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Eddie Howe: We're not thinking about Europe

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe insists his side are not thinking about challenging for a place in...



Eddie Howe: We're not thin...
Soccer

Eddie Howe: We're not thinking about Europe

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe insists his side are not thinking about challenging for a place in Europe this season.

The Cherries have picked up two wins in their last three games and in recent weeks have sat in eighth position in the table, the highest place the club has climbed to in their history.

Howe addressed their form and pointed out how different the questions can get depending on a run of results.

"I was asked that on Tuesday [about our targets], he said. "It's funny how quickly the questions change from one area of the table to another depending on a win or a loss.

"I've made it very clear that our target is to improve on last season... I haven't thought for a second about Europe, I've just thought about Southampton and trying to win this game.

"It was a nice moment [to move to eighth], obviously we're back to 10th now so it was short-lived but the motivation for us is to keep moving up the league."

Eddie Howe shakes the hand of Jamie Vardy after victory over Premier League champions Leicester City. Image:  Adam Davy PA Wire/PA Images

Bournemouth host Claude Puel's side this Sunday, knowing a win could see them climb as high as seventh, just one place outside of a European spot.

Howe insists, however, that for them to challenge for a higher position in the table, they must find consistency in their performances.

"It's always a difficult one to put your finger on, why you have success one season at home and not the other. It took a while for us to work out last season because we were really good on the road. We picked up a lot of points and had some really good performances away from home which is statistically more difficult to do.

"This year has been the opposite. The challenge now is to improve on the away form and keeping our home form as it has been, very strong."

Asked whether or not the team would be active in the transfer market come January he said: "I don't think it will be a huge window for us this season. But we'll wait and see because you never know. In football you could get a host of injuries, things can change. But I'm very happy with the squad at the moment. 

"Provided we don't have any major setbacks in the next few weeks, I don't anticipate it being a very busy month for us."

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