Tottenham Opposition Scouting Report: Bournemouth

By Ryan Wrenn | Oct 20, 2016

WATFORD, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 01: Eddie Howe, Manager of AFC Bournemouth shows apperciation to the fans by clapping after the final whistle during the Premier League match between Watford and AFC Bournemouth at Vicarage Road on October 1, 2016 in Watford, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images) /

Tottenham can’t be lulled into complacency when they face off against a precocious Bournemouth side at Vitality Stadium on Saturday.

It might be tempting to do so. As we mentioned in our starting XI predictor post earlier on Thursday, Tottenham beat Bournemouth last season by a combined scored of 8-1. Eddie Howe’s team might have impressed enough to sustain their Premier League story, but Tottenham clearly had their number when it counted.

Both teams, naturally, have evolved since they last met in March. Bournemouth, flush with Premier League money, made serious investments over the summer. Jordan Ibe and Lewis Cook arrived for a combined amount surpassing £20 million.

Neither player have begun to pay back that investment. Nor has on-loan Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere. He and Ibe should both feature on Saturday (Cook remains out injured after only one appearance with the club so far), but the bulk of Bournemouth’s threat to Tottenham will come from veterans.

Callum Wilson’s return from injury was arguably the biggest boost Bournemouth received over the last few months. The 24-year-old striker’s appeared in every match in this campaign, scoring three goals.

More surprising is the emergence of Junior Stanislas. The English winger was something of an afterthought, but over five games this season he’s scored as many goals (3) and contributed as many assists (2) as he did over 17 games last term. He will be Bournemouth’s primary goal-scoring threat on Saturday, and Ben Davies would do well to check his progress forward.

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Both Wilson and Stanislas benefit heavily from how Howe (sorry) has set up the team. Hardly anyone would fault Bournemouth for playing a more conservative game focused on defending. Howe prefers to be more proactive, building a team around taking the game to their opponent regardless of their reputation.

Their survival last term is proof enough of their effectiveness. After eight games so far this season, they sit 11th with stats to match. Their 11.4 shots per game are 14th, their passing success of 81.1% is 8th and their 49.6% possession 11th. They have the look and feel of a genuine midtable side, just one year after being promoted into the Premier League for the first time ever.

What’s more, they are coming off their most commanding win yet in the Premier League. Though their home match against Hull City looked even for most of the first half, the Cherries’ offense exploded in the second half. The match would end 6-1 in Howe’s favor, and it could have been much better.

Now, Tottenham aren’t Hull. It will take a lot more to break them down. Pochettino will be watching for whatever threats they bring to bear all the same though.

Bournemouth’s biggest advantage, generally speaking, is the fact that they have both a talented wing corps — most notably Stanislas and Ibe — along with a pair of very aggressive full-backs in Charlie Daniels and Adam Smith. Their combined talents create potential overloads on the flanks, as well as stretching the opposition wide across the pitch.

For a Tottenham side that still retains a tendency to play narrowly, this is potentially very dangerous.

There’s an easy counter to this, in both meanings of the word. Pochettino will name Heung-min Son and Moussa Sissoko, both players who tend to stay wider than their peers in the Tottenham squad. This will accomplish at least one of two objectives.

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One, it will keep Daniels and Smith from being too adventurous in support of Ibe and Stanislas respectively. That strangles Bournemouth’s attack if worked right.

Two, when and if the Cherries full-backs do need to get forward, Son and Sissoko will be on the pitch to exploit the space left in behind. It’s unlikely that either player will be so naive to give Tottenham such chances, but it’s a part of the pitch that both players will be watching all the same.

In sum, this will not be another match like those against Sunderland and Middlesbrough. Bournemouth are just cocky enough, especially at home, to think they can take the game to Tottenham.