Against Exeter City in League One, Eddie Howe adopted a traditional 4-4-2 formation.

In addition to Rossi, the team's starters in the other ten positions were rotated.

The EFL Cup is an opportunity for Premier League teams to develop substitutes, and Bournemouth is not a crushing against teams from League One.

Eddie Howe arranged it this way, in fact, there is another reason.

The 4-4-2 formation allows teams to make significant use of the width of the pitch in both attack and defence, and switch between attack and defence.

The division of labor among the players is clear, and it is easy to establish tacit understanding.

It's a long season and you can't put all the pressure on the 14 players who started and came off the bench.

Increasing bench depth plays an important role in a long season.

From the start of the game, both sides were very aggressive, and Exeter City's 3-5-2 line-up gave them the advantage in the middle of the strangulation.

Bournemouth's centre-forward Pitman, who scored 19 goals in 26 appearances in League One in the 12-13 season, was an important contributor to the team's promotion to the Championship.

However, last season's dip in form and the strength of strikers such as Graban and Kermogant have led to just 12 starts and five goals in 34 appearances.

Eddie Howe also wants to rejuvenate him through the cup.

Facing the opposition's midfield, Bournemouth already had the experience of winning the first round and Harry-Town, attacking from the wings of Stanislas and Ryan Fraser, and feeding the ball to Pittman up front.

And Rossi's task is to be responsible for pulling the line of defense for him.

Although Exeter City's attacking attitude is very positive, the strength of both sides is there after all.

Bournemouth's 4-4-2 line-up, with Gosling and McDonald in midfield providing protection and allowing the flanks to press boldly.

And the full-backs can also get assists to create a 2v1 advantage.

Although they are not as sharp as Wilson in the counterattack point, the speed of the two still has a huge advantage in front of the League One team.

In the 8th minute of the game, Ryan Fraser broke down the wing and crossed, the ball went around the full-back and into the goal.

In front of goal, Pitman strode forward, kept his eyes on the ball as he sprinted, adjusted his balance, and rose to the ground as he approached the penalty spot.

The home fans behind the goal also stood up with his jump.

Pitman pressed defender Jordan Tilson and headed the ball into the top left corner of the goal. The goalkeeper swooped and touched the ball lightly with his fingertips.

Bang!

Ooh!

With the crisp sound of striking iron, the fans collectively let out a burst of exclamation.

Amid a round of applause, the fans sat back in their seats.

Pitman also looked up to the sky and roared, the goal passed by him, very unwilling, he needed to score too much to prove himself.

Before the header, Rossi's run had already opened up space for him to be 1v1 and the team passed the ball just right, which was a great opportunity, but the performance of the opposition goalkeeper was too good.

[Oh no, Bournemouth's attack is so exciting, sharp counterattack, strong header, I feel that if the attack continues like this, it will not be far from scoring.] 】

[Hmm?] The director gave the camera to Pixie Lot, who also gave a standing ovation after Pittman's header just now, and it seems that she is a Bournemouth fan. 】

This sentence of the on-site narrator has the meaning of arching fire.

The Exeter City players looked at each other with jealousy.

You Bournemouth were only promoted from League One in the first two seasons, why should there be a beautiful fan of Pixie's level?

Subsequently, their offensive intensified.

And the Bournemouth team knows that they have the support of beautiful singers, their morale is high, and they are not to be outdone when they see the momentum of the other party.

For the whole 30 minutes of the first half, both sides were attacking with all their might, and before they knew it, everyone was covered in sweat and began to be a little out of breath.

Even if they are professional players, they can't stand such a fast-paced transition between offense and defense, and the players on both sides who can't sprint can no longer sprint, so they think of seeking the cooperation of their teammates and slowing down the pace.

Heading into half-time, the Bournemouth players sat on a stool with their elbows resting on their thighs, their heads hanging and sweat sliding down their faces.

"Wiped the sweat off."

Eddie Howe was proud of his hard-working players, saying: "Hydrate, rest as much as possible, and play like that in the second half. ”

Still attacking like this?

With such a rhythm, you can run for fifteen minutes at most, and if you continue to run, you will want to die.

In the locker room, only Rossi responded, "Yes." ”

……

Of the ten people who started, except for the goalkeeper, the remaining nine looked at Rossi with resentful eyes.

This guy ran about the same as the goalkeeper in the first half, and of course he had a lot of energy.

Stand and talk, no backache.

At the start of the second half, the visitors made a substitution, a counter-adjustment in the midfield position, with Brown replacing Davis.

In the first half, the two sides attacked so fiercely, and the most tired was the back waist, not only to press, but also to make up for the loopholes that were counterattacked.

After being physically tortured, the players on both sides were more honest in the second half, playing at their own pace, not as bloody as in the first half.

The difference in strength will soon be reflected.

Bournemouth's individual ability is clearly stronger than the opposition, especially the advantage of the wings, which puts huge pressure on the central midfield of the Exeter City team.

The coach of the visiting team is also terrified off the field, and if he is besieged like this, he will be scored sooner or later.

But he soon discovered one of his opponents' shortcomings, and that was the ability of the forward line to fight for the top.

Although Pittman has air superiority, he cannot single out the entire backline.

Bournemouth's long ball rush requires two high strikers to play to their advantage.

Their other center forward is Rossi, who has average ability to fight for the top, and he uses more off-ball running to pull space for his teammates.

Eddie Howe also seemed to notice it, standing in the coaching area, shouting towards the field, making a series of incomprehensible gestures with his right hand.

Others can't read it, but the Bournemouth players know it in their hearts.

Stanislas on the left flank broke through on the left, and the opponent had no choice but to shrink and use the numerical advantage to trap him and limit the quality of his crosses.

But he still passed it out, and the quality was average.

Pittman, in the middle, won the ball again at the edge of the penalty area, and it was his fifth aerial duel of the game.

This time, however, instead of heading the ball to the right, he swung it to the right.

In this area, Rosie, who had been walking, suddenly activated.

Although there was no offside, he did not get rid of the defender's defense and was occupied by the opponent in the advantageous position of cutting inside.

Baldwin is confident that he will never let Rossi break through and enter the box.

Rossi took two steps before smashing the ball to the left with his right foot to shake off Baldwin's defence.

Although the proficiency of this "knocking ball change direction" is not high, it is still quite effective in the face of Baldwin, who is tall and slow to turn.

However, Baldwin reached out with his left foot in time to block Rossi's shot angle in the first place.

And the back players are also back in place, forming a trap trend.

Rossi shot after shaking off the defence and was the best option.

But when it touches his backfoot, it's not easy to exert force.

With the outside of his left foot, he pushed a lateral ball into the middle of the penalty area.

Here, Gosling, who was inserted, pulled his bow and shot a blast, and the ball flew towards the bottom left corner of the goal.

The goalkeeper's vision was blocked, and the save was 0.1 seconds slower, and in just 0.1 seconds, death was pronounced.

1:0！！！

Bournemouth take the lead.