Premier League: Iraola game bearing fruit for Cherries
Bournemouth's Justin Kluivert (right) and Nottingham Forest's Jota Silva battle for the ball during the Premier League match at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth. Picture: Adam Davy/PA Wire
Last week, we marvelled at the prospect of Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest contesting a game that could determine the outcome of the top six in the Premier League. This week, we are back talking about Bournemouth again. But this time, wondering if they could have an impact on the title destination of the Premier League, when they take on table-toppers Liverpool today.
The excellent form of both Forest and Bournemouth, along with Forest’s water-tight defence, made us believe that last weekend’s game at the Vitality Stadium would be a tight affair. We couldn't be further from the truth of what happened. The Cherries waded through Forest like a lumberjack on speed, reducing their much-vaunted defence to a pile of smithereens.
It appears Andoni Iraola’s high-pressing and free-spirited form of counterattack trumps Nuno Espirito Santo’s impermeable defence and team-orientated counterattack. And tomorrow, the Basque manager’s side gets another chance to overwhelm a side of ‘superior reputation’ when they take on the league leaders.
Bournemouth’s list of impressive scalps this season, include Man United, Spurs, Newcastle, Man City, Arsenal, and now Forest. They appear to fear no one and have the results to prove it. But what’s truly astonishing is that they have achieved this with a side ravaged by injury, with only 12 senior squad players fit for last weekend’s game, and two of them were goalkeepers. To add to that marvel, they scored five against Forest without their two favoured strikers in their ranks too.
No problem, Justin Kluivert stepped in from the wing to take on the striker role and has proceeded to score six goals in his last four games. Kluivert has come into his own at Bournemouth, shrugging off indifferent form in his previous club Roma, where he never clicked and was loaned out by the Italian giants on three different occasions.
The Cherries open play seems to suit Kluivert giving him the space to operate where he wants, probably something not afforded to him in a defence-minded Italian outfit.
Dango Ouattara added a hat-trick and Antoine Semenyo chipped in with a late fifth for the, ahem, cherry on the cake. The chaotic nature of the team selection, the free latitude Iraola allows the axis of Kluivert, Ouattara, and Semenyo to play seem to be a key part of the Bournemouth success and makes setting up a defensive selection to counteract them very difficult indeed.
Eleven goals in the last three games, all against top six opponents, shows that the structure Iraola wants played has been totally bought into by his entire squad who are obviously enjoying themselves and their game.
Bournemouth face a Liverpool side still doing all the right things to claim a 20th league title. And depending on how this weekend’s results play out, the Merseysiders have the potential to nearly wrap up the league if they win on the south coast and if Arsenal should lose or draw against Man City tomorrow. The temptation for Liverpool is to go all out for the win today and make this scenario a reality, but it may just play into the hands of a Bournemouth side who love to take attacking sides apart. Still, Liverpool are full of threats themselves with Mo Salah, Louis Diaz, and speaking of a Dutch striker, Cody Gakpo, whose goal brace against Ipswich, last weekend, saw him become the first Dutch striker to score in six consecutive home games in Premier League. Which is some statement when you consider the pedigree of Dutch masters that went before him in the league, like; Dennis Bergkamp, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Robin van Persie, and the father of the aforementioned Justin Kluivert, Patrick.
Liverpool are one of the few top six sides to have claimed a victory over Bournemouth this season. They beat the Cherries 3-0 back in Anfield at the start of a very rich form of victories that has set them up well both in the Premier League and Champions League. But that was back in September and the Bournemouth side they meet today are a very different fish, who themselves have not lost at home since going down 2-1 to a then very hot Brighton side in November. Balancing that, Liverpool are the only side in the league unbeaten away from home this season, once again making for an intriguing contest as two sides with different attacking styles meet, and with so much on the line.
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