It was always likely to be the case that we would learn more from yesterday’s game than we would have from a league game, as is the way when you make numerous changes and get a first proper look at a fair few players, as well as some returning ones. You hope that the things you learn are going to be more positive than negative – unfortunately, that was certainly not the case last night, as AFCB crashed out of the Carabao Cup in the second round at the hand of Premier League opposition for the second time in two years.

Here are five things (it could have been many more) that we learnt from the defeat:

1. Andoni Iraola has no real selection headache this weekend

Iraola would have hoped for some real headaches regarding the starting XI going into this weekend’s game against Spurs, having made eight changes from the side that beat Wolves, but that won’t be the case. The substitutes, other than Will Dennis, were all made up of players who started that game, but they all probably slept quite easy last night knowing there is no real risk of anyone taking their place this weekend. The performance was slow, lacking the required Iraola intensity, and there was extremely little created against a low block, a far cry from some of what we saw in the win on the weekend.

2. Ryan Christie really needed those minutes

It pains me to say, as the ultimate Ryan Christie fanboy, but that was one of Christie’s worst displays in a very long time, maybe his worst under Iraola. Of course, he has a very valid excuse – that was the first game of football he has started since February, his only minutes since then came on Saturday against Wolves. Yesterday was the perfect opportunity to shake off some rust, and that rust was certainly evident in his display. His passing game was not at his sharpest, completing just 76% of his passes, he wasn’t as snappy in the press, and although there was admittedly not much going on in front of him, couldn’t get anything going forward. That said, those 74 minutes tonight will have done him the world of good, and it was great to see him captain the side. It will be interesting to see if Iraola starts him on Saturday, although Christie will likely be wishing he had done more to force his manager’s hand.

3. Julian Araujo needs rejuvenating

I try not to come on here with any emotion or bias, but unfortunately I simply have not enjoyed watching Julian Araujo play for AFC Bournemouth. His debut at Nottingham Forest was very promising, but since then, I could hardly pick out one good moment of his in a Bournemouth shirt. It’s not all his fault, the injury setbacks will have been incredibly frustrating for him and he has done well to come back from them, but the fact is, from an outside perspective, he seems absolutely nowhere near the level of Adam Smith at the moment, and rarely has done since joining. The needless second yellow in added time to get sent off last night was baffling and a new low for Araujo who needs something to change in his AFC Bournemouth career, or it will likely soon be over. The fact is, I would much rather have James Hill (and Lewis Cook when back fit) at right back if something were to happen to Smith. Araujo seems a lovely guy off the field, but on the field, something is not there, and he needs to find it sooner rather than later.

4. Junior Kroupi is not ready to lead a line in the Premier League

It might be harsh to say that after just one competitive start, but from everything I have seen so far, I would be worried right now if something were to happen to Evanilson. Kroupi showed flashes of technical brilliance last night, but failed to get himself into the game against a strong Brentford backline. At times he seemed stagnant, a far cry from Evanilson who spends most of the game making runs that are never found, but at least he makes them. Kroupi has plenty of time to learn and bags of potential, as well as the clear technical excellence, but if he is to be a Premier League no.9, might need to bulk up a bit, and look for ways to get himself into the game, whether that be coming deep or making channel runs off the ball.

5. Julio Soler is a real talent

Probably my standout performer on the night, Soler showed very good promise, as he has most times he has stepped on the pitch in a red & black shirt. He carried more drive and intensity than most, looking to speed up what was an extremely pedestrian performance, and kept going right until the end, despite the scoreline. Attitude such as that won’t go unnoticed by Iraola, and whilst it is a shame for Soler that he has the excellent Adrien Truffert in front of him in the pecking order, he will surely get a chance at some stage, off the bench or in the lineup due to rotation, to show his worth. In the near future, he has his maiden call-up to the Argentinian senior national side to look forward to, and it is easy to see why he is so highly rated by club and country.

I wish it was a more positive post, but there were far more negatives than positives on the night. There was a lot more that could have been said on here, such as the performance of Alex Scott, Amine Adli playing on the left, Ben Gannon-Doak’s debut, but these are just five things for now. That said, learning these things will likely be seen as a positive in the future, even if it doesn’t feel that way now. A defeat in the cup is not the end of the world, especially to learn a lot about your players. Onto Spurs on Saturday – UTCIAD.