2015/16 Premier League team preview: Bournemouth

Has there ever been a Premier League debutant quite as popular as Bournemouth? It’s tough to recall if so, as the Cherries drew unanimous acclaim last season after taking the Championship by storm, scoring goals for fun and securing promotion to the Premier League as worthy champions.

The manner in which Bournemouth went about their business last season was superb. There was always an onus to attack the opposition and play the game with an enamoring variety. Their modest background—the south coast club’s 11,700 capacity stadium will make for humble surroundings for some of the Premier League’s elite—also make the Cherries a team many are hoping will survive.

But their amicable manager Eddie Howe is the most obvious reason for the club’s rise up the divisions and their widespread adulation. The 37-year-old is fresh-faced, has steely determination and is one of the brightest young minds in English football. With him at the helm, all associated with Bournemouth will feel as though they have a chance of scaling more remarkable highs in 2015-16.

There are certainly comparisons to draw with Blackpool when Ian Holloway guided them to the Premier League in 2010; a modest seaside club, with a likable figurehead that played attacking football. But can Howe preserve his side’s top flight status for longer than the Tangerines’ own one-year stay?

Best XI

Reasons to be Positive

The principles that have served the Cherries so well up until this point are unlikely to be deviated from despite the step up in class they’ll face in the Premier League. Howe, while he’ll be undeniably respectful to the quality of opponent, will be keen to exert his side’s influence on matches and with a familiar squad, they’ll be organized and incisive in their attacking play.

Their home stadium of Goldsands will be a unique test for Premier League players too. The Bournemouth faithful will be raucous and unrelenting in their support for this team and with little expectation on the squad, expect them to go at teams on home soil. With players likes Matt Ritchie, Callum Wilson and Harry Arter in the side, they have the attacking class to cause any side problems.

Reasons to be Negative

Although the defensive side of the Bournemouth team was harshly unheralded last season—they had the second best defensive record in the division behind Middlesbrough—this is the area of the squad in which Howe’s side could struggle.

The nous of 37-year-old defender Sylvain Distin will help a squad which is bereft of Premier League experience and Tyrone Mings looks a very exciting prospect. But some of the finest attacking talent anywhere in the world could wreak havoc should the Cherries continue to play with their patented attacking freedom.

Key Player – Harry Arter

Of all the players in Howe’s squad that shone last season, Arter looks the most equipped to deal with the robust reputation of the Premier League. The midfielder knits everything together for Bournemouth in the middle of the park and he’ll be tasked with settling the team down in what’ll be unfamiliarly frenetic matches.

The 25-year-old plays the came with a panache and purpose that will catch the eye in the top flight. For a man who was playing for Woking just six years ago, his ascension through the leagues with Bournemouth is a remarkable story and just as he has done on his way to the top flight, expect the Republic of Ireland international to relish another step up in class.

Prediction – 18th

It’d be fantastic to see Bournemouth take the Premier League by storm and preserve their top flight status with an effervescent brand of offensive football. But with next to no top flight experience on the field or in their coaching staff, English football’s top table could be a harsh learning curve for the men from the south coast.

Howe will be true to his principles and regardless of how Bournemouth fare, his job at the club will be safe. But striking a balance between attack and defense will be tough for the newly-promoted club and they’ll find it very tough to claw their way away from the relegation trapdoor.

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