Tactical Watch: Saints must withstand Cherries' high press
Tactics writer Sam Tighe picks out the key statistics and highlights exactly where Southampton's south-coast showdown with Bournemouth may be won or lost…
What is AFC Bournemouth’s overall tactical approach?
A trip to the Vitality Stadium in 2024 is effectively a battle: Andoni Iraola’s AFC Bournemouth play high energy, high-pressing, physical football.
The starting XI is packed full of players who can play with intensity, cover lots of ground and engage in duel after duel. Only Tottenham (24) have attempted more final-third tackles than the Cherries (19) in the Premier League so far, neatly illustrating their commitment to disruptive football from the front.
The middle of the pitch frequently becomes tough sledding at the Vitality Stadium, as the likes of Ryan Christie and Lewis Cook seek to play in their manager’s image. The centre-backs push up and engage high up too, with Ilya Zarbarnyi particularly strong in ground duels.
From an attacking perspective, 41% of their play has come from the left flank so far this season, which is a pretty heavy skew. That’s where powerful full-back Milos Kerkez, long-shot specialist Marcus Tavernier and roaming No. 10 Justin Kluivert, who drifts to the left to try and create 3 vs 2 scenarios, do their work. They get to the byline and stretch teams very well.
That often grants Antoine Semenyo, their top scorer in the league this season, a 1 vs 1 on the right flank; his willingness to run at his marker over and over again sums up Iraola’s relentless style. Evanilson, a new striker who replaced Dominic Solanke, willingly joins in and tussles with the centre-backs in the channels.
How can Saints be successful against them?
Southampton boast the fourth-highest average possession figure (60.4%) in the league, while Bournemouth’s is the fifth-lowest (42.5%). That means the pattern of the game is predictable, so the first task is to use the ball well.
That will be a challenge, as the Cherries will apply intense pressure to every action, starting with Aaron Ramsdale in goal and continuing all the way through the team.
Southampton’s wingers stand to be very important here, as if Bournemouth’s loss to Chelsea is anything close to a blueprint, then switching the ball wide and over the press, then working that space, could be effective. Jadon Sancho did it brilliantly; it stands to reason that Tyler Dibling can too.
It’s also vital that Saints ride the natural highs and lows this fixture brings. Bournemouth’s pressing approach can generate periods of real momentum which must be weathered, but then there’s always a dip or two where you can grow into the game. It makes their 90-minute performances a little inconsistent, which the numbers bear out: last season they struggled to safeguard leads, dropping 27 points from winning positions (only Burnley and Brentford dropped more), while this season has almost been the reverse, as they’ve gone behind in four of their five league games.
What’s clear from this is there’s always opportunity in amongst the chaos of Bournemouth’s games.
Predicted XI: Kepa; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Cook, Christie; Semenyo, Kluivert, Tavernier; Evanilson.
Notes:
Midfielder Tyler Adams is the only player fully ruled out due to injury
Sinisterra and Outarra are pushing for places on the wings
Huijsen and Araújo are vying for spots in the defensive line
