Bournemouth will be hoping to be the next in line to capitalise on Liverpool’s poor start to the season, but how confident will the newly-promoted Cherries be at Anfield?
The Reds succumbed to a woeful 2-1 defeat at Man United on Monday night, meaning they remain winless in the Premier League after three matches.
Next up is Bournemouth on Saturday, with Scott Parker’s side looking to spring arguably the biggest shock of the season so far and add to the three points they already have on the board.
With kickoff fast approaching, we got in touch with Tom Jordan (@TomJordan21), Bournemouth fan and host of Back Of The Net podcast, to discuss the Cherries’ form, Liverpool’s woes and much more.
How happy are you with Bournemouth’s start to the season?
I think most Bournemouth fans are pretty content with our start back in the top flight. We knew both Man City and Arsenal were going to be tough asks and we ultimately got comfortably dispatched of.
But the opening day win against Aston Villa was huge, particularly with our difficult start fixture-wise.
That was encouraging.
What style of play has Parker implemented? Has it changed since promotion?
We have certainly made tweaks tactically since our promotion.
In all three of our games so far, we’ve opted for a back three/five, whereas last season we went with a 4-3-3 pretty much throughout.
I think just having that extra solidity from a defensive point of view is key.
It remains to be seen if this is how we will continue or if it’s due to the quality of opposition we’re facing early on.
How is former Liverpool man Solanke faring back in the Premier League?
Dom played well in the opener but unfortunately picked up an injury, so he hasn’t featured in our last two games.
I would be surprised if he starts at the weekend, but I’m hoping we won’t be without him for long.
He’s vital to how we play and how we can hurt our opponents.
As for the Reds, what do you think has gone wrong for them this season?
It’s a weird one really, I still cannot believe we’re going into this game ahead of you having played City and Arsenal!
I think Fulham were bang up for it and deserve credit – you were unfortunate in the Crystal Palace game going down to 10 men, and the Man United game shocked everyone.
Injuries have clearly played a part, as has the early suspension of Darwin Nunez and the loss of Sadio Mane.
That central midfield area just feels too light for a team like Liverpool – I don’t think you can start with both Jordan Henderson and James Milner.
A new signing in that area would be massive.
Where do you think Liverpool will finish?
I still have no doubt Liverpool will be comfortably in the top four.
I’d still stick with my original prediction, which was second.
Looking ahead to Saturday, where do you see the key battles taking place?
From our perspective, I just hope we have a go. We’ve sat deep and barely thrown a glove on our last two opponents and lost anyway.
We have big Kieffer Moore up top who is a handful and I anticipate him hanging off Trent Alexander-Arnold on that side, and us going more direct to him and looking for knockdowns.
We have a young lad in Jordan Zemura at left wing-back who has only made two Premier League appearances – him up against Mo Salah will be a right test for him.
Which Liverpool player would you most like to see in a Bournemouth shirt?
It’s such an obvious answer, but I can’t not say Salah.
I was toying with Virgil van Dijk and I do love Thiago, but it just has to be the Egyptian.
You do owe us for flogging us Brad Smith and Jordon Ibe, in fairness!!
Finally, what’s your prediction for Saturday’s game?
I’m always hopeful and my heart is telling me we could nick a point.
But realistically, I think you’ll be too strong and you’ll get a reaction at Anfield.
I’ll go 2-0 to Liverpool.
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