Can Eddie Howe’s side produce another progressive campaign in 2019/2020? Get our Bournemouth betting tips and the latest Bournemouth betting specials here.
It’s still astonishing for many football fans that AFC Bournemouth have now become part of the furniture in the top tier of English football. The Cherries have spent the vast majority of their history lingering in the lower reaches of the league system, but after some phenomenal years under Eddie Howe they have not only managed to reach the Premier League, they have now managed to stay there for what will be a fifth consecutive campaign.
Boss Howe has spoken about improving the training facilities at the club as well as the possibility of a new stadium as he looks to continue to cement their position at the top table but he will have to ensure that his side remains competitive and staves off relegation again this season if that progression off the field is to become a reality. Expect more famous wins over top clubs and hopefully for Howe, another season of keeping his team’s heads above the relegation mire.
Bournemouth have a habit of starting the season well but struggling to maintain consistency throughout the campaign and last term proved to follow the same pattern as the Cherries raced out of the blocks. In fact, come the end of October, the Vitality Stadium outfit found themselves in top six, but after that form slowly began to deteriorate and in the end, they slipped all the way down to 14th place where they completed the campaign.
There were still bright spots in the remainder of the season, including impressive home wins over both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur and a 0-5 thumping of fellow south coast side Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium, but in the end they will be disappointed to have finished so lowly in the table with the quality in their squad. Can Eddie Howe produce some more consistency and form in the upcoming season?
The Manager
Few managers are as universally liked as much as Eddie Howe and the job he has done on the south coast with AFC Bournemouth has been nothing short of miraculous. When he first took over, the Cherries were struggling towards the very foot of the fourth tier table and since then they have risen through the league under his guidance (despite a short, unsuccessful stint at Burnley in the middle of this timeline) to now become an established Premier League outfit.
Although there have been flirtations with other jobs, Howe seems determined to continue growing the club and helping to establish them further as a top tier outfit. As a young, homegrown manager with a very attractive style of play, the chance to manage a bigger club is sure to come along at some point but for now the board are sure to do everything possible to keep him in Dorset for the foreseeable future.
The New Arrivals
Bournemouth have a clear philosophy of bringing in young, hungry players from less illustrious leagues and looking to use their tried and tested methods to develop them into top level performers. It’s a modus operandi that has seen the likes of David Brooks and Ryan Fraser become real key assets in the last few seasons and Eddie Howe will be hoping the three new arrivals that have been confirmed so far can follow a similar path at the Vitality Stadium this season.
England U21 international Lloyd Kelly has joined from Bristol City (PA Images)
Jordan Zemura has been brought in from Charlton Athletic but at his age is not likely to be involved in the first-team picture for the time being but two more defensive reinforcements have arrived from Championship clubs in the shape of Jack Stacey from Luton Town and Lloyd Kelly from Bristol City. Stacey helped lead the Hatters to two promotions and provides a versatile squad option for Howe, whilst Kelly, aged just 20, made 43 appearances for the Robins and has represented England at Under 21 level.
The Key Man
It was way back in 2012/2013 when Bournemouth first brought in Scottish winger Ryan Fraser from Aberdeen. He made five League One appearances that season and then established himself as a first team player in the Championship as the Cherries took just two seasons to win promotion from that division into the Premier League. In that first season in the top tier however, Fraser didn’t make a single league appearance and found himself out on loan back in the Championship at Ipswich Town.
Having finally started to establish himself in the first-team again in 2016/2017, Brooks has become more and more important to the way that Eddie Howe wants his side to play and last year he picked up the supporters player of the season award and was only beaten by Eden Hazard in the Premier League assists chart with an incredible 14 to his name last term. His low centre of gravity and robust physicality make him a difficult player to handle for defenders and he’s started to produce more productivity to become the star turn of this Cherries outfit.
Can the Cherries prevent stagnation?
There’s always a worry when a team like Bournemouth finishes in the bottom half of the table for a few consecutive seasons that they may begin to stagnate somewhat. The club have the same manager that they did when they arrived in the Premier League and even a handful of the same players, so will they continue to have the motivation to keep staving off the relegation zone after a handful of seasons finishing in midtable?
This will be a particular worry given how sluggish the Cherries appeared to be at times towards the end of last season. Howe knows that he is usually capable of inspiring the team to produce a run of form that keeps their heads above water fairly comfortably, the key is trying to maintain that run for as long as possible if his side are to progress towards the higher reaches of the table.
How will Eddie Howe cope with the injuries?
Bournemouth seem to be one of those clubs that are perpetually blighted by injuries and they suffered no fewer than 33 over the course of last season. The most significant were the cruciate ligament ruptures sustained by both Lewis Cook and Simon Francis in December and those two players are not expected to be fit even for the start of the forthcoming campaign.
The likes of Callum Wilson, Andrew Surman and Steve Cook have all spent lengthy spells on the sidelines in the last few seasons too and perhaps these spells on the sidelines have contributed to the lack of rhythm and consistency that we often see holding back the Cherries over the course of a full campaign. A little more strength in depth will go some way to easing those worries for Eddie Howe.
Where will Bournemouth finish this season?
14th.
We see this season going a similar way to the last for the Cherries. They have the quality in their squad to pick up vital and at times surprising victories, but they seem to lack the capability of staying consistently at their best throughout the campaign. If they managed to do that, we suspect they could blow this pre-season prediction of another 14th placed finish out of the water but although they’re likely to steer clear of the relegation battle regardless, we don’t see a push for a top half finish occurring here.
There isn’t much value to be had in any Bournemouth bets available at this time. As the season draws closer, there may be some specials arrive or requested bets that catch our eye, but since we don’t fancy the Cherries to push on for a top 10 finish and we do think they have the quality to stave off relegation to the Championship, the only bet we can offer up on the Dorset outfit is a bottom half finish.
David Brooks of Bournemouth (PA Images)
