Bournemouth

Mark Mitchener
BBC Sport senior journalist

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Buoyed by their last two results against Arsenal and Aston Villa, Bournemouth face their last unconquered Premier League opponent on Saturday - Manchester City.

While most Cherries fans would have bitten your hand off if you had offered them four points from Arsenal and Villa, City - historically at least - have been an entirely different prospect.

For, not only have Bournemouth failed to take a single point from 14 Premier League meetings with Pep Guardiola's sky blue giants (the best 100% record by one team against another in top-flight history), going back even earlier to six encounters in the Football League in the 1980s and 1990s, the Cherries have a further two draws, four defeats and no victories to their name.

That is comfortably an English professional football league record (20 meetings with one team not having recorded a single win), and one that will only keep stretching until Andoni Iraola's side upset the applecart.

Last season's game at Vitality Stadium was a gritty 1-0 win for City, who were content to clear their lines and run the clock down towards the end, rather than seek a second goal.

But, given Guardiola’s claims that he only has 13 fit players, and Iraola's men having spiked the Gunners' guns a fortnight ago, has there ever been a better chance to rid themselves of the City monkey on their back?

The vagaries of broadcasters' schedules also mean that implausibly, a game played on 2 November will be Bournemouth's first home Saturday 15:00 kick-off this season.

Sam Davis
Fan writer

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This season, seven of Bournemouth's 11 Premier League goals have been scored on or after 70 minutes, with eight of them being scored or assisted by substitutes, underlining the importance of every player in the squad - not just the starting XI.

Indeed, Andoni Iraola has previously suggested that he will not always start his "best" side against certain teams, so whilst a cursory glance at the teamsheet at 13:45 on Saturday caused more conjecture and conversation amongst supporters, Cherries fans once again learned that there is method to the "madness".

The regularity of these "mini masterstrokes" is now so metronomic that it has come to a point where we are actually questioning our own view of the beautiful game, because we often find ourselves looking back in hindsight realising that some of the decisions that were deployed actually do make sense after all. It is not just a fluke.

At Aston Villa on Saturday, Iraola even played Dango Ouattara and Antoine Semenyo on their "wrong" sides, but in a game where we would have needed to condense play and crowd the middle of the pitch, choosing wingers that naturally need to "cut in" actually made perfect sense when having to combat midfield maestros like McGinn, Onana and Tielemans.

Yes, Bournemouth rode their luck at times, plus we had the superb Mark Travers to thank, but the fact it took Villa so long to strike underlines that Iraola knows what he is doing with his selections.

And what changes did he make when we were compromised? He brought on the ever-effective Marcus Tavernier and the £40m man Evanilson, both of whom combined to see that we came away with a point.

Supporting Bournemouth is always exciting but, under Iraola, it is also an education.

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

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

Here are some of your comments:

Villa fans

Cassie: Bad defending cost Villa three points yet again. The game was there for the taking and fair play to Bournemouth for not giving up, which is what Villa did. Our midfield was outstanding but we still need to buy a proven striker, as Watkins is still not 100%. We need other results to go our way, as again this was a Champions League hangover.

Blakey: This is the toughness of the Premier League. One moment of switching off, one bad challenge, one bad decision etc and you are not getting the points you perhaps, on balance, deserved. Let's face it, even the most optimistic Villa fan will be slightly nervous about our inability to seal the deal here. Is it the beginning of a wobble? Maybe.

Jamie: Too many substitutes for my liking. When Ollie Watkins went off, we lost all of our shape and then struggled with possession in the last 15 minutes. But let's give some respect to Bournemouth - they never gave up. So, for once, I would say that Unai is responsible for making too many changes, which just makes him human!

Greg: We have to strengthen our right-back options. We were lucky not to give away a penalty and creatively everything comes from our left-hand side.

Bournemouth fans

Thomas: Yet another solid performance from the Cherries. I can imagine that if I were a Villa fan, I would feel a bit unfortunate - no thanks to that wonderful performance from Mark Travers. Having said that, I can't get my head around how that Leon Bailey handball wasn't given as a penalty. Four points from Arsenal and Villa - not bad for little old Bournemouth.

James: I think that was the most mature Cherries performance I have ever seen. If we play like that for the rest of the season, anything is possible!

Mel: AFC Bournemouth were fantastic today. They never gave up and kept pushing forward, even when going behind. So pleased for Evanilson with that goal. It was stunning, just like his first goal for us. Hopefully he will score many more goals this season. He is an exciting addition to Bournemouth after the departure of Solanke.

Mark: Wow, we are certainly raising eyebrows! Four points from Arsenal and now Villa - under Andoni Iraola we are rocketing up the league. I think we can seriously dream of European football in the next season or two, especially with commitment our team has right to the final whistle. Now let's beat Man City next week - no joke!

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Former Premier League striker Alan Shearer has been discussing Bournemouth's "clever" set-pieces on Match of the Day, after the Cherries grabbed a late point against Aston Villa thanks to a set-piece from a free kick.

"We saw them do the same thing against Arsenal, where they worked it really well," Shearer said. "Their plan in this game was actually going to the far post. They did it so many times but [Emi] Martinez had no problems with those balls because he loves that.

"If you are going to put a ball in to the far post like that, he will come and get them all afternoon.

"But then Evanilson comes on and Bournemouth changed their tactics, they tried something different. The first one didn't really work but they worked it quite well, and I think that should've been a warning sign for Aston Villa.

"The second one was in a similar sort of position and if Matty Cash comes five-yards further back, which he should have done because he was in no man's land, he would have been able to defend it.

"But Evanilson was just allowed to run off Jhon Duran and score. Rather than going to the far post again, Bournemouth instead worked the ball really well. It was a clever ball in, clever moment and a wonderful header.

"That then ends up getting them the point - they are clever from set-pieces."

Catch up on Match of the Day here

Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's five Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from Friday's game between Leicester City and Nottingham Forest.

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

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Aston Villa 1-1 Bournemouth

• Everton 1-1 Fulham

Joe Rindl
BBC Sport journalist

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There was only one player of the match for the Cherries and that was back-up goalkeeper Mark Travers.

On Saturday usual stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga was a shock absentee after sustaining a muscle issue in training.

So stand-in keeper Travers was given his second start of the season, and his 20th overall in the Premier League, and impressed with a number of crucial saves.

Boss Iraola later told BBC Match of the Day that Travers kept the visitors in the game.

He was Bournemouth's key performer, along with second-half substitute Evanilson who only touched the ball nine times but still managed to make an all-important impact.

Travers made seven saves in all, including fine stops in each half to to repel thunderous efforts from Villa centre-backs Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres.

Should Kepa be out for an extended period, Bournemouth fans will and can be confident with the 25-year-old.

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Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers has been speaking to Premier League Productions about Evanilson's late leveller: "It was a special moment, especially so late in the game. A great ball by Travers and an even better header from Evanilson too.

"We are glad he got the goal and that he could celebrate with the fans. We all know that he is an amazing striker. It is never easy for someone to move to a new country. He doesn't speak English, but he has settled in well and hopefully he can build on that.

"We kept going to the end. We knew coming here would be a difficult game. We keep trying to do what we are doing. It was an open game, but we are happy with a point in the end.

"We are building on last season. The confidence is growing in the group and more results like this will kick us on. It was great to help the team out and, when I get called up, I try to help the team the best I can - so that's all I wanted to do today."

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There were seven yellow cards shown in the first half between Aston Villa and Bournemouth - no Premier League game has ever seen more in the first 45 minutes. Meanwhile, it is the first time this has happened more than once in a season, after Tottenham v Arsenal in September.

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day after his side clinched a draw at Villa Park: "It is always nice when you have a point at the end, in the last minute of the game. I don't feel we played well, but we competed well. We faced a very good team and they started better than us. It was difficult.

"We played better against Arsenal but we showed more character today. You feel intimidation here and it is tough to survive, but we kept in and got the draw."

On the penalty shouts from his team: "I don't want to talk about the referees. I prefer not to speak. After I was suspended, I prefer to start a clean slate."

On the equaliser coming from a well-worked set-piece: "Especially with the goalkeeper - everything we were putting on the second post, he was claiming. Luckily the last one was a difficult header, but it was a great goal in a great moment."

On Mark Travers' performance: "He made very good saves and kept us in the game when we were suffering. Everyone has stepped up and we finished much better."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Aston Villa's performance, external

What did you make of Bournemouth’s display?, external

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

Five matches make up Saturday's Premier League action, and we will bring you every moment.

• Aston Villa v Bournemouth - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Brentford v Ipswich

• Brighton v Wolves

• Manchester City v Southampton

• Everton v Fulham - 17:30 - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-offs 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, against a variety of guests.

For week nine, he takes on rapper Nemzzz, who supports Manchester United.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Again, the question is how will Villa cope with playing in the Champions League this week?

They played well when they beat Bologna on Tuesday, but the last time they had a big European win against Bayern Munich at the start of October, they were pretty flat the following weekend when they drew at home to Manchester United.

That's what worries me, especially against a Bournemouth side who will be flying off the back of beating Arsenal.

The Cherries scored their opener with a lovely set-piece routine and played really well throughout, including when it was 11 versus 11.

So Villa could probably do without this game - but I still think they will extend their 10-game unbeaten run, and maybe this is when they show us they have the required strength in depth.

They actually had quite a strong bench against Bologna and Ollie Watkins will be fresh after only coming on for the final half hour or so. I am going to say he will make the difference.

Nemzzz's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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Earlier, we asked you to identify the former Bournemouth player from their Premier League statistics playing for the club.

The correct answer was Aaron Ramsdale.

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Bournemouth centre-back Marcos Senesi is expected to receive an international call-up from Lionel Scaloni for the World Cup qualifiers in November, according to reports in Argentina.

Speaking in his pre-match news conference for the trip to Aston Villa, Cherries boss Andoni Iraola praised the defender: "Marcos has been playing very well and improving a lot.

"The way we want to play fits very well with his strengths. You can see that he is very comfortable now, even when going out of position sometimes.

"It isn't easy for some centre-backs to lose their position in the same way he does, while keeping their confidence and not being out of place, but he is very good at doing these things.

"Obviously he plays for a national team that are world champions, so it is very difficult to get in the squad, but I have no doubts that he is at that level.

"I know Lionel Scaloni very well - and I'm sure that if he recalls him, he will be ready."

Senesi made his Argentina debut in June 2022, playing 28 minutes of a 5-0 win over Estonia, but he is yet to make another appearance for La Albiceleste.

Millie Sian
BBC Sport researcher

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

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Alex Scott has had a successful procedure to "repair his meniscus" after picking up an injury following the win over Arsenal. He will be out for "definitely more than six weeks".

• Luis Sinisterra will not be travelling with the squad this weekend after suffering with "some issues" after the last game. He will "probably" be available for the next game against Manchester City.

• He added that Bournemouth have been "quite lucky" with injuries so far this season, but now "it will be a chance for other players to also help out".

• On Villa's current form: "They are playing very well. They are getting great results. They are on a great run, which is always difficult to break. They also have almost everyone available, so for sure they are very dangerous."

• He is expecting to face the "best version" of Aston Villa and believes Bournemouth will have to be "very close to their best" to be in with a chance of taking points against Unai Emery's side.

• On having 11 points on the board after eight games, after only having three points at the same stage last season: "It is still very early in the season. We have had quite logical results, so we are around where we wanted to be. We have to continue this because now we are talking about Aston Villa, Manchester City and Brentford. It won't get any easier."

• He believes it is "probably the best moment" for Tyler Adams to make his return from long-term injury: "He is feeling well and he feels confident in training, which is the most important thing after a long time out. I see him playing very freely and I think he is ready to contribute straight away."

• On the reports that Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni might recall Marcos Senesi for the World Cup qualifiers: "He has been playing very well and improving a lot. He plays for a national team that are world champions, so it is very difficult to get in the squad, but I have no doubts that he is at that level. If Scaloni recalls him, he will be ready."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the latest football news here

Guess the former Bournemouth player from their Premier League statistics at the club:

• Years at club: 2017-2020

• National team: England

• Position: Goalkeeper

• Appearances: 37

• Goals: 0

Answer will be revealed at 17:00 BST

Mark Mitchener
BBC Sport senior journalist

Image source, Getty Images

As the dust settled after Bournemouth's win over Arsenal on Saturday, one of the unsung members of the backroom team was taking the plaudits.

Goalscorer Ryan Christie was quick to credit assistant first-team coach Shaun Cooper as the man behind the set-piece routine which conjured the opening goal fired past the Gunners.

Isle of Wight-born utility man Cooper made 240 appearances in seven seasons with the Cherries during his playing days - lining up in every position except goalkeeper and striker.

As a coach, too, the 41-year-old has filled various roles, rising through the academy age groups to assist boss Andoni Iraola alongside fellow ex-Cherries skipper Tommy Elphick, although that was not originally the plan.

Iraola had wanted to bring Inigo Perez, his assistant from Rayo Vallecano, with him to Vitality Stadium, but Perez did not meet the Home Office's criteria for a work permit, external. (Subsequently, despite not clearing the UK authorities' bar for an assistant coach role, Perez is now back in La Liga... as Vallecano's head coach).

It meant that while some overseas managers arrive in the Premier League with a supporting cast of up to half a dozen, Iraola's only fellow new arrival was fitness coach Pablo de la Torre, with Elphick and Cooper continuing in the roles they had held under Gary O'Neil.

And while there has been much attention of late around the top-flight clubs who have hired specialist set-piece coaches, at Bournemouth it has often been an additional task handed to one of the existing coaches - Jason Tindall (assistant manager under Eddie Howe) or Rob Burch (goalkeeping coach under Scott Parker), and now Cooper.

Elphick, meanwhile, has almost been Iraola's de facto number two, standing in for the Spaniard when he has been unavailable, such as while serving a recent one-match touchline ban, as well as forming a close triumvirate with Iraola and Cooper.

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Last week in my newsletter, I had a little dig at those set-piece coaches forever barging into the limelight, but only doing so when their ideas work well. Having said that, when one of these football chinstrokers comes up with an entirely new strategy then I am first to give them credit.

So take a bow Shaun Cooper down at Bournemouth for a play that any Super Bowl Champions would have been proud of.

‌Lewis Cook had to deliver perfectly, Justin Kluivert's touch needed to be sublime, and Ryan Christie had to nail the hit… they each did and it was a thing of beauty.‌

I am not sure if I should be humbled because in that moment Shaun absolutely deserved the credit and the notoriety. To be fair, he is assistant manager, well one of two assistant managers, so not just a set-piece coach.

Sign up to read more from Pat Nevin in his Football Extra newsletter here

Borussia Dortmund want to sign a left-back in January with Chelsea's 27-year-old England international Ben Chilwell and Bournemouth's Hungary defender Milos Kerkez, 20, on their shortlist. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column