How does the club with the smallest ground in the Premier League go about beating Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham and Newcastle all in the same three-month period? It’s simple: Nail the fundamentals.
Bournemouth have been schooling opposition teams in the art of the basics all season. They run harder and further than most opponents. They chase and pressurise more aggressively. And most importantly, they all work in unison.
This is a side thriving on synchronicity, bound together by a perfect understanding of how risk and reward works on a football pitch. There are no gimmicks, no big-name stars on ridiculous wages hogging the limelight, just a team packed full of workhorses.
And in no way is that intended to sound reductive, quite the opposite. Bournemouth are not blessed with riches, nor a particularly large squad, but they are led by a coach who knows how to maximise every inch of his side’s strengths, and has a refreshing appreciation of football with and without statistics.
Andoni Iraola only knows one way. His transitional style, consistently hunting for high turnovers, is fascinating to watch when it clicks and Saturday’s downing of Newcastle was just the latest in a long line of mesmerising examples.
Bournemouth did what very few teams have, or will, do to Eddie Howe’s side at St James’ Park. To have the bravery to go toe-to-toe with a team that have won nine in a row in all competitions is either daring or stupid.
In recent weeks Man United, Tottenham and Arsenal (in the Carabao Cup) have proven it to be the latter. Not Bournemouth, though. The Cherries know themselves too well and are all committed to the same “vertical” game plan week in week out. Iraola’s way.
“If we’re going to lose, then let’s lose doing the thing we’ve been doing all season,” the boss told reporters after scrapping to a thrilling 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge a fortnight ago. “Be more aggressive in the press, more vertical, more rhythm,” he added, as if a point away at Chelsea was less than satisfactory.
Highlights from Chelsea’s match against Bournemouth in the Premier League
Most recently against Newcastle, the Spaniard congratulated his players on a beautifully “complete” performance. They made their hosts look ordinary.
Man-marking happened all over the pitch. Regularly unheralded Ryan Christie typified the approach, making a weekend-high nine tackles (the joint-most of any midfielder in the Premier League this season), with his pressing key to Bournemouth’s ability to win back possession quickly.
They also forced Newcastle into a season-high 38 unsuccessful passes in their own half.
Jamie Carragher examined Bournemouth’s success on Monday Night Football: “You’re coming up against a Newcastle midfield that I believe in recent months to be the best in the Premier League with Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton.
“Bournemouth like to press 4-4-2 and they matched Newcastle, they were combative, but it’s not just about energy, it’s about precise timing and organisation.”
Jamie Carragher breaks down Ryan Christie’s impact in Bournemouth’s 4-1 victory over Newcastle
Bournemouth move like puppets on a string – one player jumps to press and close, triggering the movement of the next player to fall in line, who signals to the next and it ripples throughout the team.
And they were progressive on the ball, too, playing 80 passes beyond the offside line – more than any other team across matchday 22 – and completing 16 dribbles, also a league-high.
All this from a squad suffering with the all-too-frequent mid-season injury hex.
For perspective, Iraola is down to the bare bones with nine first-team players sidelined. But that doesn’t change his demand for high-tempo aggression. Identity is consistent from game to game and has become a hallmark of each of their 10 Premier League wins, no matter which combination of players play.
That’s the real exposer here. While Mikel Arteta and Ange Postecoglou (and they are not the only culprits) complain about their injury-hit squads, sending out distress signals in most press conferences, Iraola just gets on with things.
If anything, Bournemouth look more energised than ever – only once in their last six games have they been outrun (against Everton), and only by a fractional distance (0.6k).
In 16 of their 22 league outings this season, Bournemouth have outperformed their opponents’ Expected Goals (xG) total, including games against Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea. Their 45 shot-ending turnovers is a number not even Premier League leaders and masters of the press Liverpool can match.
Impact from in-game substitutions have made a difference, too, with Bournemouth winning 17 points via goal contributions (13) from the bench. And probably accounts for the growing noise around Iraola’s standing within the elite managers pool, reportedly attracting attention from struggling Tottenham and others.
The blooming of Bournemouth will be, for many, one of the unlikelier underdog tales of recent months but there is no denying their authenticity. Work hard, work smart, and punching above your weight becomes much less demanding.
Hype is definitely trending upwards and will continue to do so if Iraola can mastermind more of the same in this sensational hunt for European football.
