'Context of Bournemouth's form is remarkable'
With 13 games left of the Premier League season, Bournemouth have every right to feel delighted about the first two-thirds of the campaign.Having never made it this far into a top-flight season with anything approaching a positive goal difference, the Cherries are already only five short of equalling last term's record points tally and the fans are dreaming about Europe - even if the club will not publicly engage in such talk.What is more remarkable is the context in which this run of form has been achieved.Hearing Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou's weekend gripes about "players out of position and kids on the bench", Cherries supporters could be forgiven for pointing to their past month spent without a fit right-back or central striker, and a host of untried development squad players filling out the substitutes' bench.Yet, they still managed to beat Newcastle, Nottingham Forest, Everton and Southampton by a combined total of 14 goals to two, only stumbling with a 2-0 defeat by champions-elect Liverpool.The injury situation seems to be slightly easing, with Marcus Tavernier back for some important cameos off the bench (plus a start in the FA Cup), while Alex Scott and Luis Sinisterra - both sidelined since the win over Arsenal in mid-October - made comebacks as substitutes in Saturday's win at St Mary's.Scott's return could be particularly welcome as Ryan Christie has been walking a disciplinary tightrope for two games since picking up his ninth yellow card of the season against Liverpool.The 'cut-off' for suspensions for 10 cautions is not until after teams have completed 32 league games - mid-April - so it may be unrealistic to expect Christie's all-action midfield style not to earn him a yellow card before then. In which case, with Lewis Cook still deputising as a makeshift right-back, Scott could be the man to step in.Antoine Semenyo and Justin Kluivert, who both served one-match bans earlier in the season for accumulating five bookings, are now on six, as is Cook, with Dean Huijsen (now appearing almost daily in the BBC transfer gossip column) on five.
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