FourFourTwo UK – September 2019

FFTVERDICT

FourFourTwo Season Preview 2019-20 9

LEWISCOOK

The22-year-oldwassorelymissedwheninjured

• Bournemouth’swinpercentagehalved.Inhis
  absence,theirmidfieldcansometimesveerinto
  sterilesidewayspossession,whereaswithCook
  andJeffersonLermait offerssteelandincision.

KEY PLAYER

15

TH

Howe will want progress,

but another season of

treading water awaits.

VIEW FROM THE STAn DS

CHRIS LINES @NARROWTHEANGLE

The big talking point among the

fans is whether or not Ryan Fraser

will sign a new contract after the

season of his life last time out.

This season will be different

because with no basket cases,

it’ll be a tense relegation battle.

Our most underrated player is

Junior Stanislas, perhaps due to

injuries. He doesn’t get recognition

for his intelligence and precision.

Look out for young goalkeeper

Mark Travers – he caught the eye,

as did fellow shot-stopper Aaron

Ramsdale on loan at Wimbledon.

The best away ground is Selhurst

Park – a good old-fashioned place.

The best away fans are Man

United’s, but they’ll be pushed

hard by Sheffield United’s now.

The opposition players I secretly

admire are Bernardo Silva, Tom

Heaton, Matt Doherty, Ben Mee

and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The pantomime villain will be

Jordon Ibe. He’s talented but so

frustrating. Last-chance saloon.

The one change I’d make to the

club would be to no longer have

obscure bookmakers as sponsors.

The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is

that he’s untouchable and always

will be. Eddie gets criticism for

selections, tactics and transfers,

but he’s wise enough to pay no

attention to most armchair fans.

If he left, he should be replaced

by Liverpool-esque Boot Room

promotions. Alan Connell is doing

good things with our youngsters.

Save the date for Manchester

United on April 11 – the start of

a very tough final six matches.

We’ll finish 14th, but I’d say we’re

one of the hardest sides to call.

FIVE-POIn T PLAn

1

SIGN A BETTER GOALKEEPER

Three times last season, Asmir
Begovic conceded from every shot
on target that he faced in a game.
His 56 per cent save success rate was
the worst in the division, and he made
more errors leading to a goal than any
other player. Artur Boruc was slightly
more reliable, but he’s 39, while Mark
Travers – then the first teenage keeper
since Joe Hart in 2006 to start a Premier
League game – kept a clean sheet on
debut but shipped five goals in his next
match. While he has potential, having
a top stopper now could turn relegation
fears into a comfortable top-half finish.

2

DON’T BUY ON MERSEYSIDE

If Eddie Howe has a weakness, it’s
his transfer dealings. The boyhood
Everton fan has given Liverpool
almost £40m since 2016 through the
ineffectual signings of left-back Brad
Smith, winger Jordon Ibe and youngster
Dominic Solanke, followed by the loan
deal for Nathaniel Clyne, presumably as
some sort of frequent customer loyalty
bonus. Simon Mignolet’s name has been
floating around as well. The horror...

3

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF VAR

Video referees will fundamentally
change the game, and Howe’s
men are well placed to capitalise.
No team had more opponents see red
in 2018-19 and only Manchester United
and Crystal Palace won more penalties.
The Cherries, with their quick forward
line, should love VAR’s introduction.

4

FIND A GAME-CHANGER

Only once last season did the
Cherries come from behind to
win, partly down to a lack of
options on the bench. Lys Mousset
was Howe’s most frequent pick when
chasing the game; the 23-year-old
forward made 23 substitute outings,
but failed to score in any of them.

5

TAKE THEIR CHANCES

Only Manchester City, Manchester
United and Chelsea missed more
‘big chances’ than Bournemouth
in 2018-19. Ryan Fraser created them
by the bucketload, laying on the most
in the league. But while Callum Wilson
stuck plenty away, he was the division’s
second-most profligate player, behind
Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

SEASOn PREVIEW

Trya selectionon

Holdenhurst Road,

which is en route

from the station.

Mello Mello bar in

nearby Boscombe

also welcomes

away supporters.

Keepinformedwith

@neilperrett_ –

he’s a journalist

who worked on the

Bournemouth Echo

for years and knows

the club like the

back of his hand.

TheCherries’record

league victory was

expunged because

the Second World

War broke out the

next day. Harsh.

It’snotexactlyunique,butyou

can’t beat fishandchips by the

sea, with lashings of grease,

vinegar and newspaper print.

TryBournemouthbeach: seven

miles of unspoilt sands, some of the

warmest sea temperatures in the

country, plus all the fun of the pier.

MATCHDAY PACK

AWAY PUB

SIGn ATURE DISH WHILE YOU’RE HERE...

DID YOU MUST FOLLOW

K nOW...?

AUGUST

10 Sheffield United (h)

17 Aston Villa (a)

25 Man City (h)

31 Leicester (a)

SEPTEMBER

15 Everton (h)

20 Southampton (a)

28 West Ham (h)

OCTOBER

6 Arsenal (a)

19 Norwich (h)

26 Watford (a)

NOVEMBER

2 Man United (h)

9 Newcastle (a)

23 Wolves (h)

30 Tottenham (a)

DECEMBER

4 Crystal Palace (a)

7 Liverpool (h)

14 Chelsea (a)

21 Burnley (h)

26 Arsenal (h)

28 Brighton (a)

JANUARY

1 West Ham (a)

11 Watford (h)

18 Norwich (a)

21 Brighton (h)

FEBRUARY

1 Aston Villa (h)

8 Sheffield United (a)

22 Burnley (a)

29 Chelsea (h)

MARCH

7 Liverpool (a)

14 Crystal Palace (h)

21 Wolves (a)

APRIL

4 Newcastle (h)

11 Man United (a)

18 Tottenham (h)

25 Leicester (h)

MAY

2 Man City (a)

9 Southampton (h)

17 Everton (a)

FIXTURES