HOWE can Bournemouth bully the big boys?

Bournemouth can be backed at 1500/1 to win the Premier league with some bookmakers, and are well favoured for relegation with odds as short as 3/1. It may be a long shot to say that Eddie Howe’s team will “do a Leicester” and top the charts this season, but they may have what it takes to cause a few upsets and finish in a position that refutes those odds.

Comparisons with the reigning champions

via GIPHY Leicester City stormed to the league title in their second season back in England’s top flight, after flirting dangerously with relegation upon their return. Bournemouth managed to secure their Premier League status comfortably last term, but similarities can be drawn from the circumstances with which both teams managed to break into the top tier. Both clubs managed to claw their way up from the murky depths of England’s lower leagues; a highly challenging task that has led many teams to succumb to their diminished status. Bournemouth were wallowing in League two when Eddie Howe took over as manager and oversaw an extreme turnaround in fortunes. The youngest manager in the football league’s history managed to gain automatic promotion to League One with the club before departing for Burnley in 2011. Leicester were in League One in 2009 when Nigel Pearson took over and sparked a renaissance as the club finished as divisional champions to return to the Championship. On the first attempt, they made the promotion playoffs, only to be defeated by Cardiff City in a penalty shootout. Pearson left the club shortly after but returned before the start of the 2012/13 season. He guided the club to a sixth-placed finish in that campaign and then stormed to the Championship title the next. When Howe was reinstated at Bournemouth, he sparked an even faster rise to the pinnacle of English football. When the 38-year-old returned to Dean Court in 2012, he managed to secure promotion to the Championship at the end of the season. Where Leicester spent five seasons in the Championship before earning a promotion, Howe’s team only required two. They consolidated in tenth place upon their return to the second tier, and then won the league in style the following season to book their place in the Premier League for the first time ever. Although both teams have had to bring in plenty of reinforcements and upgrade their squads in certain areas, there are still core players at both clubs that have been present through their incredible journeys. The team spirit and willingness to fight are attributes that are clear to see in both Claudio Ranieri and Howe’s men.

Youthful and hungry squad

Howe showed why he is one of the up and coming managers in English football last season, as he managed to create a strong team even after some of the key players had been laid off through injury. Early on in the season, the Cherries were dealt a crushing blow, as Tyrone Mings, Max Gradel, and Callum Wilson all suffered injuries that sidelined them for the entirety of the campaign. Wilson’s injury was the bitterest pill to swallow, though, as the club’s leading scorer the previous season had managed to make the transition to the top flight seamlessly. It was soon after his hat-trick against West Ham (see above) that the team were dealt the devastating news that the player would miss the rest of the campaign with a ruptured cruciate ligament. The 24-year-old had been the focal point of Howe’s system, and the manager had to have a complete reshuffle to work out the team’s best formula without the speedy forward. The players rose to the challenge and the likes of Joshua King, Charlie Daniels, and Andrew Surman helped to ensure that the Cherries clung on to their top-flight status. Luckily for the team and the fans, all three of these key cogs in Howe’s machine will be in the squad ahead of the new season, and will be looking to make up for lost time. Certainly, if Wilson can get into his groove quickly, he could terrorise opposition defences, and may even work towards earning a call-up to Sam Allardyce’s England squad. Gradel is another player that has the potential to be explosive. At Leeds United, he scored 22 goals in 63 games and managed 31 goals in 101 games for Saint-Etienne in Ligue 1. His speed, trickery, and ability to deliver from wide positions will make him a constant threat, and he could form a deadly alliance with Wilson. Howe has also made some shrewd signings in the summer transfer window. Jordan Ibe from Liverpool looks to be a player bursting with potential and is sure to play a key part in the upcoming campaign. Lewis Cook, another former Leeds player, has joined as well, and the young star has been tipped for great success.

No fear

Beastly Bournemouth have the potential to cause some major upsets this season, and will be looking to start straight away when they host Jose Mourinho’s new-look Manchester United at Dean Court on the opening weekend. This looks like a tough start on paper, but Howe has the opportunity to cut into these well-favoured title contenders before they have a real chance to gel properly as a team. The Bournemouth players won’t have to cast their minds back too far to remember the last time they entertained the Red Devils and deservedly beat them 2-1. All things considered, Bournemouth could be the team to watch this season. They have a lot in common with the current champions, they have a strong and hungry squad, and they have one of the most passionate and tactically astute managers in the league. But do they have what it takes to do the unthinkable and win the league? Only time will tell. [su_button url="https://www.ticketgum.com/premier-league-tickets" background="#28356A" size="20" wide="yes" radius="0"]Get Premier League Tickets[/su_button]