AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth will be hoping to follow up their impressive display against Aston Villa when they face Premier League champions Manchester City on Saturday (3pm).
Goals from Jefferson Lerma and Kieffer Moore earned the Cherries a 2-0 win against the Villans in their first game following their return to the top flight.
Manchester City started their defence of the title by triumphing 2-0 against West Ham at London Stadium where marquee signing Erling Haaland netted both goals.
The 22-year-old Norwegian striker, a summer recruit from Borussia Dortmund, opened the scoring from the penalty spot before adding a second with a composed finish.
Fellow new arrivals Kalvin Phillips from Leeds, Julian Alvarez, who joined in January 2022 and was loaned back to River Plate, and Stefan Ortega were all on the bench for Pep Guardiola’s team.
Since drawing 2-2 with the Hammers in their penultimate game of last season, Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling, Fernandinho and Oleksandr Zinchenko have all moved on to pastures new.
Ahead of tomorrow’s clash, afcb.co.uk caught up with Andy Buckley who covers the fortunes of City for BBC Radio Manchester.
MANCHESTER CITY PROFILE
Founded: 1880
Ground: Etihad Stadium
Nickname: The Citizens, City
Record appearances: Alan Oakes – 680 games (1959-76)
Record goalscorer: Sergio Aguero – 260 goals in 390 games
Manager: Pep Guardiola (appointed February 2016)
Captain: Ilkay Gundogan
Last season’s finishing position: First
Leading goalscorer 2021/22: Riyad Mahrez (24 in all competitions)
Last game: West Ham United 0-2 Manchester City (Premier League)
afcb.co.uk: Give us a brief summary of the West Ham game?
AB: City were excellent. There was familiarity with last season and they were back in the groove.
Pep surprised West Ham with his tactics, playing his so-called inverted full-backs with Joao Cancelo and Kyle Walker tucking into midfield and Rodri acting as a bit of an axis with the central defenders.
It was a tactical masterclass from Pep in terms of outwitting the opposition and David Moyes admitted it baffled him.
Added to that, they had the talents of Erling Haaland and people like Kevin De Bruyne providing the ammunition for him. It was shades of last season and business as usual.
afcb.co.uk: How is the transfer window panning out for City?
AB: I wouldn’t be surprised if they did more business. I think left-back has been a bit of a problem position for them for a long time, stretching back well before Pep’s time at the club.
It’s always been a position they have had difficulty filling, some would say since Willie Donachie was there about half a century ago! Joking aside, it’s a position I think they would like to fill.
Oleksandr Zinchenko isn’t a natural left-back but did a great job there and Fabian Delph played there in one of the title-winning seasons.
Under Pep’s stewardship, City have more than managed to cope but I think they need a natural left-back, especially with the number of games and demands on the squad.
He’s got cover for every position maybe with the exception of left-back. There is a youngster called Josh Wilson-Esbrand who can play there. He’s a talented 19-year-old.
They’ve also got Nathan Ake and Joao Cancelo who is playing there at the moment and does a great job but isn’t a natural left-footer so I wouldn’t be surprised if they went for a left-back.
The other position all hinges on the fate of Bernardo Silva (pictured above) and whether or not he goes.
He’s done a great job during five years at the club and seems to fancy a move to Barcelona. Who can blame him? He’s given great service to City. I think the lifestyle as much as anything appeals to him.
You might get quality football in Manchester but you aren’t going to get the sun on your back in too many games!
afcb.co.uk: How do you stop City?
AB: Liverpool did a pretty good job of it in the Community Shield. In the first half an hour, they pressed and put City out of their stride.
Maybe City were a little undercooked that day and the fans certainly thought the West Ham game was more important than winning what’s not regarded as a major trophy.
Other teams have succeeded very occasionally. City lost at Spurs on the opening day of last season and then didn’t lose away all season – that is formidable. They’ve got this way of wearing down teams.
afcb.co.uk: Give us your thoughts on Nathan Ake (pictured above)?
AB: He’s has been a great servant and is an extremely popular player, both in the dressing room and with the supporters. He’s very highly regarded.
Last season, after he had lost his father, he played and scored in the Champions League. It was great credit to him as a man that he was courageous enough to go out and play football at such a stressful time for him and his family.
He always puts in a good shift and fits into the Pep template. The fans would have been sorry to see him go if he had. There was talk of Chelsea but it didn’t happen.
He’s a valuable squad member and has played a lot of football for Pep in the past year or two.
afcb.co.uk: What are your first impressions of Erling Haaland (pictured above)?
AB: He’s given them another string to their bow. They can put crosses into the box whereas, even when they had Aguero and co, you couldn’t do it because of a lack of height. He’s an absolute unit.
Bournemouth and City fans seeing him make his home debut on Saturday are in for a real treat because he is a specimen of a player and an outstanding talent.
His pace over the first few yards was something that caught the eye on Sunday as did his clinical finishing. There was no way he was going to miss the penalty or the second opportunity that fell his way when De Bruyne put him through.
He’s absolutely ruthless and breathtaking. He’s the kind of player who is a fabulous example of why the Premier League has got such world-class players.
I interviewed Ruben Dias after the West Ham game. He played against him twice at Dortmund and said it was frightening!
afcb.co.uk: Are any key players either injured or suspended against the Cherries?
AB: Aymeric Laporte (pictured above) is out with a knee injury until September.
Pep was a big advocate of the five-substitute rule and he used it at West Ham.
There were a lot of times last season when fans were saying he should make more changes to protect the squad but he didn’t and was fairly economically with his substitutions. But he used all five against West Ham.
afcb.co.uk: Which City player would you recommend for FPL?
AB: Kevin De Bruyne (pictured above). He never lets you down and is quality. He is also one of the nicest guys in the world and is just sheer class, on and off the field.
afcb.co.uk: How do you see the game panning out and what’s your score prediction?
AB: On the forums, one or two over-optimistic City fans are going for a bagful of goals, while others are saying let’s just win 1-0.
City came unstuck a few times last season and the likes of Crystal Palace won at the Etihad and have had decent success against them.
Bournemouth shocked a lot of the Premier League with their win over Aston Villa, so fair play to them.
They are relegation favourites in a lot of people’s eyes but did well against Villa so I think City fans would just be glad of the three points.
You can follow Andy on Twitter – @buckomedia
Officials: David Coote (referee), Nick Hopton (assistant), Timothy Wood (assistant), Josh Smith (fourth official), Peter Bankes (VAR).
