Liverpool have already beaten Bournemouth twice this season but the Reds will line up against a very different side at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday.
Jurgen Klopp succinctly summed up the transformative impact Andoni Iraola has had from the Bournemouth bench over the past six weeks with a single word: «Wow.» The former Rayo Vallecano manager didn't win his first Premier League game until the tenth attempt but the complex system that has served him so well throughout his career has well and truly clicked.
The Cherries won six of their final eight Premier League games of 2023 and have enjoyed a two-week break to prepare for their first top-flight outing of the year.
Liverpool have had ten days off themselves but will be without several key players, be that through injury or international commitment, for the trip to the south coast.
Here's what Klopp and his team may need to do to earn a third victory of the season over Bournemouth.
The virtuous nature of patience has been espoused by humans since the 14th century. Yet, the lesson remains as pertinent as ever — particularly for this iteration of Liverpool.
Only Fulham and Sheffield United average shots from a longer range than Liverpool this season, with the Reds willing to let rip from outside the penalty at any excuse.
«They are really good, really compact,» Klopp warned of Bournemouth. «That's proper.» Faced with a mass of organised black and red stripes, Liverpool's trigger-happy squad will be constantly tempted to take aim from range.
Liverpool have enough talented players to ensure that some efforts fly in. Such as during the 4-3 victory over Fulham, when the Merseysiders appeared to be conducting their personal goal-of-month competition with four spectacular strikes.
Yet,
Read on 90min.com