It hasn’t been a great start to Andoni Iraola’s tenure at Bournemouth.
In the first four matches of the 2023/24 Premier League season, the Cherries have recorded just two points from a possible 12. Two draws and two defeats have meant for a slow start to life under new head coach Andoni Iraola, who replaced Gary O’Neil in the summer.
Iraola’s side drew 1-1 with West Ham on the opening weekend but followed it up with back-to-back losses to Liverpool and Tottenham. The Spaniard was minutes away from sealing his first win as Bournemouth boss before the international break, only for Bryan Mbeumo to score the equaliser for Brentford in a 2-2 draw.
The two-week hiatus has offered Iraola time to reflect on Bournemouth’s positives and solve the deficiencies. With that being said, here are three issues he must address to kickstart Bournemouth’s campaign against Chelsea at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday.
- Defensive problems
Bournemouth had the third-worst defensive record in the English top-flight last season, conceding 71 goals in 38 games. They were all over the place defensively, and under Iraola this term, things haven’t improved much so far.
The Cherries have conceded eight goals in four games—of which five came in defeats to Liverpool and Tottenham. With games against Chelsea, Brighton and Arsenal to come after the international break, the defensive displays should ring alarm bells for Iraola and his coaching staff.
- Get Justin Kluivert playing to his full potential
Bournemouth bagged a coup when they announced the signing of Netherlands winger Justin Kluivert from AS Roma in the summer.
Kluivert is expected to be a key player for Iraola’s side in the ongoing campaign. The 24-year-old’s direct style of play looks a good fit for the tactics of the new Bournemouth tactician. However, the Dutchman is yet to hit the ground running in the Premier League. He has made two starts in four appearances while failing to register a goal or an assist thus far.
There is no doubt that Kluivert needs to start finding his feet to really kickstart his career at Bournemouth. In the next few games, it is absolutely imperative for the Netherlands winger to become productive in front of goal.
- Win when it counts
Anticipation was sky high among Bournemouth fans after their fine pre-season, which included eye-catching wins against FC Lorient and Southampton. That has all but evaporated after just four games.
Bournemouth started well against Liverpool and scored the opening goal as well. However. they failed to hold onto their lead for long and eventually lost the game 3-1, even with a man advantage at Anfield. They were close to sealing their first points of the season against Brentford but a combination of poor in-game management and defensive organisation led to a 2-2 draw.
It is all well and good trying to play attacking, pressing football to entertain the fans but when there is style but no substance, it makes no sense. Iraola needs points to get Bournemouth’s season up and running, and ideally this weekend against Chelsea.
