Over the last six weeks a ripple of awareness has steadily spread through the Premier League: whatever it is, Bournemouth have found it. Their progress flew under the radar thanks to other storylines: Aston Villa are legitimate contenders to finish in the top four; Manchester City are showing vulnerabilities; oh, and, did you see that Harry Maguire won the Premier League player of the month award?
All the while, Bournemouth were quietly clicking into gear and racking up points. In November they beat Newcastle United and Sheffield United by clear margins; then in early December they defeated Crystal Palace and came within a minute of doing the same to Villa. Yet they were still flying under the radar … until they won at Old Trafford for the first time in their 124-year history.
Bournemouth had more shots on target, had higher expected goals, hit the woodwork and were unlucky to have a goal disallowed by VAR. Any game Manchester United lose 3-0 at home is going to be seen as the latest chapter in a grim season for the club, but Bournemouth are now receiving the recognition they deserve.
The world is waking up to what is one of the best runs of form not just in the Premier League, but across Europe too. Bournemouth have picked up 13 points from their last five games. No team in the Premier League can beat that tally – and only Aston Villa and Liverpool can match it. In Europe, only PSG have a better record over their last five games – and only Inter, Girona and Juventus can keep up. Bournemouth are in remarkable company.
It’s taken some time for things to come together under manager Andoni Iraola – more time, perhaps, than many owners in the Premier League would have allowed. But Bournemouth’s decision to move on from the popular Gary O’Neil in the summer was bold and highly scrutinised. So giving up on Iraola early was never an option.
Those first nine games were tough, though; they leaked goals and chances, then fluffed their attacking lines. When O’Neil, now in charge of Wolves, exploited Bournemouth’s pressing game en route to a 2-1 victory, then went on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football and showed everyone how he did it, Iraola might have felt ready to be swallowed up by the ground.
But the team that will go to Luton on Saturday is a far cry from the side that faced Wolves just two months ago. For a start, they have climbed from 19th in the table to 14th and now sit 10 points clear of the relegation zone. It’s amazing how different things look when a manager’s ideas fully take hold – and, in this case, when an aggressive pressing system finds its groove and is complemented by some finishing stardust.
Dominic Solanke encapsulates the team’s newfound effectiveness. He has scored five goals in his last eight Premier League games while leading a ferocious press from the front. He was the club’s joint scorer in the Premier League last season with just seven goals but has already overtaken that figure in this campaign.
Behind him sit Ryan Christie and Lewis Cook, a wolfish midfield pair who tear across the pitch and snap into challenges. Against Villa alone, Christie won six tackles and made two interceptions, setting a ridiculous standard that even the bustling John McGinn could not match. Speaking earlier in the season, Iraola said of Christie: “He is the most tactically intuitive player I have in the squad. He knows what’s going on at all times.”
line that plays high and dabbles in risk.
Put simply, Bournemouth are a nightmare to play against. They are exhausting; 90 minutes against Iraola’s side is like running the steeplechase. Their hard work is paying off: they have conceded just three goals in their last five games. It’s a brutal exercise of non-stop duels and varying obstacles that push opponents to their absolute limit.
All the while, as his team scurries about the pitch at great intensity, Iraola watches on placidly from the dugout, arms often folded, brain always calculating. The 41-year-old, who grew up within a half-hour drive of Mikel Arteta and Unai Emery in the Basque Country, is climbing up the table too. His distinct tactical style – borne from playing under Marcelo Bielsa at Athletic Club in Bilbao, honed at Rayo Vallecano in La Liga – is blossoming on the south coast of England, making Bournemouth contenders every time they set foot on the pitch.
