Bournemouth manager Gary O'Neil has insisted his side are determined to finish the season strongly, warning Manchester United that they are by no means 'on the beach' despite securing their Premier League status.
The Cherries secured their place in the top flight last weekend despite a 2-0 defeat at Crystal Palace, with points dropped by Leicester City and Leeds United leaving them unable to surpass the 39-point mark Bournemouth have reached. The south coast side have defied the odds in beating the drop, having been among the favourites since the opening week of the season.
As such, they welcome United to the Vitality Stadium with nothing to play for but a higher-placed finish in the bottom half of the table. However, O'Neil has warned the Reds that his side will not be in their flip flops come Saturday and are instead desperate to respond to last week's defeat.
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“It will be a good test for us,” O'Neil said on Friday. “I want us to finish strongly. By the time the summer comes, there will be a reflection on what we’ve achieved, regardless of what goes on in the next two and the last two.
“If you’d have said to us in some of those dark months where we were struggling with injuries and we were even 19th or 20th that you’re happy to get to 39 and sign off with four games to go that you’re probably safe, we’d have all signed up for that.
“We obviously set ourselves a goal, we’ve achieved it, but does that mean that we’re happy to just stop and park up and finish on 39 points? Definitely not. Last weekend was a good reminder really that if you drop your level a little bit, it can look like quite a lot at this level. The Premier League is ruthless.
“I’m looking for a response from last weekend and Manchester United at home is a great fixture for the boys to show what they can do.”
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