It wasn’t too long ago when Bournemouth were in disarray. After finishing near the relegation zone in 2022-23, the Cherries replaced Gary O’Neil with Andoni Iraola, and it didn’t take too long before the latter was also on the hot seat.
To the Cherries’ credit, they stuck with Iraola, and they’re reaping the benefits of doing so. After a 12th-place finish last term, Bournemouth have risen to seventh in the Premier League table, and their fans are suddenly dreaming of the team playing in Europe next season.
Bournemouth have a realistic chance of clinching a European football berth, but they will earn it the hard way because slots are limited. We still have a long way to go in the 2024-25 campaign, so allow SBOTOP to examine the Cherries’ surprising run thus far.
Bournemouth start the new calendar year on a positive note
The Cherries are making a strong case to claim a Top 4 spot, as they’ve gone undefeated throughout January 2025. Andoni Iraola’s side recorded wins against Everton (1-0), Newcastle United (4-1), and Nottingham Forest (5-0), and a 2-2 draw against Chelsea in the Premier League. They are also through to the fourth round of the FA Cup after demolishing West Brom 5-1.
Bournemouth lost 2-0 against Liverpool last Saturday, but there’s no shame in losing to the league leaders at home, especially after putting up a valiant stand. Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo had their chances to equalise, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Before their flawless run in January, Bournemouth also recorded wins against Arsenal, Manchester City, and Nottingham Forest at the Vitality Stadium this season. They will surely cause mayhem in the Top 4 race if they somehow complete league doubles over them.
Bournemouth’s best players thus far
Bournemouth wouldn’t be in this position if it weren’t for Andoni Iraola and his players. Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo deserve a ton of credit for shouldering the heavy offencive load, especially when strikers Evanilson and Enes Unal sustained serious injuries to start 2025. Kluivert leads the team in scoring with 11 league goals and four assists. Semenyo has seven league goals and three assists this term.
Dango Ouattara, Milos Kerkez, David Brooks, Marcus Tavernier, and Dean Huijsen deserve a shoutout too. Ouattara has recorded six league goals and four assists as a winger or wing-back. Kerkez has been excellent at the left-back position, notching two league goals and three assists. Brooks has two league goals. Huijsen has been a steady presence at centre-half, and the 19-year-old defender also has two league goals and one assist. Tavernier is the team’s top playmaker with five assists and one league goal.
Kepa Arrizabalaga is having a resurgent campaign as Bournemouth’s no. 1 goalie. The Spanish international has made 17 starts and kept five clean sheets – good for joint-seventh among Premier League goalkeepers this year. He has been so good that Chelsea thought about recalling him after his loan stint.
These players aren’t necessarily household names in the English top-flight, but they’re getting the job done under Iraola’s free-flowing, borderline-chaotic tactics. They have been so good that rival teams were interested in acquiring some of them during the recently concluded January transfer window, but the Cherries didn’t budge.
Bournemouth also didn’t do much in the winter, perhaps feeling confident they already have a capable squad. The Cherries even sent out Max Aarons, Mark Travers, Eli Junior Kroupi, and Philip Billing to Valencia, Middlesbrough, Lorient, and Napoli on loans to get them the playing time they need since they aren’t getting it under the current squad this term.
What lies ahead for the Cherries
Bournemouth must produce more positive Premier League 2025 results for a chance to secure a European football berth this season. However, the Premier League 2025 odds are stacked against them, with Newcastle United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, Arsenal, and Liverpool in their way, while Aston Villa, Fulham, Brighton, Brentford, Crystal Palace, and even Manchester United are lurking.
After their recent defeat against Liverpool, the Cherries can pick themselves up with winnable matches against Southampton and Wolves before tricky games against Brentford and Tottenham. Andoni Iraola will also have to rotate his thinning squad from time to time if they are going to make an improbable run at the FA Cup. A top-10 finish is already considered an overachievement for the Cherries, let alone if they secure a European football berth. If Iraola pulls this off, don’t be surprised if the Bournemouth front office gives him a lucrative extension beyond the 2025-26 campaign.
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