How the smallest club in the Premier League continues to succeed

By Josh Gans

Bournemouth play their home games at the smallest stadium in the Premier League, the Vitality Stadium, which holds just over 11,000 seats. To put this into perspective, it is the 67th largest stadium in English football, with fewer seats than 61 professional clubs and three non-league clubs. Their promotion in 2015 marked their best-ever debut and on their return in 2022 they were every bookmaker’s favorite to go down again. This is not a traditionally wealthy club with a history of success, but they managed to redefine themselves, with limited resources, into a stable Premier League team that will not roll over for anyone.

The Spanish manager has reshaped Bournemouth again using his high pressing tactics. His players make their mark on the game from the offset, set the standard for the game and pose a particular threat to possession-based opponents. When used effectively, the high pressure disrupts the usual comfort of these clubs on the ball and causes panic among players. Their wins over Arsenal, Manchester City and most recently Tottenham epitomized this.

These outstanding statistics

Per game this season, Cherries have won most possessions in the final third (6.6), most tackles in the middle third of the pitch (8.7), second most interceptions (9.6) and most fouls committed (13.7) .

They have the fourth highest xG at 30.9, despite only scoring 23 goals. Their forwards are underperforming in front of goal so they should be level more successful than they have been. They are also top six or seven in almost every attacking statistic except possession, where they are in 16th place (44.8%).

Three of the top four players with most possession won in the final third are Cherries: Alex Scott is first (2.4 per 90) despite his meniscus injury, while David Brooks (1.9) and Luis Sinisterra (1.8 ) are third and fourth respectively.

Key players

Even after Scott’s injury, Ryan Christie and Lewis Cook have kept up the energy and formed a cohesive ball-winning partnership in midfield. Tyler Adams also comes back into the picture, adding leadership and intensity to the mix.

The attack complements the midfield in this system. Sinisterra and Antoine Semenyo are both among the best wingers in the league in possession won in the final third. Dango Ouattara has made 2.4 successful tackles per 90 (93.3% success rate), the most of any attacker. Club-record signing Evanilson fits seamlessly into this system, offering a high pressure that has already led five fines. None of these players are household names, but they each provide a key piece to the puzzle.

Dean’s Court

There is also something unique about Dean Court (AKA Vitalit Stadium for sponsorship reasons) that makes it such a difficult place for teams to visit. Not only is it geographically among the furthest distances to travel in England, but its intimate nature plays a significant factor. Given its size, there is an echo that reverberates around the earth. A team that thrives on causing opposition discomfort with energetic high pressure works well in a small, compact arena, especially when the home crowd gets behind their side and pounces on every misstep from the opposition. This creates a less familiar environment for these big clubs.

The latest results set the standard

The 2-0 win against Arsenal provided a prime case study of Iraola’s effectiveness. As immense pressure forced the Gunners into a dangerous back pass, William Saliba was forced to make a rash decision to bring down Evanilson, whose chaotic influence saw him sent off. Their second goal came from a penalty from another stray ball backwards, forcing David Raya to take down the Brazilian forward. Bournemouth lost the possession battle 51-49% despite being a man up, but dominated in every other category. Iraola didn’t forcefully shift the system after the red card, they still conceded possession and it paid off.

The Cherries scored almost a minute into their 2-1 win against Manchester City after Semenyo won it in midfield and sparked a lively counter-attack. This set the tone for the game and City never recovered. Again Bournemouth lost the possession battle 64-36% but had higher xG and missed four big chances so it could have been a bigger margin of victory.

In their recent 1-0 win over Spurs, they lost the possession battle 66-34%, yet won the xG battle 3.71 – 0.87, missed six big chances and scored more offside goals directly from winning possession. If anything, 1-0 was a flattering score for the visitors.

Bournemouth’s success against the Premier League’s elite is no accident. They don’t just win, they outplay these teams. By embracing their limitations and turning them into advantages – through relentless energy, fearlessness and personnel – the Cherries have become a side no one wants to face.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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