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“It is a bit of a weird situation, we haven’t hit the ground running like we wanted to or anticipated it to so we’ve got to put those two games behind us.
“We’ve got a big game against Newcastle on Wednesday and I’m fully backing us to go and get a result. I played Newcastle twice in my first season and they were both tough games so I’m anticipating that it will be another tough game but we’ve got enough quality in our dressing room to go and get all three points.
“The feeling in the Bournemouth camp is extremely confident. When you look at the quality that we have within the team, we shouldn’t really be down there in the first place. As long as we play with a bit of confidence and reach our potential with what we can play like, I think we’ll be alright.
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“I think you go through those spells when you’re not playing particularly great. The goals aren’t flowing and you’re conceding very poor goals and I think it is quite a hard thing to get out of that little run you’re in, because the confidence is low and it’s quite a vicious circle you can find yourself in.
“I think it’s probably the case where we haven’t really got out of that rut and put a few wins together… But I’m not really looking behind us, I’m looking at the next seven games and how we can get out of the situation that we’re in.”
An eye on Wales and Euro 2020
Of course, Euro 2020 should be in full swing by now, with Wales – who Brooks opted to play for over England – having qualified for a second successive tournament.
But it would have been a close call for Brooks to be included in Ryan Giggs’ squad had the competition not been rearranged for next summer and he is hoping an appearance at his first major championships is on the horizon.
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“It was one of the things I was looking forward to,” he said. “It’s a massive tournament and it’s what every player would want to do on an international stage, go to a Euros and a World Cup.
“So when we did qualify, I was very much looking forward to it. Then the injury happened and the longer it went on, it was getting more touch and go on whether I’d be fit enough and playing regularly enough to get into the squad, so it was in the back of my mind to try and make that squad.
“I don’t think it’ll cross my mind too much [making next summer’s squad]. Obviously it is a nice thought when you think about it that you could potentially go to the Euros, but there is a lot of time and a lot of games to be played before then so those are my main focus at the minute.”
Brooks has marked his big international moments so far with both finalists from the 2018 World Cup. He made his Wales debut in November 2017 against France and scored his first goal in a 2-1 defeat to Croatia in June 2019.
“I think my debut against France was probably my biggest achievement in football to date. It was a massive occasion for me to make my international debut, it was against a massive team, the stadium was packed and a lot of my family made the journey over from Wales to France so it was nice to share it with them as well.
“I had a few chances before that [goal against Croatia] and hadn’t managed to put it in the back of the net so it was a nice feeling to finally get that goal. It was a bit disappointing though because we did end up losing the game.”
As already mentioned, former Manchester United and Wales midfielder Giggs is Brooks’ coach at international level, with Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey among his team-mates, giving the 22-year-old plenty of people to learn from.
“I think you continue to learn every time you go away with big players like them and even a coach like Ryan Giggs. There’s a lot of information you can absorb from them so I think every time you go away, you’re looking to learn and to try and show them what you’re about as well. It’s a good environment to be in.”
International targets play a big part in Brooks’ overall career goals, with the midfielder adding: “If you ask any player that, they want to play at the highest level possible. Internationally, there’s the Euros next summer, I’d like to do that, and qualify for the World Cup and see how far I can go.”
For now though, helping Bournemouth out of a relegation quagmire is top of Brooks’ to-do list.
Sourse: skysports.com
