Premier League 2018-19 preview No 2: Bournemouth

Writers’ predicted position: 17th (NB: this is not necessarily Ben Fisher’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 12th

Odds to win the league (via Oddschecker): 1000-1

On the eve of their fourth successive season in the top flight, perhaps the most salient example of Bournemouth’s impressive imprint is that their new left-back, Diego Rico, turned down a more lucrative offer from Borussia Dortmund to join the smallest club in the Premier League. Determined to again thrive and not merely survive, Bournemouth’s challenge to keep looking up only gets tougher, not that Eddie Howe, the meticulous manager, needs reminding.

They finished only five points off eighth last season but a sapping defeat to Manchester United in April resulted in a miserable record against the top six, against who they lost 10 of their 12 league matches, with a victory over Arsenal and a rampant 3-0 win at Chelsea the anomalies. “It does get harder, and the margins get smaller and smaller,” Howe said. “Although our record against the top sides hasn’t been great, we haven’t been embarrassed or disgraced, they have been tight games and trying to turn those small margins in our favour is something we will look to do.”

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At their swarming best, Bournemouth hound opponents from the off; fizzing into pockets of space, playing pinball passes and gladly dictate an often frenetic pace. Yet, last year, they won only one of their first eight league games. The opportunity for key players to get more minutes into their legs over a busier pre-season might just help rectify those slow starts since promotion, with Cardiff City making the trip to Dorset on the opening day of the season. Another area for concern will be the defence, having kept just six clean sheets, the joint-fewest in the division along with relegated Stoke City.

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Those numbers only tell half the story, though, given that, even if they go behind, Bournemouth refuse to roll over, as typified by their last-minute win at Burnley on the final day of last season. Howe’s side have mastered the art of the comeback, recovering 21 points from losing positions last term, more than any other side. “It says a lot about the attitude of the team, and for me that’s always been our biggest strength,” Howe said. “We’ve got players that want to go the extra mile to enhance their careers and I don’t think we’ve ever lost that, and it’s really important we never lose that.”

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Their two summer arrivals would appear to fit that mould, with £10.7m signing Rico lured from Leganés after a positive meeting with Howe and his assistant, Jason Tindall, in between the odd triple-session in La Manga on their pre-season training camp. The Spaniard will provide welcome competition for longstanding left-back Charlie Daniels, a £175,000 buy from Leyton Orient in 2011, though Rico may miss the first three matches after being sent off for his former club. The 25-year-old will also need to overcome the language barrier but at least does have a couple of tattoos in English.

Rico was tracked by Bournemouth for months, while they continued their pursuit of another La Liga-based player, Jefferson Lerma. Predominantly a box-to-box midfielder, he featured four times for Colombia at the World Cup – including against England – but his club, Levante, have remained stubborn, rejecting a bid in excess of €22m, as well as the 23-year-old’s transfer request. Familiar with the market’s volatility, Howe has alluded to striking a balance between pushing hard and paying over the odds.

The other player inbound, David Brooks, is a trademark Bournemouth signing in many ways; a young player with a burgeoning reputation acquired from the Football League. The 21-year-old Wales international arrives from Sheffield United for £11.5m, a move not dissimilar to Lewis Cook joining in 2016 or Tyrone Mings in 2015. After a frustrating first season, Cook, a fearless and gutsy midfielder, was one of last season’s biggest success stories; instrumental in both directions, particularly breaking from deep and at leisure picking a pass, he formed an efficient axis with Dan Gosling at the turn of the year.

Cook was initially on the fringes but after a season shadowing Jack Wilshere, he finished the last as one of the first names on the teamsheet, with a senior England cap, against Italy at Wembley, and on Gareth Southgate’s five-man standby list for Russia, all before signing a new four-year contract until 2022. “I think he can achieve whatever he wants to from this position,” Howe said. “Look at what he has already achieved in such a short time. He has captained his country at various levels; he has won the [Under-20] World Cup. I see a very bright future ahead for him. It can be easy to forget how young Lewis is.” The only thing really missing from Cook’s game is goals, although he has already struck in a friendly this summer. “We are urging him to try and score more, to make the right decisions,” said Howe.

It remains to be seen how big a part Brooks, who only made his full Championship debut last September, will play this season, but Howe will relish the role of harnessing his raw ability. The dainty Brooks introduced himself at the Steel City derby with a nutmeg on Jack Hunt at Hillsborough and he becomes the second youngster to swap Bramall Lane for Bournemouth in 18 months, joining goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale on the south coast.

Howe has also successfully pruned his squad, with those on the periphery – including Benik Afobe and Adam Federici – moving on. Brooks, a dancing No 10, will supplement Howe’s attacking options, particularly if the Bournemouth manager persists with his favoured 4-4-1-1 formation. Meanwhile, the striker Lys Mousset is likely to assume further responsibility after doubling his game-time last season, while Jermain Defoe, who turns 36 in October, will demand more from himself having contributed only four league goals after being unusually bogged down by injuries. At the back, it could be a big season for the young centre-back Jack Simpson, while teenagers Kyle Taylor and Nnamdi Oforborh have both impressed.

But if it is easy to forget how young Cook is, then it is staggering to consider the potential of Nathan Aké at 23. The teetotal Dutchman proved a “model of consistency”, to use Howe’s words, in defence, with his pace a get-out-of-jail-free card time and again. A pre-season surprise, a zip-wire ride between Bournemouth pier and the shore exposed some nerves but, on the pitch, Aké is a smooth operator. The club-record outlay of £20m, to Chelsea last summer, increasingly looks a snip given his value to this team; he won the player of the month award on seven out of a possible nine occasions. With Aké, Bournemouth have a rock on which they can continue to build.