AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth will be hoping to put on a show when they host West Bromwich Albion in this season’s Championship curtain-raiser on Friday (7.45pm kick-off).
The Baggies arrive at Vitality Stadium under new head coach Valerien Ismael who will be looking to plot an immediate return to the Premier League for the Midlands club.
Relegated alongside Fulham and Sheffield United, West Brom have enjoyed a fruitful pre-season, beating Salford City, Woking, Sheffield Wednesday and Birmingham City and drawing with Watford.
Matt Phillips (pictured below), who netted twice in their 2-0 win over the Owls, is expected to be available to face Scott Parker's team after sitting out the 4-0 victory against Birmingham as he self-isolated.
Ismael, who guided Barnsley to the Championship play-offs last season, signed former Tykes skipper Alex Mowatt and brought Brighton defender Matt Clarke to The Hawthorns on loan from Brighton.
Goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, who caught the eye for the Baggies in the top flight last season, may not feature against the Cherries after having an extended break following his exploits with England at the Euros.
Ahead of the clash, afcb.co.uk caught up with Steve Madeley who covers the fortunes of the Baggies for The Athletic.
WEST BROM IN PROFILE
Ground: The Hawthorns
Nickname: The Baggies/The Throstles
Founded: 1878
Head coach: Valerien Ismael (appointed June 2021)
Club captain: Jake Livermore
Last season’s finishing position: 19th in Premier League
Leading goalscorer 2020/21: Matheus Pereira (12 in all competitions)
afcb.co.uk: How has pre-season gone for the Baggies?
SM: It’s gone really well.
They played three public games and two behind-closed-doors. They didn’t concede a goal and won four of the five games so it couldn’t have gone much better.
More importantly, the new head coach has come in with a very different method of playing from what they were used to.
As pre-season has progressed, there have been some signs that the players have really bought into it and it seems to have got progressively better.
afcb.co.uk: Tell us about the new signings and any key departures?
SM: It looks like Matheus Pereira could be set for a move to Al Hilal and three players they had on loan last season – Okay Yokuslu, Conor Gallagher and Ainsley Maitland-Niles – have gone back to their parent clubs.
They have brought in Alex Mowatt (pictured below) who captained Barnsley last season under Ismael and is really well versed in the way he wants his teams to play.
He was highly sought after by a number of Championship clubs because he was a free agent and West Brom were pleased to get him.
Matt Clarke is going to be an important part of the back three having had two really good seasons in the Championship with Derby.
They signed Adam Reach in the past week who was a free agent having left Sheffield Wednesday. I think the feeling is that he will come in as a squad player and understudy to Conor Townsend at left wing-back. If he gets in and gets his chance, he could well become a key player going forward.
afcb.co.uk: What changes have you noticed under Valerien Ismael?
SM: It’s been a dramatic change.
Under Sam Allardyce, it was fairly low block, men behind the ball, old school defending. It was like that to an extent under Slaven Bilic as well.
Under Ismael, it’s all about intensity, press high, win back the ball as high up the pitch as you can, take fewer risks and play as much football as possible in the opponent’s half. It’s fairly direct without being long ball.
Barnsley were very much long ball under Ismael but, from what we’ve seen in pre-season, it hasn’t been long ball. It’s been very much a case of using the wing-backs and wide forwards.
They look to win it back high, get it out wide early and get crosses in the box. It’s very high tempo and very high intensity which is a massive departure from what they had been doing previously.
afcb.co.uk: Who is the Baggies’ one to watch?
SM: I would say Grady Diangana.
He had a horrible season last season having been signed permanently for big money in the summer.
He’s looked pretty lively in pre-season and he’s looked rejuvenated under a new manager having not figured much under Allardyce.
We all saw what he could do two seasons ago when he was on loan from West Ham. A couple of injuries have held him back but he’s a real talent in the Championship and he’s the one they will be looking to provide the attacking spark.
afcb.co.uk: What’s the latest on the goalkeeper situation?
SM: Sam Johnstone (pictured above) is still at the club but I don’t think he will play against Bournemouth because he’s only been back around a week following his extended break after the Euros.
I think David Button will almost certainly start in goal.
afcb.co.uk: Are any key players either suspended or injured against the Cherries?
SM: There are no key players injured.
There may be a couple of players who don’t feature because they joined pre-season late and I don’t anticipate Adam Reach and Sam Johnstone playing.
Taylor Gardner-Hickman and Quevin Castro, two young lads who were heavily involved in pre-season, have picked up knocks so might not be involved.
afcb.co.uk: What’s your score prediction?
SM: I think both teams are going to be really strong this season. I’ll go with a 1-1 draw.
You can follow Steve on Twitter – @SteveMadeley78
Officials: Darren Bond (referee), Mark Russell (assistant), Daniel Leach (assistant), Andy Woolmer (fourth official).
