Football Season Guide

Bournemouth had an interesting last season that saw them surviving relatively easily but constantly mixing good home displays with dreadful away ones. The inability to defend hurt the Cherries on the road, and for several years now way too many cheap goals have been conceded, which many worry eventually might prove costly. The fact that at least 3 of the current defenders in the squad start the season injured and are expected to miss long periods hardly gives reason for optimism. Coach Howe added 2 new full-backs to the ranks, but both of them are coming from the Championship and there is no certainty they will be very useful at this level. To compensate for their defensive frailties Bournemouth need to be aggressive at the other end of the pitch and with all of Fraser, Brooks, King and Wilson staying, the high scoring form, at least at home, should continue. Solanke also hopes to be much more involved after joining for a large fee last January. Lerma will remain the heart and soul of the midfield and despite being ugly to watch at times, the Colombian holding midfielder is practically indispensable, even after the recent signing of Billing. Howe is not likely to change much in his approach, and with none of the new names seen as regular starters, Bournemouth should be playing very similar football to last season.