Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth, a Replenished Side

As of writing, Bournemouth sit 12th in the Premier League, 10 points clear of the drop and unbeaten in 7. In the past few weeks, Andoni Iraola has gotten his deserved flowers for the team's rise after a slow start to the season where they failed to pick up a win until gameweek 10, in a 2-1 victory against recently promoted Burnley. During this period, news articles such as the Sun and Daily Mail started to tout Andoni Iraola as the first manager to be sacked in late October. Iraola, who left LaLiga side Rayo Vallecano to replace Gary O’Niel just hours after his sacking on June 19th has high-profile wins such as a 2-0 win against Newcastle at the *****ity Stadium and a 3-0 battering away at Old Trafford in front of Erik Ten Hags Manchester United.

So, What’s changed?
Besides the appointment of Andoni Iraola, Bournemouth had a busy summer, spending close to 127 million Euros according to Transfermarkt. Among these arrivals include the shock arrival of U.S NT captain Tyler Adams who was brought in from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig for a bargain of 27M Euros. Adams, who was just a failed medical away from joining rival Premier League side Chelsea, has been sidelined due to a hamstring injury for most of the season, playing just 20 minutes in a 2-1 win over Stoke City in the EFL Cup. Other arrivals include the permanent signing of Hamad Traore from Serie A side Sassuolo for 25.6M Euros after his loan stint last season. The signing of wonderkids Alex Scott and Milos Kerzez from Bristol City in the EFL Championship and AZ Alkmaar in the Eredivisie. The son of Barcelona Legend Patrick Kluivert, Justin brought in from Serie A side As Roma for just over 11M to fuel the attack. Romain Faivre was brought in from Ligue 1 side Lyon for 15M and was immediately sent out on loan to Ligue 1 side FC Lorient. To fill the void of Jack Stacey’s departure to Norwich, Bournemouth brought in former wonderkid and right-back Max Aarons from Norwich in the Championship for just over 8 mil. To fuel the attack even more, exciting Colombian winger Luis SInnistera was brought in on loan from recently relegated Leeds United. All these aforementioned players, Adams aside, have played their roles well and have had moments of magic that have propelled Bournemouth up the table. On the other hand, Jefferson Lerma’s free transfer to Crystal Palace was the highest-profile departure.
After all these signings, much-appreciated improvements were made. These improvements came tactically as Iraola improved the way the team plays and made it a better sight in the eyes of those watching after the dinosaur tactics that Gary O’Niel played. The tactics implemented resembled those of Eddie Howe’s tenure at Bournemouth. Attacking and beautiful football to watch, where Bournemouth showed that they were afraid of no team, willing to continue an attack rather than use the cautious tactics of other teams who were too afraid of getting battered by the ‘big teams’.
The Teams Resilience
There’s no question that Iraola has improved this Bournemouth side. One of the main illustrations of this is the unlocking of Dominik Solankes's potential. Solanke, who came through the ranks at Chelsea, till now hadn’t been anything special but always had some potential. If he didn’t he wouldn’t have been on the bench for Liverpool's 2018 final. Solanke, who admitted that at first, the team had to get used to the new playing style Iraola brought in, now has 12 league goals in 18 appearances. He trails behind last season's Golden Boot winner Erling Haaland by 2 goals in the race for the Golden Boot and is tied with Premier League contender Liverpool's Mohammed Salah. Solanke is now enduring his best-ever league season already beating his last season's tally. Although he’s got the title of Bournemouth’s main man, it’s the players surrounding him that deserve just as much praise. Neto has shown his quality in net as he’s kept 5 clean sheets in 16 matches, in a 6-way tie for 2nd most clean sheets in the league. Neto also has a save % of 71.6% proving why he’s been a worthy buy from Barcelona. Bournemouth's defense has been no slouch either as center-back Marcos Senesi and Illia Zabarnyi showing up pretty high in the number of blocks stat with the Argentine having 29 (10th in the league) and the Ukrainian having 27 (16th). Milos Kerkez, the left-back has several dribblers successfully tackled % of 71.4% (15th). Showing that the Hungarian has been a great buy so far. In the Midfield despite some early rotation in the season, the main middle 2 seems to be Lewis Cook and Ryan Christie who have cemented themselves into those starting positions, and for good reason. Ryan Christie, the Scott has been an absolute workhorse up and down the pitch tirelessly doing all the dirty work. Lewis Cook has shown to be a great ball-winning midfielder with him having. the 4th most interceptions with 31 according to FBREF. Ryan Christie's work hasn’t gone to waste as he has 20 interceptions (23rd) and leads the team for most key passes with 21 (42nd in the league). Youngster Alex Scott, although not a starter for the team has proven to be great with the ball at his feet completing 63.6% of his take-ons, and has proven to be a progressive player taking the ball 122 yards on average per 90 minutes. Bournemouth's attack has proven to be their most exciting aspect although they haven’t scored the most goals. This is down to the amount of quality they have. Marcus Tavernier has proven to be the orchestrator of many attacks with his 2 goals and 3 assists. He’s much more than just goals and assists as those types of stats are sometimes deceiving. He’s one of the team's most creative players as he has 41 shot-creating chances (58th) with 6 of those being goal-creating chances (47th) compared to teammate Ryan Christie’s 46 (45th). Now Bournemouth has an abundance of wingers, Sinnistera, David Brooks who’s still trying to find his place in the team after his fight with cancer, Dango Ouatara, who’s been made a makeshift full-back in recent weeks which has proven to work so far. Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo seem to be the ones who Iraola trusts the most and their talent and rawness on the ball gives defenders headaches. No introductions are needed for Dominik Solanke as his goal contributions have played a massive part in their recent resurgence. His performances have led to links to the big London clubs Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham as his profile continues to rise. A special mention to Adam Smith, the club icon who continues to hold his own despite his age and has proven to be a massive role model to the team.
Where’s the Improvement on the Pitch?
Bournemouth has high-profile wins and dominant wins. Some of the most savourous have come away such as the aforementioned 3-0 battering of Manchester United in front of their fans where they couldn’t get a look in. The most thrilling victory was against Nottingham Forest where a 90+4 minute winner from Dominik Solanke to round out his hat trick ended the game 3-2. The Manchester United game proved that Bournemouth are afraid of no one. The Manchester City game, although ending in an embarrassing 6-1 defeat was a lesson to be taught and since then they haven’t looked back.



Who’s the Jury Still Out For?
As we get to the halfway point of the season, some players have yet to get their chance to prove themselves. Some may be running out of time such as Joe Rothwell, who was picked up on a free after Bournemouth's promotion season. He’s played just 386 minutes and has mostly come off the bench while the team’s already secured a win. Hamed Traore has barely gotten a look in since making his loan permanent, making those question what even warranted the transfer, he’s played just 47 minutes this season. Iraola doesn’t favor him and his contraction of malaria hasn’t done him any favors. Those who some may consider deadwood could be shipped off in the impending winter window where much squad depth is needed if Bournemouth want to continue their incredible form.
What’s Next?
With the prior mention of investing in new signings and hoping to keep key players for the rest of the season, Bournemouth now goal of finishing mid-table and dream of pushing for European football is kept alive. The team seems to be in the safe hands of Andoni Iraola and owners who are willing to spend. And as we head into the New Year, hopeful and hungry for more. May the Cherries never rot!