Sunderland eye an upset at Old Trafford, Arsenal hope to settle old scores with West Ham and Everton look blunt Unbeaten in the league since their Friday night opener at Anfield, Bournemouth’s early momentum has been stalled by consecutive draws: at home to Newcastle and at Leeds last week. Fulham visit the Vitality on Friday, offering Andoni Iraola’s side a presentable chance of recapturing winning ways and going second in the table. After a turbulent summer, Iraola has sought consistency in his team selection. Trailing 2-1 at Leeds, the Bournemouth manager made a triple change to restore three usual starters – David Brooks, Alex Scott and Marcus Tavernier – to his XI and was rewarded with a late leveller. Bournemouth have also maintained defensive stability, conceding just once in four games between the trips to Liverpool and Leeds. Marcos Senesi, often playing in an otherwise brand-new back five, has been key to the team’s continuity. The centre-back earned praise from Iraola for his defensive work and threat at attacking set-pieces – as evidenced by his headed assist for Eli Junior Kroupi’s equaliser at Elland Road. Niall McVeigh Bournemouth v Fulham, Friday 8pm (all times BST) Leeds v Tottenham, Saturday 12.30pm Manchester United v Sunderland, Saturday 3pm Arsenal v West Ham, Saturday 3pm Chelsea v Liverpool, Saturday 5.30pm Everton v Crystal Palace, Sunday 2pm Continue reading...

Fulham could face heavily depleted attack for Bournemouth trip on Friday night

The World Cup is in reach for Patrick Kluivert’s side and, though problems persist, things are looking up in one of Asia’s most passionate football nations Three years ago this Wednesday, 135 football fans died at the Kanjuruhan stadium in Indonesia after security forces deployed teargas and created a stampede for the exits. 1 October 2022 was the nadir of a curve that had been sliding downwards for decades. This is a country that, in this century alone, has seen its FA president run the federation from a prison cell while facing corruption charges, the creation of rebel national leagues, federations and national team Fifa bans and fans being killed by other fans. In March 2023 there were more negative headlines when the country was stripped of hosting the Under-20 World Cup just months before kick-off after the governor of Bali said that Israel would not be welcome on the island. Erick Thohir, former owner of Inter and DC United and current co-owner of Oxford United, had just become boss of PSSI, as the federation is known, and did his utmost to save the tournament. Football fans braced themselves for Fifa punishment and more chaos to come. Instead, the world governing body was sufficiently impressed with the efforts of Thohir, who has been a cabinet minister for years, to give the country the Under-17 World Cup in November. It was a success and brought some much-needed positivity. Continue reading...

Bournemouth's Alex Scott says being called up by England is his "ultimate goal" as he reflects on a "whirlwind" 2025.

Bournemouth manager Adoni Iraola says Eli Kroupi is "technically a lovely player" after the 19-year-old came off the bench to salvage a draw for The Cherries in an "uncomfortable" game against Leeds at Elland Road.

Leeds boss Daniel Farke says he's "happy with the performance but unlucky with the result" after their 2-2 draw against Bournemouth at Elland Road.

It was all about set pieces here as each team scored from two to share the points. Leeds were left frustrated when Eli Kroupi was left in space to volley an injury-time leveller as Bournemouth escaped with a point. Bournemouth have European ambitions and had half an eye on second place thanks to Antoine Semenyo’s drilled opener, but Joe Rodon and Sean Longstaff intervened after corners to turn things around. More to follow Continue reading...

Andoni Iraola sits down with Kelly Somers to discuss playing with Mikel Arteta and wanting to be remembered as a good person.

Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola tells Kelly Somers about his coaching influences and memories of growing up with Mikel Arteta and Xabi Alonso.

The smart and flexible coach is enjoying a remarkable start to the season with Bournemouth and big clubs are taking note You have to be patient with new players. You have to give a manager time to work with fresh signings, let them learn his methods. Rome wasn’t built in a day – Brian Clough quipped he wasn’t on that particular job, but it took until the third season at Derby and Nottingham Forest to win promotion. It makes sense; you have to wait. Football takes time. Or you could just turn to Andoni Iraola. Iraola lost three of his back four in the summer and his goalkeeper. (No detail perhaps so encapsulates the financial landscape of modern European football better than the highest fees paid in the latest transfer window by a Spanish club and a French one were for Bournemouth centre-backs.) Continue reading...

Welcome back to English football, Ange Postecoglou. In the teeming rain at Turf Moor, with Burnley fans baying for blood, it was the kind of environment the former Tottenham manager will have missed in his short time away. Against a competent Clarets side who have an identity and a point to prove in the Premier League, this was a test Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest side ultimately failed. He remains winless in three. It looked unlikely that Forest would drop points after Neco Williams’s early goal, but a Jaidon Anthony equaliser 18 minutes later for Burnley capped a dogged display by Scott Parker’s side, who were good value for the draw. Continue reading...

This is Wolves’ worst start to a season in their history but there are reasons to be optimistic By WhoScored Four games, zero points and just two goals scored: this is Wolves’ worst start to a season in their history. Vítor Pereira’s side are rooted at the bottom of the league table. Seventeen sides have started a Premier League season with four losses and just eight have avoided relegation. More worryingly, only one of the past five have managed to stay up: Everton last season. Three straight one-goal defeats in the league – 1-0 to Bournemouth, 3-2 to Everton and 1-0 to Newcastle – show Wolves are losing by fine margins. Is this a blip or are there deeper problems? Either way, with the three promoted teams coming up in the next five weeks, they need points quickly. Wolves are not getting blown away but there is a clear pattern from their opening games: self-inflicted errors, a lack of cutting edge up front and a disjointed structure that collapses under pressure. Continue reading...

Antoine Semenyo chips in with a goal and an assist in Bournemouth's 2-1 win against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Vitality Stadium.

Ange Postecoglou makes his Forest bow, a new-look forward line at Newcastle and a Manchester derby to forget Ange Postecoglou never won a north London derby while in charge at Tottenham, drawing one and losing three, so starting life in the Nottingham Forest dugout away to Arsenal might not be the ideal situation. It has been a whirlwind week for the 60-year-old who has replaced Nuno Espírito Santo and it will be fascinating to see what changes are made to the team’s style. Nuno is a cautious coach and would have plotted a counterattacking approach at the Emirates Stadium, but there are no guarantees with Postecoglou. Pragmatism is a word rarely associated with the Australian but he needs to get his players onside quickly after the unfortunate departure of his predecessor, who was not dismissed for footballing reasons. It might make more sense to tweak what has already been constructed on strong foundations, especially considering he will have little time with the squad after international duty and before a Saturday lunchtime kick-off. Being able to adapt is a sign of strength in a coach and Postecoglou needs to show he has learned from errors made at Tottenham when he refused to change. Will Unwin Arsenal v Nottingham Forest, Saturday 12.30pm (all times BST) Bournemouth v Brighton, Saturday 3pm Crystal Palace v Sunderland, Saturday 3pm Everton v Aston Villa, Saturday 3pm Continue reading...