Our 26/27 Cherries Predictions

Welcome to our first written piece in which we predict the Cherries’ 26/27 season. In this piece, we give you our thoughts and reasoning for where we think the Cherries fill finish in the league and some key players that might have a say in this historic season. 

PREDICTED FINISH:

JACK: 11th 

Now I must get this out there, I did correctly predict us getting Europe last season so I guess you could say I’m great at these predictions! As such, I really do think we will be topping the bottom half of the table this year! I for one would be very happy with said finish.

In terms of the cups, I really want a great cup run which Marco Rose has said he will try his best to give. A day out at Wembley would be ideal or a trip to Frankfurt would go down just fine in my eyes.

I can understand football fans and pundits having us lower down the table, due to playing twice in a game week and perhaps not having the squad built for it. However, I really don’t think the club would knowingly leave the squad light handed to then struggle to manage two games a week. It’s definitely the reason as to why we have seen less players leave on loan this season, and the potential return of Max Aarons to the squad and the retention of Daniel Jebbison are players I’m excited to see play their part. 

Not just that, but recruitment has definitely been stepped up this summer with the signings we have made. Bringing in Benfica captain Antonio Silva, Sevilla’s starting right back Juanlu, and most importantly Marco Rose. The German coach has a plethora of experience managing in the Champions League at some of Germany’s biggest clubs. 

Another reason I believe we will finish as high as I have said, is that I do believe there will be nine weaker teams in the league. I do think of the teams in the Europa League and Conference League, we have had the most stable summer. Of course, we have changed manager whereas Brighton and Sunderland have not. However, Brighton have lost Danny Welbeck who was a key player for them last season and I believe they will throw all their eggs in the Conference League basket if you will. Sunderland have had a somewhat quiet window with no real marquee signing and Crystal Palace have had a summer of change with people tipping them for the drop. 

I really liked and appreciated the club’s stance this summer of not selling any key players. Alex Scott, Rayan and Junior Kroupi all staying, showing a real mark of intent from the owners and their ambitions for the season. 

GREG: 13th

Last season I predicted us to finish in a similarly mid-table spot, thinking it would be a season of growth after losing a number of key players, and we all know what happened then. So perhaps I should have more faith in the team - but it can’t be denied that the club are heading into uncharted territory, and therefore it is very tough to predict.

The good news is that, unlike last season, there has only been one truly key player to depart the club - Marcos Senesi to Spurs - and he was swiftly replaced by the impressive looking Antonio Silva, who carries much of the same qualities as Senesi. Importantly, Alex Scott, Rayan and Junior Kroupi all remain AFC Bournemouth players, although the latter missing the first few months of the campaign will undoubtedly be a huge loss. 

But no players leaving was no doubt subsidised through the loss of Andoni Iraola, one of the best young managers in the game, who steered us to a ridiculous 18 match unbeaten run (which we are still on), and taking us to Europe for the first time ever whilst playing some of the most entertaining football in the league.

From everything we know about new boss Marco Rose, that entertaining style is not going to change, it will be the same front-foot, high press, quick transition system. That should be a good thing for the players - whilst there is no doubt there are new ideas on board, the core beliefs have remained the same and that should help for a smooth adjustment. 

I unfortunately haven’t been able to watch much of pre-season, so I’m not able to delve into any full tactical analysis here, but the bits I have seen show a team that are going to have no problem scoring goals this season, with chances being created from set pieces, open play and goals being caused by the high press. The caveat to that is that we have also looked fairly open during the friendlies - whether that is the players still getting used to the slightly different pressing style of Rose, and his system in general, or whether, like under Andoni, we just have to accept that, to be so brave and play a fearless brand of football, means we have to accept that chances/goals will be conceded. I will add that Tyler Adams did not feature in pre-season, but would likely play a big part in helping shore up the side at the back.

In terms of our actual position in the table, where we may (or may not) struggle with the challenge of constantly playing Thursday/Sunday for the first time, there will be plenty of teams around us, as they were last year, who don’t have European fixtures, and as we did last year may take advantage of that.

Of course, as I mentioned earlier, the main positive is that the core squad remains, and if the depth can stay fully fit (a big ask given our injury history), then I am confident we could have successful campaigns across the board. As it is, injuries are always likely, which with all the football, could de-rail us at some point. Hopefully, it’s just like last season, where I look back and feel silly about my (slightly) pessimistic prediction. 

PLAYER OF THE SEASON:

JACK: Rayan

I really do think this will be Rayan’s year, especially after a very bright World Cup campaign. In the last half of the season, he provided the Cherries with major moments including his header away at Everton and his long range strike away at Fulham. I think he will really shine on the European stage and in pre-season, his link up with Evanilson has looked really dangerous and could be the Cherries’ biggest threat this season. 

GREG: James Hill 

James Hill came in last season and changed the team’s fortunes, with just one league defeat after he came back into the XI against Chelsea. He was superb in his partnership with Marcos Senesi, and now dons the Number 5 that Senesi vacated. This is the first opportunity that Hill has to make the centre back position his own for the whole season, and I predict that not only will he do that, but he will weave his way into the hearts of AFC Bournemouth fans more than he already has done. Expect some big defensive contributions and a whole lot of passion across the campaign - I would love to see this man get a goal, too. If Adrien Truffert stays consistent for the season, he will definitely be in conversation for this award as well.

SURPRISE PACKAGE:

JACK: Alex Toth

I think if you were to ask Cherries fans who they have been impressed with most this season, I definitely imagine Alex Toth being a name that pops up. Again, like Rayan, he only joined the Cherries last January and I think the Hungarian will really benefit from a full pre-season. I think he will excel on the European stage, especially with the rotation that will be happening in the squad. I can imagine a scenario where Alex Scott may leave next year with Toth proving this season he is more than capable of replacing him. The recruitment team saw his potential when signing him, Cherries fans will see this season the exact same on the pitch. 

GREG: Juanlu

I was also going to pick Toth, but given his pre-season, I’m not even sure it would be that surprising, given how impressive he looked. One player I have not heard a lot of fans speaking about, perhaps due to the fact we are still yet to see them in an AFC Bournemouth shirt, is our new right-back, Juanlu Sanchez. At the age of 22, the Spaniard has already racked up an impressive CV with Sevilla, as well as winning Olympic Gold. He fits the bill of AFC Bournemouth full-backs - energetic, loves to bomb forward, but doesn’t shy away from defending either. I’m sure there will be rotation between him and captain Adam Smith, but I expect Cherries fans will warm to Juanlu more than they would think.

TOP GOALSCORER:

JACK: Junior Kroupi

Even though the Frenchman is out until late October, six months of the season is still plenty of time for him to score plenty of goals both domestically and in Europe. Although the likes of Evanilson, Rayan and Alvaro will get a head start, I still do believe Kroupi will come back firing and bag way more goals than last season. 

GREG: Evanilson

I predicted this last year, and unfortunately it never even came close. I also try not to take pre-season form as Gospel, but… there is no denying that AFCB’s record signing looks full of confidence in front of goal, in a way that he definitely wasn’t last season. If he takes that swagger into the new campaign, and we continue to create for him, there is no reason he shouldn’t be our top scorer, especially with a potentially three month start on Junior Kroupi. A few goals in the first month would surely see him be able to carry this positive momentum.

FLOP (or biggest disappointment):

JACK: Alex Scott

I don’t want people to think I’m saying Alex will have a bad season this season, I believe he will maintain the levels that he kept last season. However, I think a disappointment for some fans this season would be Alex perhaps not going up a level with his performances. You do see with many players that when they are courted by many teams in the summer, their next season’s numbers do drop off. Again, I think Alex will maintain last season’s numbers and levels but I don’t think he will meet some people’s expectations. 

GREG: Alvaro Rodriguez

There’s something about AFC Bournemouth signing ‘different options’ up front that just haven’t worked recently: Kieffer Moore was good for the Championship but not up to Premier League standard, and in the end, neither was Enes Unal. For whatever reason, I could see something similar happening with Alvaro Rodriguez. £20M+ represents a fairly large transfer fee, although he is a player with large potential, so even if he didn’t come good this year, that doesn’t mean he would be a bad signing. Reminds me of the Ben Gannon-Doak acquisition from last year, in that regard, who I still believe has a big future with the club. 

Let us know your predictions for the season ahead and don’t forget to listen to the first episode of our ‘Cherries Chat’ Podcast, which you can listen to here:

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Wji8JuIThZElXD1aO2qe4

APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/cherries-chat-an-afc-bournemouth-podcast/id6802609724?i=1000784055348