Scott Parker: “Unbeaten is a mantra you want to keep”

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AFC Bournemouth remain only one of two sides in the EFL Championship to have not lost a game after seven games.

Promotion rivals West Brom are the other side to remain undefeated so far this campaign and Parker doesn’t believe being unbeaten will add any pressure to his young side to get results.

“The opposite really, I feel like unbeaten is a mantra you want to keep, every game you go into is something you want to hold on to and I would like to think it is something which we would be relishing and that is exactly how I see it,” the head coach revealed to NERVE SPORT.

“Winning becomes a habit and you want to keep doing that.”

Parker’s side have so far beaten QPR, Barnsley, Birmingham and Nottingham Forest and have drawn with West Brom, Blackpool and Hull and sit third in the table with 15 points – joint with West Brom and Coventry and one behind league leaders Fulham.

So far, the Cherries have impressed with their performances’, scoring 13 and conceding six in the opening couple of months of the season, but the head coach is well aware of the difficult challenge that lay ahead.

“Seven games now unbeaten in the division can only keep forming or keep trying to form the habit of not losing games – at the same time we are in a league that is very tough,” he added.

“We saw last weekend some results that were thrown at you that you are thinking we didn’t see coming but it is what can happen in this division.”

With a challenging trip to Cardiff on the cards for this weekend, Parker’s side will come up against a team that is known for their set-piece prowess, having scored four of their 11 goals from set-pieces so far this campaign.

Cardiff are an extremely tall side with the likes of top scoring defender Adam Flint and Wales striker Kiefar Moore coming in at six foot five inches and the team from South Wales will no doubt look to get the ball in the air and in the box.

When asked about using the experience of former Chelsea and England defender Gary Cahill to marshall the defence during these crucial moments of games, Parker said: “Yeah, it will definitely help, I think there will have to be certain players that rise in those moments because they are naturally fine in those situations and they are going to have to pull another couple of them with them in games. 

“Gaz will certainly be that, Lloyd Kelly, these sort of players with experience or players in those positions where you are going to come under it in those moments will have to come to the fore, but yeah, certainly Gaz will help in that.”

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