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Under Andoni Iraola’s tutelage, the Cherries find themselves 7th in the league and on a 12-match unbeaten run in all competitions.
This run has included big wins over Tottenham, Manchester United, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest.
However, when looking at the underlying numbers, Bournemouth unbelievably appear to have room to get even better.
Their game model and style have highlighted a tale of smart recruitment paired with savvy tactics reminiscent of Leeds at their best under Marcelo Bielsa.
This weekend sees the south coast outfit take on their toughest test of the lot in Liverpool, so how can might they look to foil Arne Slot’s table toppers.
Bournemouth football this season has caught many by surprise with how aggressive and front-footed it is.
While many clubs lower down the league might be content to accept their limitations and play within themselves against the top sides, Bournemouth have no such fears.
Instead they are exceptionally disciplined and hardworking out of possession while being brave in their approach and the way they look to prevent the opposition from playing out from the back.
The key for Iraola and Bournemouth is players are willing to step right-up as the opposition look to find ways to progress the ball from their defensive third.
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Iraola almost exclusively has lined his side up in a 4-2-3-1 system this season.
The striker and the three advanced midfielders will press and be aggressive while the two deeper midfielders take charge of defending the space and step high to press and follow opposition players deep.
When they are pressing and working against the ball in these kind of areas they put numbers into central areas and cut off any easy passing options into the middle of the pitch.
This can mean that their wide midfielders come inside and narrow off leaving the opposition …
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