- Bournemouth are scoring more goals off the bench than anyone else this season
- They are also spreading around the goals nicely after Solanke’s departure
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! New formation, some new faces, but the optimism has gone at Old Trafford
Just outside Pokesdown railway station, the nearest train station to Bournemouth’s Vitality ground, there’s a small football memorabilia shop with a framed Dominic Solanke shirt propped up in the window for passers-by to admire.
It serves as a reminder of the influence of the former Cherries striker, whose £65-million move to Tottenham in the summer after netting 19 Premier League goals last season was supposed to derail Andoni Iraola’s second season in charge.
But the way in which Iraola has managed to not only recover this team following Solanke’s departure, but actually improve it, is testament to the Spaniard’s forward-thinking and coaching prowess.
Antoine Semenyo, Justin Kluivert and Marcus Tavernier were the most used attackers last season behind Solanke, and the three of them produced 18 goals. At the midpoint to this season those three have already scored 12.
Evanilson, Solanke’s £40-million replacement, has five of his own and impressed against Everton, but crucially the goals are no longer coming from just the one man.
Iraola has instilled self-belief in this squad, epitomised by the way in which Bournemouth now top the leaderboard for most goals scored by substitutes in the Premier League this season.
Bournemouth have ended up better despite losing last season’s 21-goal man Dominic Solanke
Bournemouth found another late goal against Everton and have more strikes from subs than any team in the Premier League
Andoni Iraola deserves credit for instilling self-belief into his side, who are pushing for Eurpe
Their frontline has been a thing to behold and they are spreading out the goals nicely
David Brooks was the one to do this against Everton on Saturday with a sublime volley which Jordan Pickford, who had an otherwise outstanding game, was none the wiser to.
‘That finish is the definition of clinical from David,’ Iraola said. ‘Everyone in the club trusts David. I think in the last month he has started two games, he has come on from the bench all the other games, so he’s played more minutes lately because we have the injuries [to Marcus Tavernier and Luis Sinisterra] in his position.’
And, he added: ‘Everyone is fighting for minutes and it’s good for the team.’
The one-goal scoreline aside, Bournemouth’s overall superiority in front of goal compared to Everton’s was glaring. The hosts had eight shots on target while Sean Dyche’s side were unable to threaten Mark Travers’ net at all and the Toffees have now failed to score in a league-high 11 games this season.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin extended his goalless run to 15 games and there is a sense that something will soon have to give if Everton are to avoid another late relegation scrap.
