To say Andoni Iraola had a slow start to life as Bournemouth manager would be a bit of an understatement. The Basque-born tactician had to wait until the end of October last season to register his first victory in charge of the Cherries. It was the 10th game of the season.
By Sam McGuire
Iraola and Bournemouth turned it around, winning 12 more games in the English top flight to equal a club record of 13 wins in the Premier League on their way to a 12th-placed finish.
Their good form didn’t go unnoticed. Iraola was linked with jobs elsewhere, Milos Kerkez was rumoured to be a target for a host of top clubs and teams were sniffing around top scorer Dominic Solanke. In the end, the latter was the only one to depart the club, leaving for Spurs in what was a club-record sale for the Cherries.
Losing Solanke changed how Bournemouth were viewed heading into the new campaign. He was responsible for 35% of their goals last term. If he wasn’t adequately replaced, the Cherries would no doubt struggle.
The Bournemouth boss acknowledged the difficulty of replacing his former No. 9.
“I trust the club, definitely. “I think they have a very difficult job right now, because to replace Dom Solanke, who is the most expensive sale we’ve done in club history, is going to be very, very difficult.
“But I know they are working hard. They are trying hard and I trust them. I am sure they will give their best and they will sign a number nine, definitely.
“I hope they make the right call. Definitely we are going to sign a striker, this is for sure. What we have to be sure is that he is the right profile for us, that comes with the right mentality and can give us a lot of things. Sometimes it is not about finding the most similar player to Dom Solanke. It is the best number nine, who also can adapt to our system well and that is what we are going to try to do.”
To say this worked out would be yet another understatement.
Evanilson was the surprise signing from FC Porto. The Brazilian forward has been linked to a host of Champions League clubs over the years but was chosen as the man to inherit the vacant No. 9 jersey at the Vitality stadium.
And while he’s not the goal machine that Solanke was during his final season with the club, he has had an immediate impact on the team. He won a penalty against Arsenal, scored a stoppage-time equaliser against Aston Villa and scored what turned out to be the winner in the historic victory over reigning champions Manchester City.
The 25-year-old has had a positive impact on the other attackers in the team.
Instead of there being a reliance on Solanke, Bournemouth have multiple ways to score goals. They have a number of threats.
That is likely why, now, 10 games into the 2024/25 campaign, the Cherries are 10th in the Premier League but find themselves just three points off of fourth-placed Chelsea and five points off third-placed Nottingham Forest.
Antoine Semenyo, named as a Liverpool transfer target recently, has stepped his game up this term. He’s on four goals for the season following his strike against Manchester City. The 24-year-old has seen his Expected Goals average almost double this season to 0.36 per 90 up from 0.2 last term. He’s averaging more shots (4.3 up from 2.98), is having more touches in the opposition box and he’s creating more chances. The former Bristol City winger is more of a threat. He capitalised on the vacuum created by Solanke’s departure.
The South Coast club didn’t replace the one-time Chelsea youngster with a like-for-like player. They replaced him in the aggregate. And this has allowed others to flourish.
Evanilson has impressed. Semenyo has caught the eye. Justin Kluivert looks to be at home in the 4-2-3-1 system. Marcus Tavernier and Dango Ouattara have both been bright for the Cherries. It is very much a team game.
Bournemouth, as a result of this, are much more of a threat.
In their recent win over Manchester City, Iraola’s men had a higher xG haul. They also carved out six big chances against the champions. Cutting through Pep Guardiola’s side almost at will. They had almost triple the Expected Goals total of Arsenal in their 2-0 win over the Gunners.
The Cherries also won the xG battle in games against Chelsea (1.78 to 0.78) and Newcastle United (2.26 to 1.69) but only managed to claim a single point from these two games.
Iraola has Bournemouth playing brilliant football and their results, largely, match their performances. That is why they have 15 points and an Expected Points (xP) haul of 16. Their xP for the season is on par with Chelsea and Arsenal, two teams with hopes of a title challenge. That is the level the Cherries are playing at.
It has been an incredible 12 months for Bournemouth and highlights why patience pays off.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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