At a glance
- Bournemouth boss praises Manchester United attack
- United travel to Bournemouth on Friday night
- Reverse fixture was a thrilling 4-4 draw
Bournemouth will host Manchester United at the Vitality Stadium on Friday evening in the Premier League. Andoni Iraola had plenty of praise for the way the Reds are playing under Michael Carrick.
Speaking on BBC Radio Solent, he said: “The way they are playing lately, it is hard to think that we will get a clean sheet. They are scoring for fun lately and they have top players. We will need to get goals to get something.”
Goals were something that was on the agenda in the first league fixture between the sides in December. Ruben Amorim was in charge then, with Amad, Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha all getting on the scoresheet.
United took the lead three times in that game. But a late equaliser from Eli Junior Kroupi ensured the visitors went home with a point.
It was one of the only times under Amorim that the team looked lively, as the Portuguese manager ditched his five-man defence. United’s defensive record has stabilised since then, allowing the club to tally a +13 goal difference. The team have shot up the table too, sitting in third place with 54 points.
Bournemouth are still a danger
Iraola also gave an assessment of his own team coming into the game. The Cherries have drawn 14 of their 30 league games this season, but have adjusted well to losing their star man, Antoine Semenyo, to Manchester City in January.
Iraola said, “In both games we had over 20 shots. The chances in both games have been more than enough to score. We have to be more ruthless and take every chance and make the keeper work for every shot.”
The Cherries have struggled to score in recent games, with three of their last four games being goalless. However, United should equally expect Bournemouth, looking to shift away from their recent goal slump.
The most goals that the Red Devils have conceded in Carrick’s tenure are two, which came against Arsenal, Fulham and Newcastle. It’s been a fine defensive improvement shown since the change in coach at the start of the year.
United’s game plan should be to score first
The recent trend suggests that if United start the game well, Bournemouth may struggle to get back into it. Equally, it could be hard to break the Cherries side down, who are barely conceding goals at the moment. The longer the game goes on at a deadlock, the more nervous things could feel at the Vitality Stadium.
Iraola’s side are lacking in confidence up front, but their hold on the game could be improved with the returns of Tyler Adams and Lewis Cook. Inadvertently, more chances may be created to test Senne Lammens, who has been a massive hit, and the United defence.
The question of who Carrick will start up front remains a question mark ahead of the game. Whoever is dropped between Amad, Bryan Mbuemo and Benjamin Sesko could cause problems off the bench late in the game.
The game itself could also be an audition for Iraola, who is expected to be on the shortlist of managers to be considered in the summer. So far, Carrick has bested many of the potential candidates from the touchline – such as Oliver Glasner and Marco Silva.
