Bournemouth vs Spurs | Ben's one to watch, Rob's tactical analysis
Fri 25 August 2023, 11:00|
Tottenham Hotspur
Club commentator Rob Daly and Ben Haines, presenter of the Warm Up and Review Show on a matchday on SPURSPLAY give their thoughts ahead of our Premier League clash against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium in Saturday's early kick-off (12.30pm).
Rob's analysis...
"Bournemouth are trying a new style of football compared to the one we saw keep them in the Premier League under Gary O’Neil last season. They made a bold decision to replace him in the summer, but clearly the management of the club really wanted Andoni Iraola, and we’ve already seen some of that high intensity that he enjoyed as Head Coach at Rayo Vallecano in Spain. They punished Liverpool playing out from the back at Anfield last weekend, scored a goal from it, winning the ball from Trent Alexander Arnold, so Spurs will have to be wary of that. They also had really good possession numbers in the draw against West Ham on the opening day, so I feel this will be a different Bournemouth side to the one Spurs faced last season given they have a new Head Coach, influenced by Marcelo Bielsa.
"Antoine Semenyo looks a major threat, he made the goal for Dominic Solanke against West Ham and scored at the Kop end last week. There is no Alex Scott yet. I think people are excited to see what he can do in the Premier League, but he has a knee injury. However, good news for Iraola, he has a new holding midfielder in Tyler Adams from Leeds, a position Bournemouth were not covered in, so they are in a stronger position this weekend. The game poses a fresh question for Ange Postecoglou because of the Carabao Cup game at Fulham on Tuesday evening, so, how will he use the squad with two games in four games? Could Emerson Royal come back in for Pedro Porro, even though Porro played really well, especially in the second half against United? Will Pape Sarr keep his place? You’d imagine so after such an excellent performance. It’s an interesting one, because you feel there are some real options in the squad, so I’m fascinated to see what Ange does. I’m sure he’s been pleased with what he’s seen in the first two Premier League matches of the season."
Ben's one to watch...
"I'll go for two players for Bournemouth - Dom Solanke, really stepping up to the challenge of playing in the Premier League off the back of having dominated in the Championship. He came into last season with a lot of pressure, but seven goals was a decent return. He’s looked sharp in their first two games so far and will provide a really good test for Micky van de Ven and Cuti Romero. Equally, if we’re looking at Destiny Udogie on the left, we should take a look a Max Aarons on the right for Bournemouth. Signed from Norwich this summer, he has a low centre of gravity, good on the ball, very pacey and excellent on the counter attack. It could be a really fantastic battle between those two - and Aaron will certainly have his work cut out when you add Heung-Min Son into the mix on the left as well!
"For us, well, off the back of a game like United, I think the atmosphere and the vibrancy amongst the fanbase is incredible, so you could pick anyone of the players who played United and people are excited to watch them... which is such a testament to what Ange is doing with the style of football. Having said that, I think the entire league is going to be watching out for Destiny Udogie this weekend. I know Rob loves watching him whilst on comms drifting into central areas for a left-back and driving at defences. He’s so good on the ball, so quick and direct. Now, we just want to see him get a couple of shots off! Clive Allen gave him a loving telling off in pre-season for not hitting the target with a shot in the friendly against Shakhtar Donetsk and it would be great to see him in advanced areas start testing the opposition keeper. He’s been so much fun to watch. It just seems that we’ve got a dream of a player on our hands..."
