Bournemouth’s underdog tale was one of the delights of the preseason, but twelve games on and Eddie Howe’s men are on the brink of a nightmare campaign.
What has gone wrong?
At the core of Bournemouth’s problems are the injuries to key players. First came the loss of Tyrone Mings and Max Gradel – both marquee signings and both sustaining anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in a match against Leicester City. The pair, who represent £15 million of the £22 million Howe spent in the preseason, are expected to be out for the remainder of the season.
To make things worse for the Premier League newcomers, Callum Wilson- the clubs top goalscorer, would sustain a similar ACL injury, ruling him out until at least April. Wilson may not have left a dent in Howe’s wallet, but was largely responsible for Bournemouth’s promotion form- scoring 20 goals and providing eight assists for the Cherries during that time; something the Howe and his men will be without for the rest of the season.
To add to this trifecta of knee mishaps, Howe has also been operating without club captain Tommy Elphick. Elphick has been troubled by an ankle injury that has kept him out for 11 weeks so far, with no real gauge on when he will be fit to return. Reports suggest he may be fit as early as mid-December.
It seems an obvious thing to say of a team in the relegation zone, but another vice on Bournemouth’s season has been a failure to get results. They dominated their opening day fixture against Aston Villa, but took zero points away. A week later they should have snatched all three points from a under performing Liverpool, but lost. From there on, it has been a conveyor belt of ‘just not quite good enough’ performances by the Cherries- most recently losing out to Newcastle in a game where they dominated 67% of possession and managed 20 shot attempts to the Toon’s two (two!).
What has gone right?
The one positive that Eddie Howe and his men have been able to hold onto thus far, is that they still play the Bournemouth way – mostly. The ‘Bournemouth way’ consists of optimistic forward passing, with the ranks of players constantly overlapping each other.
It was a big part of their Championship winning campaign, but a lot of spectators suspected it may dwindle when they join the Premier League; if not just because of the rise in quality of the opposition. However, the Cherries have managed to maintain their on-ball ambition to their own benefit.
One occasion when How attempted to sway from the style of play that had been so fruitful for the seasiders, Bournemouth bowed out 5-1 to league leaders Manchester City. The manager stated after the game that:
“We feel that we’ve got a good balance about us in terms of playing our philosophy and trying to be entertaining and take games to teams; unfortunately today he haven’t got the balance right and we’ve been punished.”
Best Players so far – Callum Wilson and Matt Ritchie
Over the first seven games Callum Wilson was, without doubt, the lynch pin of the Bournemouth side. The 23-year-old scored five goals in seven outings and plays a significant role in holding-up the play.
Since then, midfielder Matt Ritchie has taken up the reigns in attack. Although Ritchie has only managed a pair of goals in that time, he has procured a handful of opportunities per outing. If Ritchie can add that 10% to his game and finish on more occasions, he could well be the one to lead Bournemouth out of the relegation zone.
What is next?
It is clear that Howe is operating with half a squad and that he will likely attempt to make some timely acquisitions in the January transfer window.That effort will likely be made easier by the recent sale of a large portion of the club.
American company, Peak6, recently acquired a 25% stake in the south coasters and will provide a firmer financial backdrop for future ventures. Chairman Jeff Moystn claims,
“The club is confident this partnership will further strengthen its ability to compete with the very best, and provide a platform to establish itself as a long-term Premier League club.”
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With that new investment in their sails, expect Bournemouth and Eddie Howe to make a couple of mid-season additions to the squad – with Queen’s Park Rangers goal machine, Charlie Austin, rumoured to be at the top of their Christmas List.
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