Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe: "Chelsea game ruined my Christmas"

Eddie Howe has urged his Bournemouth players to return to winning ways at Swansea City this weekend after seeing his Christmas "ruined" by defeat to Chelsea last time out.

The Cherries fell to a comprehensive 3-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day to find themselves seven points clear of the Premier League relegation zone.

Howe admits that Bournemouth are currently at a crossroads of sorts, positioned almost exactly midway in the division and looking both over their shoulder and ahead to a potential top-half finish.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the trip to South Wales on New Year's Eve, he said: "The Chelsea game ruined my Christmas. As always, what's going on with our results dictates my mood and how you enjoy your social time. It obviously didn't ruin it for the kids, but personally, it was a difficult Christmas period.

"The nature of the division is that you're always looking over your shoulder. We also want to look up the league table, because a couple of back-to-back wins can elevate you into a really good position. Given our current position, we're looking both up and down the table right now.

"We know this is an important game and a key period for us. We've been a bit inconsistent of late and that is something we've talked about internally. We want to find our level week in week out. We've turned in some good performances, but we need to do that on a more regular basis. With the new year, that is something we're keen to address."

Bournemouth, now winless in two games, follow their trip to Swansea with a home tie against Arsenal on January 3.