Bournemouth are still seeking their first win of the new Premier League season. And there’s an interesting prospect of a reunion with former boss Andoni Iraola at Liverpool.
The Cherries enjoyed a memorable 2025/26 campaign, finishing sixth to qualify for the Europa League.
Bournemouth were quick out of the blocks with three wins from their opening four games under Iraola, who has since moved onto pastures new at Anfield.
Marco Rose hasn’t quite enjoyed such a strong start. His side have led all four of their Premier League matches, but are yet to secure a win.
How can they can the record, starting this weekend? Let’s explore…
Being more clinical
Bournemouth’s tally of six Premier League goals this season is exactly the same as they had recorded after their opening four games of last term. The Cherries have also slightly improved their Expected Goals from 5.92 to 6.06.
However, those six goals last season came from 18 shots on target, compared with 24 this term (the joint-most in the division).
Their last two Premier League games ended in 2-2 draws with Brentford and Newcastle United. On both occasions, Bournemouth significantly outshot their opponents, registering 20 and 17 attempts respectively.
Crucially, though, Brentford and Newcastle were able to convert both their two shots on target, with the Cherries punished for their profligacy.
However, they can take some confidence from their Europa League exploits of midweek. Despite just three attempts on goal, they converted two of them, and it eventually proved enough to get the job done against Real Sociedad.
A more incisive approach
Bournemouth could match Manchester City (January 2004) and Tottenham Hotspur (October 2007 and December 2023) as the only sides in Premier League history to fail to convert a lead into victory in five successive matches.
One way of avoiding that may be to ask more questions of the opposing defence.
The Cherries were unfortunate to concede twice late on against Man City on the opening weekend of this season. They had been holding on, though, having registered just six touches in the opposing box during the game.
Their current total of 81 this term puts them in the bottom half of the table. However, this time last year, they had recorded 115 and that was the fifth-best tally in the Premier League.
Bournemouth also recorded just 21 against Sociedad in midweek. Again, that will have to improve if they are to progress further in the Europa League.
Sharpening up in possession
Bournemouth proved on Thursday that possession isn’t the most essential ingredient to winning a football match. They had just 38.3% against Socieded, but managed to hold out for a 2-1 victory.
Their tally for this Premier League season stands at 47.47%, which is a slight improvement on this stage last term (46.77%).
The Cherries’ passing accuracy (80.29%) is also slightly better compared to after the opening four games of last season (77.56%), with the latter tally the fourth-worst in the division. However, if the Premier League table for this term was based on passing accuracy alone, they would still find themselves in the bottom six.
Something they can take encouragement from, though, is the marginal improvement for duel success (50.58%) compared to the same stage of last season (47.69%). This season’s figure is among the top 10, while 2025/26’s had them in the bottom five.
If they’re not to have the ball as much, it’s fine so long as they pick up positive results. To do that, Rose must encourage his players to be more decisive when they do have it, especially against the bigger teams like Liverpool on Sunday.
