despite their dismal results in cup competitions, Bournemouth secured their highest ever league finish at ninth last season.
Howe, whose side face Manchester City on Saturday following their midweek fixture, maintains the league is still their main priority but that does not change their ambitions in other domestic competitions.
"When you enter a cup competition, you want to do well for the supporters, the club and the team and you want to go as far as you can," Howe said. "The fact I am making changes doesn't change that and we still want those things.
"You are trying to manage your squad in a productive way so everyone feels like they have had an opportunity to play and everyone is ready to play when called upon for the Premier League, which ultimately... is our priority.
"We still want to do well in the cup competitions and we want to start well against Birmingham if we can."
