Sunday 20 August 2017 20:39, UK
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe was at a loss to explain his side's 2-0 defeat to Watford at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Cherries had been hoping to pick up their first points of the new Premier League season when they hosted Watford, only to suffer a second straight league defeat, while they are also yet to score this campaign.
"I'm really disappointed from our perspective," said Howe. "I felt we started OK, but then lost direction in the game and it was no surprise to see Watford score really.
"The momentum was with them at that stage of the game and it was disappointing as if we had just hung in there for a little but longer, it could have been different.
"I can't turn round and say that Watford did not deserve to win.
"It is really unlike us, I can't put my finger on why (we lacked creativity). Usually we are a very free-flowing and creative team and very good with the ball. Not so much against West Brom, but today we were very poor with the ball and we gave away needless possession.
"And I think if you do that against any team in the Premier League, you are going to be in big trouble, and Watford counterattacked really well today.
"Usually we are a lot better in working our way out of situations, but we found that very difficult today."
Howe again opted to start with summer signing Jermain Defoe on the bench, despite his front men failing to sparkle in last weekend's 1-0 loss at West Bromwich Albion.
However, despite being introduced with still more than half an hour left to play on the south coast, the striker was unable to make any impact.
"It was a difficult stage of the game as we did not have momentum, so we were trying to wrestle that back, and unfortunately we could not," said Howe of the player's display.
