Bournemouth

Ben Ramsdale
BBC Sport journalist

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to the media before Tuesday's Premier League game at Brighton (kick-off 19:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Iraola was tight-lipped when it came to team news and gave no indication as to whether there were any fresh injury concerns within the squad.

• He said the appeal over the red card Illia Zabarnyi received in the defeat by Wolves will be decided later on Monday, but for now he is unsure on his availability.

• On Evanilson's fitness: "The problem with Evanilson is that he hasn't trained. He has recovered from the injury but when you have a bone injury, you have to wait until it heals. He has lost a lot of training and it's more about the shape he is in right now than the proper injury."

• On the forward's availability for Brighton, he added: "I think he could start but the problem could be how long he could last because he lacks the training days. The process you get with other injuries is normally more smooth."

• Iraola said the team are "still very far" from the fight for European football and the team need to do "a lot of things well" if they want to be up there when it matters.

• He laughed off comparisons between his side's corner routine earlier in the season against Arsenal and how it was similar to Liverpool's opening goal in their 2-0 win at Manchester City on Sunday, stating he did not invent it and "doesn't take any responsibility" for it.

Follow all of Monday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Bournemouth and Wolves.

Here are some of your comments:

Bournemouth fans

Charl: Why were Tyler Adams and David Brooks not playing? You can't take away our best midfielder and our most creative player and expect the same results. Dango Quattara and Marcus Tavernier need to up their game before being picked ahead of proven winners. The sending off for Illia Zabarnyi was unfortunate - we will miss him massively. His presence shapes the whole team.

Matthew: Yet another game ruined as a spectacle by inept oversight. Play-acting and time-wasting are the real issues here. Created too few chances after going down to 10 men, with poor on-field decisions preventing us testing the keeper enough. We move on. Maybe revenge will be served within seven days.

Don: The red card was pivotal in this contest. Got to accept the decision, albeit from VAR and I felt that Joao Gomes should also have gone off. A second yellow was deserved for a ridiculous simulation of facial injury to try and get a yellow for Cook. I suppose VAR is not allowed to interfere in this case, defying logic in some way.

Geoff: We were below par but on another day the result would have been reversed. Wolves constantly wasted time and the sending off of the Bournemouth player was unjust - a yellow card yes, but the Wolves players influenced an indecisive ref. If Wolves continue to play in this way, they will get what they deserve!

Wolves fans

Jen: Full of heart and at times backs to the wall, even against 10 men! Massive result, but more than that is its obvious that the players want to play for the shirt. Well done Vitor Pereira.

Rob: Another solid defensive performance and looked good going forward. Jean-Ricner Bellegarde was excellent again and with a player like Matheus Cunha, we have every chance of staying in the Premier League.

Mike: An excellent away win, albeit against 10 men with a well-taken goal by Cunha and not allowing Bournemouth any clear chances. We had opportunities to finish this game off but again we spurned them. This could be a significant weekend in the relegation battle with a little gap now appearing over the bottom three.

Martin: Such an important victory. There is a real identity starting to emerge with this group. Andre is a definite contender for second place in the player of the season category.

John Acres
BBC Final Score reporter at Vitality Stadium

Image source, Getty Images

This was a game defined by a very modern red card.

Unlikely to have been given as a foul 30 years ago, Illia Zabarnyi's challenge on Rayan Ait-Nouri was deemed a yellow card by referee Mike Salisbury, but he was sent to the monitor by the VAR and upgraded it to a red.

It will sit uncomfortably with some of those who have been watching the game for decades, but winning the ball no longer protects players from being sent off.

Opinions will certainly be divided on whether the challenge deserved a straight red, but it almost certainly will not be rescinded in the unlikely event of a Bournemouth appeal.

It proved the defining moment in the game, and it could prove a decisive moment for Wolves, Ipswich and Leicester in the relegation battle, and in Bournemouth's bid for a top-four finish.

Highlights and analysis from Saturday's seven Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from Friday's game between Leicester and Brentford.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal 0-1 West Ham

• Aston Villa 2-1 Chelsea

Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport journalist

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This represented a missed opportunity for Bournemouth to boost their Champions League prospects against opponents who had collected just one win in their previous six league games.

And while the Cherries were understandably hindered by the dismissal of Illia Zabarnyi in the 31st minute there was still a sense of being underwhelmed by a performance that delivered just a single second-half shot against a Wolves side battling for their Premier League survival.

There were moments, particularly late on, where with greater composure in the final third they may have been able to test visiting goalkeeper Jose Sa.

There could be no doubting their effort or commitment.

Andoni Iraola's side restricted Wolves to very few genuine chances but simply found their attempts to press high up the pitch severely restricted.

They will now have to recover quickly for their trip along the south coast to face a rejuvenated Brighton team on Tuesday.

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "I think the game is very affected by the red card. I analysed my team and I was very happy before it. We have been in the game but they punished us in the minutes after the red card where we have not probably established ourselves.

"From there we competed really well. It was difficult playing with 10 players for most of the game but the players have done a very good job. I am very proud of the performance of my players.

"The only observation I would make is if the referee sees it and says, 'red card' okay, but I have seen different angles. From one angle I don't think it is but from another it does look like a red card, he tries to win the ball and slips over the ball and it is a dangerous fall...but clear and obvious? I don't know.

"[Illia] Zabarnyi will now miss games, a player that has gone very clearly for the ball and touched it and is unlucky slipping. I don't understand it. When I watched the replay with it in slow motion I thought, we were done."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Bournemouth's performance

What did you make of Wolves' display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Wolves ran Liverpool close at Anfield last weekend and Matheus Cunha showed his quality with his wonderful goal that gave them hope in that game.

That performance should give Vitor Pereira's struggling side real belief and I am expecting them to put up a fight here too, but I just can't back against Bournemouth.

The way the Cherries attack, with the amount of shots they get on target, makes them hard to stop and I can't see anything other than a home win.

Andoni Iraola's side are right in the mix for the Champions League places now, and that race is very interesting.

Liverpool and Arsenal will finish first or second but, after that, there are a few teams in with a chance, especially because fifth place could be enough this season.

I'm going for Manchester City to finish in my top five, along with Nottingham Forest. On current form, Bournemouth will make it too, which would be an incredible achievement.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

There are seven Premier League games on Saturday, and we will bring you every moment.

• Everton v Manchester United (12:30)

• Bournemouth v Wolves

• Ipswich v Tottenham

• Southampton v Brighton

• Arsenal v West Ham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Fulham v Crystal Palace

• Aston Villa v Chelsea (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live (coverage will start on 5 Sports Extra)

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all the action and reaction here

With the Premier League likely to receive five spots in next season's Champions League, former Liverpool and England defender Stephen Warnock tells The Football News Show why this could represent the best chance for a generation for Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth to realise their unlikely European ambitions.

Watch The Football News Show on iPlayer

Marissa Thomas
BBC Sport journalist

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Wolves (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On whether any injured players are ready to come back: "We still have today's training, I think we will recover Julio [Soler]. He arrived at night yesterday and he is an option."

• He added: "Also, Hilly [James Hill] has been training with us this week and we will see if he makes the squad. If not, it is also good news because he will make the squad for the next games that we have. Next week we have three games. It's good that we slowly, slowly start recovering more players."

• On facing Wolves: "It's a difficult game, I think they are playing very well. They've had a very difficult schedule. They have always been competitive and tomorrow I expect a difficult game. They have very good individuals, they have been very solid defensively and they are not conceding a lot. It will be demanding for us."

• Iraola was asked to reflect on how good his side have been this season: "For me, you analyse or evaluate at the end of the season. We are doing well, it's true, this season we are playing well quite consistently but we will see where we finish at the end. It is good to be in a good moment, in a good position right now but they don't give you anything in March. It is at the end of the season when you can achieve or you can see how we have done. We will see where we are then, not now."

• On his side potentially going to into the top four tomorrow, depending on other results: "For me, we are on 43 points. We have the chance to add one more point tomorrow or three more points. that's what we will try [to do] tomorrow and that's it."

• Iraola added: "The position [we are in now] is nice, it's good to be there with big teams but we need many more points if we want to fight for something at the end of the season. We want to continue adding points and see where the table puts us at the end. We will not change our approach."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Newcastle are interested in Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo. (Talksport), external

Andoni Iraola would be Tottenham's preferred candidate to replace Ange Postecoglou, should the Australian manager leave the club. (Talksport), external

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Bournemouth have won three of their past four Premier League games against Wolves, though all three have come away from home.

However, Wanderers are unbeaten in all four of their Premier League away games against the Cherries, with two draws and two wins - their most away games against an opponent without losing in the top flight.

Mark Mitchener
BBC Sport senior journalist

Image source, Getty Images

With 13 games left of the Premier League season, Bournemouth have every right to feel delighted about the first two-thirds of the campaign.

Having never made it this far into a top-flight season with anything approaching a positive goal difference, the Cherries are already only five short of equalling last term's record points tally and the fans are dreaming about Europe - even if the club will not publicly engage in such talk.

What is more remarkable is the context in which this run of form has been achieved.

Hearing Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou's weekend gripes about "players out of position and kids on the bench", Cherries supporters could be forgiven for pointing to their past month spent without a fit right-back or central striker, and a host of untried development squad players filling out the substitutes' bench.

Yet, they still managed to beat Newcastle, Nottingham Forest, Everton and Southampton by a combined total of 14 goals to two, only stumbling with a 2-0 defeat by champions-elect Liverpool.

The injury situation seems to be slightly easing, with Marcus Tavernier back for some important cameos off the bench (plus a start in the FA Cup), while Alex Scott and Luis Sinisterra - both sidelined since the win over Arsenal in mid-October - made comebacks as substitutes in Saturday's win at St Mary's.

Scott's return could be particularly welcome as Ryan Christie has been walking a disciplinary tightrope for two games since picking up his ninth yellow card of the season against Liverpool.

The 'cut-off' for suspensions for 10 cautions is not until after teams have completed 32 league games - mid-April - so it may be unrealistic to expect Christie's all-action midfield style not to earn him a yellow card before then. In which case, with Lewis Cook still deputising as a makeshift right-back, Scott could be the man to step in.

Antoine Semenyo and Justin Kluivert, who both served one-match bans earlier in the season for accumulating five bookings, are now on six, as is Cook, with Dean Huijsen (now appearing almost daily in the BBC transfer gossip column) on five.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Cherries defender Joe Partington speaking about Ryan Christie on the latest Cherries: Unpicked podcast: "Every time Bournemouth win a game the manager is always asked questions about a certain player. Sometimes its [Justin] Kluivert because he scored a hat-trick, maybe its [Antoine] Semenyo because he scored a really important goal.

"But, Ryan Christie's consistency this season is incredible. His level is so so high - his ability to look exceptionally in control of what he's doing. I hope its not underwhelming to say he's outstandingly basic.

"His touch is always perfect, his pass is always the right weight at the right time at the right angle - he plays the pass to the right player in the right moment into the right space. He dribbles past people when he should, he finds space between players when he needs to. When the ball looks messy and other players would just clear it, he brings the ball down and finds a team-mate to let the team gain control of the game.

"He's a really, really important part of why Bournemouth are so successful at the moment.

"He's a player's player. He might not be the fans' favourite player but players will all tell you he's one of the best. They all have that respect for him and are so appreciative of his level."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

If you're not a Bournemouth fan, find your club's page here

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A topic of discussion on the latest Cherries: Unpicked episode is the possibility of Aaron Ramsdale returning to the club he played for between 2017 and 2020.

The England international was linked with a move back to the Vitality Stadium in the summer after his Arsenal exit but a move did not materialise and he ended up at Southampton.

Kepa Arrizabalaga instead arrived on loan from Chelsea and, while he has impressed for Andoni Iraola's side, it is unclear how likely he is to remain on the South Coast when his deal expires at the end of the season.

"He's an amazing goalkeeper," former Bournemouth defender Joe Partington said. "I know he's in a struggling team at the moment but he's a wonderful player.

"As a person by all accounts he is a positive influence on the changing room, people I know who know him say amazing things about him.

"He's not going to come into Bournemouth and make them worse but also they have a goalkeeper at the moment who is performing very well.

"It's difficult from Kepa's perspective as once upon a time he was the world's most expensive goalkeeper and through that tag you're expected to play at a certain level. He maybe wasn't able to do that at Chelsea but at Bournemouth he's doing a very good job.

"Is Aaron Ramsdale a Premier League player? Yes absolutely of course he is. He's a great goalkeeper, most clubs would want him. But, Bournemouth at the moment have another goalkeeper who's playing very well."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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Former Cherries defender Joe Partington believes Nottingham Forest will "slip away" from the top of the Premier League, potentially offering a route for Bournemouth to qualify for the Champions League.

Andoni Iraola's side sit fifth - four points behind Forest in third - with the Premier League's top five likely to reach Europe's top club competition due to the extended League Phase and England's coefficient ranking.

"I think the top four are strong still," Partington told the Cherries: Unpicked podcast. "They're full of amazing talent.

"But, the Bournemouth players are showing up at the moment and doing incredibly well.

"I still think it is unrealistic but I'm certainly not suggesting that it's not possible. It's happened before when teams who are not realistically top six clubs find their way into the Champions League. This looks like it has the characteristics of being one of those seasons for sure.

"I see a team on the attack. When you watch Bournemouth at Southampton the centre-backs are 10 yards into the opposition half. They have the ball camped in the opposition half. When they play against some of the best teams, the centre-backs are on the halfway line - not naively but because they are on the front foot and taking control of games.

"I feel like Nottingham Forest will slip away. There's been a couple of games where they've fallen short of the levels they've set.

"Forest are at their best when they're at the opposite of that and they're trying to counter-attack. I don't see that as being a sustainable way of winning games over a long period of time. When I watch Bournemouth I see they've got a little bit more than Forest."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola is top of Tottenham's list if they decide to replace Ange Postecoglou, who has been in charge since June 2023 but is under pressure following a poor run of results. (Talksport), external

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Sam Davis
Fan writer

Image source, PA Media

Another weekend ends victorious for Bournemouth, which now means the Cherries have only one defeat in their past 15 games. Very impressive indeed.

There are many factors enabling this run of form but, following the latest win, it feels as though the current midfield duo deserve some praise.

Tyler Adams and Ryan Christie were imperious again. They were first to everything against Southampton. Both were relentless throughout and Christie even managed to bag a glorious goal and assist too.

The pair are relatively new to being alongside one another in that midfield area. A host of injuries have meant Lewis Cook filling a full-back role, but even with his displacement, the midfield partnership has flourished.

Adams has struggled with injuries since joining the club. However, a proper run in the side is showing just why the club went after him. He has been a revelation.

As for Christie, he was brought to the club in the Championship under Scott Parker and played regularly as a right-winger. He was key to the promotion back to the top flight, but then once manager Gary O'Neil came in, he was left out of many starting XIs and sometimes omitted from matchday squads all together.

Andoni Iraola had other ideas, though, turning Christie into the complete central midfielder. He has been nothing short of spectacular there.

Will Cook go back into midfield once injuries have cleared somewhat? Will Alex Scott force a way in?

Regardless, it will give Iraola and the club some welcome headaches going forward.

Find more from Sam Davis at Back of the Net, external

Bournemouth's Dean Huijsen has a £50m release clause in his contract, which can be activated from this summer - with Liverpool among the clubs interested in the defender. (Fabrizio Romano), external

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