Daniel Farke: It was solid and professional

Speaking to canaries.co.uk after the game, the boss said it was a ‘solid and professional’ performance from City on the south coast.

“It was a great point. Compliments to the lads to get off the mark in away games and get a first clean sheet of the season,” he said. “By the end of the game, all of my centre-backs were injured so we played defensive midfielders there in Ibrahim Amadou and Alex Tettey.

“I’d like to see Manchester City playing with Gundogan and Silva in centre-back. I think even they would struggle to be solid. I was a bit disappointed that we weren’t able to win the game because I felt we were improving a lot.

“We had the momentum on our side in the second half and had some good chances. Teemu Pukki had a brilliant strike, forcing a world class save. Tom Trybull was close to scoring in many situations. Three points would have been a massive step, but one is good for us.

“It was important to be really solid and compact in our defending. We improved our game and can play better in possession. The longer the game went on the better we were. It was solid and professional, so hopefully we can go on in this way.”

The only downside to the afternoon from City’s point of view is that Ben Godfrey hobbled off injured on the 50-minute mark, having undergone a successful operation on his hernia during the international break.

Farke said that taking Godfrey off was a case of wanting to avoid aggravating the issue.

“We didn’t want to take the risk with Ben Godfrey. He was really good in the first 50 minutes. We need him, and I hope his pain isn’t too bad and he’s available for the Man United game.”

Godfrey was replaced by Trybull, but he went into midfield while Tettey slotted in at centre-back alongside Amadou.

“Alex is a great leader,” Farke added. “He organised everything and was crucial to us being so solid. He was always in the right positions and played some good, concentrated passes. I’m pleased for Ibrahim Amadou as well because he had a really good performance against Man City, but in the last games he was involved in conceding goals. He had such a disciplined performance so that’s pleasing and promising for the future.

“I have to praise the whole team today. It’s a good point with a first clean sheet and solid defending. Bournemouth have a lot of quality in their offense with a lot of pace and physicality. We have been accused of being a bit too soft but today we showed real character and steel.

“Defending is the base of being successful. It’s difficult at this level when you have so many injured players. I’m looking forward to having all of our centre-backs back, so we are even more competitive. At the moment, we have to find some other solutions.”