Logic dictates the introduction of five substitutes who please the biggest and richest clubs. Those have the deepest and most luxurious squads, but when it comes to goals, Bournemouth make them count.
Andoni Iraola’s substitutes have scored seven in the Premier League this season, six in the last eight games to enhance his growing reputation as a modern football thinker and Bournemouth’s as a brilliant and creative club.
“Those on the bench are giving us good things,” says Iraola. “They prefer to start to be honest, but I think they have learned that they can be very important from the bench.
“They can influence the game and use their strengths when the opponent is tired.” Even if they have fewer minutes, they can have higher quality opportunities at the end of the game and they understand it because we see it frequently.”
The footballers respond to the test. They want to win above all else. Convince them that you can help them do it and they will listen to you. Bournemouth have won their last three and the key to success off the bench could be some sort of equal status across the team.
Quality and desire levels don’t fluctuate much with their substitutions. Particularly in attacking areas, Iraola can make changes and still boast the power and pace to maintain his style of intense pressing and speed in transition, vital when games open up in the final minutes.
Andoni Iraola has repeatedly had success using substitutes when his Bournemouth team needed a goal.
Conventional wisdom dictates that the five substitute rule primarily benefits the strength in depth of the largest clubs.
But the Cherries have always found goals when they need them most from their bench options.
Bournemouth’s seven goals from the bench have been scored by seven different players, which is a slightly different phenomenon to Jhon Durán, who scored four goals in Aston Villa’s first five games.
Durán’s impact sparked demands for him to start in place of Ollie Watkins, an English striker whose goals were responsible for Villa finishing fourth last season. Ego enters the equation and harmony is tested.
Unai Emery has the capacity and experience to manage it. You might even consider the competition useful to some extent, especially while Villa are in the Champions League and looking to equalize the workload of their players.
However, Watkins will not be content to sit on the bench, restricted to late-game cameos when England’s new manager takes over.
At Chelsea, they have a huge, high-quality squad, signed for large amounts, comfortable with long contracts and Enzo Maresca’s challenge is to prevent those on the sidelines from getting down to work. As things stand, he’s doing incredibly well.
All of these things are dynamic. Injuries and suspensions come into play. Tempers will change, but Bournemouth have an exciting collection of hungry young players who want to prove they belong in the Premier League and can go further.
Maybe right now they are free of ego and committed to the jobs assigned to them by a head coach they trust. Furthermore, they will know that if they start on the bench there are many possibilities of moving up. Iraola has used 72 of 75 available substitutions in the first 15 games.
He talks intelligently about how those coming in will not have the desired effect if those starting do not do what is asked of them, wearing down opponents to create a platform for fresh legs to make a difference. Something easier said than done.
Jhon Durán has been invaluable for Aston Villa with his goals after his arrival this season
Durán’s influence has seen him compete for a starting spot with England star Ollie Watkins.
Fulham have also proven to be prolific in terms of substitute goals throughout the campaign.
Premier League players should already be well adapted to the squad system. Managers have been insisting on this for years.
Five substitutions were introduced in 2020 and, according to data provided by Stats Perform, the number used has increased with each season and the number of goal contributions has grown with it.
In 2020/21 there were 2,033 substitute appearances in the Premier League and 156 goals and assists recorded by those substitutes. Last season there were 3,024 appearances and 277 goals and assists.
All the interruptions don’t help the show but we are not going back and that has changed the nature of the game.
Matches rarely last 90 minutes for those in forward positions. Still, big stars like Kevin de Bruyne, Mo Salah and Heung-min Son are not immune to a tantrum if they are sent off.
Of course, substitutions aren’t just about goals. They can be just as effective defending a lead, replenishing energy levels, or responding to opponents.
Substitute goals, however, are a useful weapon and not a bad indicator of a club with a brilliant mind and a healthy culture.
Fulham played one more game but tied with Bournemouth for most prolific off the bench when Rodrigo Muñiz scored against Liverpool. They are also a club that has taken their rivals by surprise and are taking points away from the elite.
(FYI: Top 5 substitute goals before Sunday’s games: Bournemouth 7, Fulham 7, Villa 6, Leicester 6, Brighton 5. Bottom 5 before Sunday’s games: Everton, Liverpool, Saints, Wolves all 1, Palace 0.)
FIVE THINGS I LEARNED
1. Sheffield United were apparently not at their best against Plymouth, but nine straight home wins without conceding a goal demonstrates the exceptional job Chris Wilder has done. He returned to Bramall Lane to dismantle the team he built during his first spell and create another. Yes, they have money for the parachute, but the Blades hardly spent much. Still, with a points deduction and an acquisition rumbling in the background, Wilder has them clear at the top of the championship to demonstrate once again what a good coach he is.
2. Kalvin Phillips and James Ward-Prowse were unused substitutes on Saturday for Ipswich and Nottingham Forest respectively. Two English midfielders who left the clubs that raised them through their academies and where they were adored in the name of ambition. Since then they both seem a little lost and out of place.
Kalvin Phillips (pictured) and James Ward-Prowse have suffered from stepping away from their boys’ clubs.
3. At this time of year, we’re usually thinking about the Champions League round of 16 and the exciting playoffs after the turn of the year. Six games into the new format of European football and I’m still waiting to discover to what extent this listless series of games is an improvement.
4. Aston Villa were upset to miss Elliot Anderson’s challenge on Matty Cash in the run-up to Nottingham Forest’s winner, but the decision follows the maddening trend of players preferring to go down to win a free-kick. kicking instead of getting up and defending, which in turn is a consequence of forwards falling when defenders close in on them. If they weren’t all trying to scam officials, I’d feel some sympathy.
5. An FA Youth Cup tie would attract thousands of people at its peak and give under-18 players a taste of big-game football, but Tottenham hid their third-round tie against Middlesbrough at the ground training on a day when the first team was playing. The Spurs won, but something tells me the competition is losing its appeal in some quarters.