Eddie Howe and Walter Mazzarri both hoping to earn first Premier League win of 2017

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Eddie Howe wants his Bournemouth side to rediscover their defensive solidity

Bournemouth manager Howe wants his team to rediscover their "heroic" defending as they look to get the campaign back on track while Mazzarri says the club's woes have been keeping him awake at night.

The Cherries had been looking to push on into the top half of the table following a solid opening to the season.

But 2017 has yielded just one point and seen an early exit from the FA Cup at Millwall.

And they have conceded nine goals in the past three outings.

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Walter Mazzarri admits Watford's poor form has been keeping him awake at night

Howe believes getting things right at the back once more will provide the platform needed to move forward.

"It doesn't sound great that statistic and it is not something we will hide from," said Howe. "It is a strange one, the lads have produced some heroic defensive performances at times, but the goals (against us) have come from nothing, when we have been in control.

"The only thing you can do is to work harder on all aspects of the team, that is a very obvious statement, but the whole team has to function together."

Mazzarri's side have failed to win any of their last six Premier League games.

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And although they are still in the FA Cup they have won only once in the league since November 19, while Bournemouth's last win was 3-0 away at Swansea on New Year's Eve

"For the last 20 years I haven't been able to sleep after we lose," said Mazzarri, the former Inter Milan and Napoli manager. "I don't like to lose and I get very angry. I get angry with myself and then analyse why we lost.

"But I am the number one fan of my team, always. When we beat teams like Manchester United and Everton and others I was already thinking about the next game and how we can do better."

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