Bournemouth

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

New Bournemouth boss Marco Rose is likely to consider a haul of three points from five league games slightly disappointing, with his side having taken the lead in all but one of those matches.

But he has provided the continuity the club would have hoped for following Andoni Iraola's departure. Despite some subtle tactical changes, Rose has not strayed far from Iraola's blueprint of hard running and relentless pressing.

The Cherries lead the league for distance covered at 'high speed' (between 20 and 25km/h), having ranked second under Iraola last season. They are also fourth for distance sprinted (movement faster than 25km/h), a metric they topped in 2025-26.

The similarities extend beyond hard graft. As under Iraola, Rose's side favour vertical attacks over patient build-up play. They sit only 15th for passes per sequence of possession but are among the league's best when it comes to direct attacks, fast breaks and shots after high turnovers.

So while the Cherries are seven points worse off than at this stage last season, the underlying approach has remained largely unchanged.

Having led the club to a historic first European win, at Real Sociedad, Rose has every reason to believe a maiden league victory is not far away.

Football finance expert Kieran Magiure, has been answering your questions after Manchester City were found guilty of all charges related to breaches of financial rules.

Gary: Is there any chance this could be resolved by the end of the season?

Kieran: There is a very high chance it will be resolved by the end of the season. Because if it is not, we could end up in another situation very similar to that of Burnley and Everton where a club could be relegated and Manchester City are not given a deduction. And next season, a club that finished in 18th could say had that deduction been applied earlier, we wouldn't have been relegated. So that would add to the complications.

Certainly looking at the Premier League's press release itself, it does seem that it is very keen to resolve it as quickly as possible. If you take a look at the length of time that it took the commissions in respect to Nottingham Forest and Everton, once they have heard the evidence, applying the sanctions is the quickest part. It's listening to evidence that is the torturous process.

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Dappy: Based on everything you read, what is the most likely punishment going to be for Manchester City?

Kieran: I agree that it could be a very hefty points deduction and a transfer embargo at the very least. On top of that, I believe there will be a very significant financial penalty added into the equation. The logic behind having a transfer embargo is that it then becomes a multi-season issue.

If we go back to 2013 when City were in breach of Uefa rules, they had a transfer ban, wage and squad caps, it did impact the club in the subsequent season.

Rehan: If Manchester City get a huge fine, what would the FA do with that money? Where would it go?

Kieran: It would be shared by the Premier League clubs, including Manchester City. And it will be offset against the league's legal bill. Discussions with lawyers suggest they think City could be liable for about two-thirds to three-quarters of Premier League's legal costs, which is estimated to be in the region of £50-60m.

Get more reaction here

Mark Mitchener
BBC Sport senior journalist

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As the clock ticked towards 70 minutes in England's game in Prague on Tuesday, a long-awaited substitution was finally made.

Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott replaced his former England Under-21 team-mate Elliot Anderson for the final 20 minutes against the Czech Republic, with Guernsey-born Scott becoming only the third man to win a full England cap while a Cherries player.

Lewis Cook broke the mould in March 2018 when he came on as a substitute against Italy, while Callum Wilson's goalscoring debut against the USA later that year was the first of four caps he won before joining Newcastle.

Jermain Defoe and Jack Wilshere both made the England bench during Bournemouth's Premier League tenure, but without adding to their haul of caps.

Of the other players to have represented Bournemouth and England, albeit not concurrently, most fall into one of three broad categories.

There are the ageing legends, who won England honours and later came to Dean Court close to the end of their careers - Bert Bliss, Bill McGarry, Charlie George, David Armstrong, Luther Blissett, Darren Anderton, David James, Gary Cahill and current Cherries third-choice keeper Fraser Forster.

At the opposite end, there are those who played for the Cherries early in their careers and went on to greater things, including England recognition. As well as local home-grown youngsters such as Kevin Reeves, Jamie Redknapp, Adam Lallana and Danny Ings, others in this category include Jack Rowley, Phil Boyer, Tyrone Mings and Aaron Ramsdale.

Then, there are the loanees - Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Bertrand, Nathaniel Clyne, Jack Cork and Morgan Rogers.

Finally, Dominic Solanke deserves a category of his own as the only player to have been capped by England before and after his time at Bournemouth, but not during - despite a 20-goal season in 2023-24, his recall did not come until after joining Tottenham.

Explore Bournemouth content on BBC Sounds here

Sami Mokbel and Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport

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Bournemouth are not willing to entertain offers for midfielder Alex Scott during the January transfer window.

The 23-year-old made his senior England debut in Wednesday's 2-0 Nations League win away to Czechia but will be into the final 18 months of his contract come January.

The Cherries have had two contract renewal talks rejected before a summer window in which Scott pushed to leave the Vitality Stadium.

However, they remain steadfast that they have warned interested clubs that they will not welcome any contact over a move until their league objectives have either been achieved or are no longer attainable.

Similarly, Bournemouth would not entertain offers for other key players, including striker Eli Junior Kroupi, who remains sidelined through injury, and winger Rayan.

The club are competing on four fronts this season, including their first-ever European campaign in the Europa League.

Scott has performed well on the south coast and shown no signs of discontent but is known to ultimately want to join one of England's biggest clubs.

Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool are among the Premier League clubs known to hold an interest in Scott.

Manchester City and Manchester United, meanwhile, strengthened their midfield options during the summer and are not expected to revive their interest.

Chelsea remain keen to sign a midfielder after seeing a £64m bid for Scott rejected during the summer.

They also missed out on Monaco's Lamine Camara on deadline day, held talks over a move for Roma's Manu Kone and expressed an interest in Fulham's Sander Berge.

Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola is also thought to have a positive relationship with his former player Scott. The Anfield club are known to be targeting a midfielder in future transfer windows and retain an interest in Camara.

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Bournemouth's Alex Scott says his late grandfather was his "biggest fan" after revealing he passed away last week, days before the midfielder made his England debut.

The 23-year-old made his Three Lions debut on Tuesday, when he replaced Manchester City's Elliot Anderson in the 70th minute against Czech Republic.

"I will always remember this place now. England debut - it's what dreams are made of," Scott told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"Something that when I was younger, even 15 or 16, wasn't a reality at all so I've worked really hard and it's a proud moment for me and my family as well.

"My partner, she's been there with me for a good six years so she's seen everything, my parents are massive for me, my brother growing up [we were] playing football non stop, and my grandad passed away last week.

"For him, obviously it was a special thing and it's a shame that he didn't see it but he would have been looking down and proud of it. It was tough last week, I found out on camp just before the Spain game, he was the proudest man, he came to all my matches whenever he could and he was my biggest fan."

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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The Premier League has opened a Pandora's box of problems which cannot be closed. However well-intentioned, however morally upright they mean to be, the way the product is perceived around the planet by fans will be negatively affected.

This looks like a gigantic mess, but could also become a bit of a joke, especially if they attempt to rewrite history, and change the winners' names on the Premier League and cup trophies over these past 15 years. I wouldn't want the engraver's job.

I believe financial rules brought in to prioritise financial sustainability were also aimed at limiting the money being spent by the clubs, especially the staggering, ever-inflating sums spent on sometimes fairly average players. It could lead to a de facto salary cap, which many fans would approve of.

The long-term problem for the league is easy to see here: if the top players are then offered significantly more money to play elsewhere, they will be off before you can say 'man on'.

I always thought the Premier League had taken a huge risk going down this regulatory road. As with Manchester City's future, nobody knows what the real long-term ramifications will be.

I have a suspicion it could end up being the greatest own goal in the sport's entire history.

The big take: If City are cast out of England's top leagues, what might the owners do – hang around the lower reaches, or find something else? Wasn't there the idea of a Super League? Keep that thought in the back of your mind.

Pat Nevin writes weekly in the Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to receive it, sign up here.

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Most of the time it is not that big a deal if you go into the international break having just lost a club game if I am honest, as teams lose games frequently.

That is just the life of a professional footballer. You have to be able to cope with disappointment as an individual and as a team.

‌Admittedly, players will sometimes say that they want another domestic game quickly, but it is almost always specifically after a 'bad' defeat as opposed to just a run-of-the-mill loss.

‌However, if the team has genuinely played terribly, or lost a game they were expected to win comfortably, you will commonly hear the phrase "we want to have a chance to get back out there and put it right quickly".

‌Players who have had a stinker, even if their team won, might also want to get out again as soon as possible to put it right in front of their fans, or 'reset'. The 'reset' argument is just current football jargon to say, "we will try to get it right next time, and we blew it this week, sorry".

‌The international break can also have the beneficial effect of taking your mind away from a bad defeat. This is not to say that you don't care, it is just that you must compartmentalise your thoughts and feelings. Footballers are among the best at this.

‌You simply cannot go to play for your national team and spend the time brooding about what happened against Brentford last week. That way lies madness and another poor performance, only this time in front of the entire nation.

Pat Nevin writes weekly in the Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to receive it, sign up here.

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Unbelievably, sensible and well-informed people are seriously discussing Manchester City getting a huge points deduction or being demoted or kicked out of the English leagues completely.

‌There is also reasonable talk about them being sued by just about every other major club in the domestic game, and a few beyond that. That is before you get to the concept of titles being stripped and trophies retrospectively re-awarded to others.

There is still an appeal to be heard, but they have been found guilty already. Serious consequences must be considered. Following the draconian punishments handed to Everton and Nottingham Forest, among others, City might find they don't just have the book thrown at them, it is the entire British Library lobbed in their general direction.

Those other clubs cooperated in the process. City have faced more charges and they involve larger sums and over a longer time period. In short, things are not looking good for the club that dominated English football for almost a decade.

This may be the biggest story in the Premier League's history and it is going to run and run.

Other serious considerations will follow hard on the heels of the Blues' dilemmas – specifically what long-term effects will this have on the Premier League? They will not all be good ones.

Some reasonably argue that the financial rules City have been found to have broken shouldn't have been put there in the first place. They were brought in to safeguard the financial security of the clubs and the league, but try telling that to many City, Everton and Nottingham Forest fans just now.

Newcastle and Aston Villa have plenty of financial backing, but these rules have hurt their ability to grow and stay competitive with the legacy clubs. This all feels unfair if you are a supporter of those two.

The money that will now be frittered away by the English game on lawyers and legal fees is eye-watering, and it will grow exponentially as the litigation increases.

Pat Nevin writes weekly in the Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to receive it, sign up here.

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We asked you to rate Bournemouth's start to the Premier League season and tell us what Marco Rose should be focusing on during the extended international break.

Here are some of your comments:

Bob: Achieving a top position in the league requires a solid defence. An experienced and steady head to come on for the last 15 or 20 minutes to bring a little toughness and do away with the brittleness at present.

Michael: A missed opportunity so far to be much higher up in the league. Too many squandered chances to put games to bed and a general lack of determination to see games out. With so many more games now the manager needs to use more of the squad more regularly.

Patrick: It's simple - we're weak in every position. The new gaffer has not made his mark and shows no creativity, energy or urgency. Last season showed what we are capable of achieving and now we seem to be struggling at the wrong end of the table. New blood is needed especially in attack and, if things don't improve, then maybe in management!

Harry: Really poor start. What should have been nine or even 12 points by now has been converted into three and leaves us not only vulnerable, with Europe and cups on the horizon, but with key players already injured (Kroupi and Kluivert) and naturally we'll only pick up more. That's the past two seasons' top goalscorers. Rose will want time to bed in but he doesn't have it. Leaky at the back in the closing stages of games and poor finishing, as per the past few seasons. I can see this being nearer the relegation fight than mid-table with us overcommitted and a small squad.

Roger: Poor defending at times and an element of bad luck have both been key features during first five games. Winning the first of the eight Europa League games shows what we can do. A Premier League win in either of the next two games, with a draw in the other, will take us towards mid-table.

Jeff: The last 10 minutes of every league match has been a shambles as a result of random and often pointless substitutions. Rose needs to get this right quickly or we could end up in an unnecessary relegation scrap.

Bournemouth's Alex Scott is among Chelsea's primary midfield targets, with the Blues no longer interested in Monaco's Lamine Camara. (CaughtOffside), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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As we enter the first international break, we want to hear your thoughts on the opening five games of the Premier League season.

Bournemouth have impressed in many of their first games under new boss Marco Rose, and made a winning start in their first ever European game, but they have already lost seven points from winning positions and are yet to emerge victorious from a league match.

The Cherries sit 17th on three points, and know consistently playing on Thursdays and Sundays is just around the corner.

How do you rate the Cherries' start to the season and why? And what Should Rose be focusing on during the extended break?

Get in touch with your views here

Mark Mitchener
BBC Sport senior journalist

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A remarkable eight-month sequence was ended at the weekend as Bournemouth suffered their first home defeat since champions Arsenal came away from Vitality Stadium with a 3-2 win on 3 January.

To twist the knife a little further, the run was ended by Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola, whose personal unbeaten run now stands at 25 games - the last 18 matches of last season with the Cherries (since that aforementioned defeat by Arsenal), and his first seven games as Reds boss.

And Iraola's successor Marco Rose will know that, notwithstanding a 4-0 thumping of Lincoln in the EFL Cup, and that historic Europa League success at Real Sociedad last Thursday, the statistic about the Cherries not having won in the Premier League this season will not go away - until they do.

The Liverpool game was the fewest shots on target (two) that a Cherries team under Rose has produced this season, and it was the first time this term that Bournemouth had not taken the lead.

Losing Justin Kluivert to injury, where he joins last season's top scorer Eli Junior Kroupi in the treatment room, has arguably deprived Rose of the best two finishers in his squad.

On the face of it, losing by the odd goal to Manchester City and Liverpool, while drawing with Everton, Newcastle and Brentford, should not be a reason to press the panic button just yet.

It would be difficult to find a single Cherries fan who would have swapped that night in San Sebastian for any number of league points.

But rediscovering a goal threat will be the priority when the international break ends and Bournemouth face seven games in the last 22 days of October.

Explore Bournemouth content on BBC Sounds

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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The fact that Arsenal are not invincible has clearly come as a bit of a surprise to some people.

They were thumped by Brighton at the weekend, while Brentford hammered Chelsea to go fourth and Bournemouth narrowly lost to Liverpool.

The three little Bs, who I wrote about more than once last season, are at it again, fearlessly going for blood against the big dogs.

Both Brighton and Brentford will sit in the top four for the three weeks of the international break, with Bournemouth finding their feet under a new manager.

Their success should now not be surprising. In the last four seasons Brighton have averaged an eighth-place league finish - astonishing for a smaller provincial club outwith the major cities.

Arsenal's three-goal capitulation was initially a shock, but should it still be a surprise down at Brighton?

This season, the Seagulls have also scored three against Chelsea and Manchester United, four against Tromso and Aston Villa while slapping Coventry with five.

This does not look like a lucky run of form or a purple patch on the pitch; this looks like who they are now.

Bournemouth were sixth last season and I think Brighton could do even better than that this time round.

The likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Villa are each capable of getting their acts together after early stumbles, but the chance of reaching the Champions League has never seemed so achievable for the more pocket-sized Premier League clubs.

During the second half of the recent Carabao Cup demolition of Manchester United at Old Trafford, I started to think "this team is very special".

The Reds had a few youngsters playing that night, but after going 2-0 down Fabian Hurzeler's men played some of the cleverest, quickest, most intricate passing football I have seen in years.

The incredible pace with which they pressed the opposition only added to the heady, unstoppable mix.

Pat Nevin writes weekly in the Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to receive it, sign up here.

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Bournemouth's 1-0 loss against Liverpool saw Marco Rose's side head into the international break failing to register a single win in their opening five league games of the season.

Questions are now being raised about squad depth, tactics and how Rose's team are not able to capitalise on leads in games.

The Cherries have made just two changes to their Premier League starting XIs under their new boss this season - the fewest of any side.

It's the least changes to a starting XI by any manager in his first five Premier League games since Roberto de Zerbi with Brighton in October 2022 (one).

Former Bournemouth defender Joe Partington told BBC Radio Solent's Cherries Unpicked podcast that the side lack "conviction, creativity and a lack of ideas in those final moments".

"There is no lack of effort or desire," he said. "Sometimes the atmosphere fizzles out in the stadium and it becomes disgruntled. People question substitution choices."

Against the Reds was the first time Bournemouth failed to attempt 10 or more shots in a Premier League home game in 2026 (nine), last doing so in December 2025 v Everton.

Although Partington believed much of the performance against Liverpool was "encouraging", Rose's wait for a first league win goes on.

"All Bournemouth needs to do to answer those questions is win a game. Is there a depth of quality? I'm not 100% sure," he added.

"We have seen Bournemouth play well, but it is not enough to play well, they have got to win games."

Before facing former boss Andoni Iraola, the Cherries had led every league game by at least a goal before capitulating and suffering three draws and two losses.

"At the moment, the narrative is - are Bournemouth going to win the next game? That is the cloud that hangs over them."

Listen to the full episode of Cherries Unpicked on BBC Sounds here

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Bournemouth and Liverpool.

Here are some of your comments:

Bournemouth fans

Derek: Very poor game management. Subs on too late and too many Championship players on the bench.

Tez: Maybe it was time to give the squad a go. We looked tired. No zip in passing or our usual energy. Missed Justin Kluivert. Late subs gave no chance of a comeback but didn't feel Liverpool were a big threat either. Well done, Iraola - nice to see you. Must have been strange in opposite changing rooms and dugouts. Onwards and upwards.

Mike: Bournemouth need to buy in January. The team is small and lacking in quality. Marco Rose's tactics and style of play is not what was expressed before he joined. His attacking style is weak and the team is sloppy. Bournemouth needs to have some replacement managers in the line-up, I don't see Marco working out.

Bob: Once again, lots of running, mostly to no avail. When down, attempting to win by effort alone is not successful. Calm heads and experience are required to steady the team and come again. At the moment, both are missing.

Liverpool fans

Robbie: Taking a bit of getting going, but understandable with new boss trying to sort out last season's problems. Florian Wirtz - another poor performance.. On plus side, Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak linked up again, and defence has improved. Slow signs of improvement... still unbeaten, but hard program ahead after the international break.

David: I would have taken the 0-1 before a ball was kicked. Always going to be a hard game for a lot of reasons. Liverpool still not clicking in certain areas, some combinations not working with the system we are trying to implement. Need to move the ball quicker and slicker. More training ground time for everyone to get it working together.

Ian: A scrappy affair with too many underachievers, with the exception of Jeremy Jacquet, who was once again outstanding. Isak scored the goal but the rest of his performance was dire. Why Liverpool persevere with Wirtz is a mystery because once again he was woeful. I lost count of how many wayward passes there were all over the pitch. I feel sorry for Iraola, he's got a near-impossible job on his hands to shape this squad of misfits into a team that can challenge for silverware.

Tony: Not enough chances created in the final-third. Got the job done in the end and are improving slowly. Good boost for confidence before the international break.

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Bournemouth defender Antonio Silva has said Sunday's 1-0 defeat by Liverpool at Vitality Stadium was not a fair reflection of the game.

"We deserved more from this match", he told BBC Radio Solent. "A defeat, for us, is hard.

"It's hard to concede a goal, always. That's football and we tried everything to score.

"We have a lot of quality players and a lot now go off to national teams. When they come back, we will try to build tension for the Premier League.

"We have a good mentality and the coach is very good, so we will try everything to win the next game."

Hit play below to hear more from Silva or listen on BBC Sounds here

A new episode of BBC Radio Solent's Cherries Unpicked podcast has landed on BBC Sounds, as Jordan Clark and ex-Bournemouth defender Joe Partington assess Sunday's 1-0 home defeat by Liverpool.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Explore all Bournemouth content on BBC Sounds

Bournemouth starting XI:

Djordje Petrovic: Quiet first half but made a good save with his feet to keep out Bradley Barcola. No chance of stopping Isak's goal. 6

Adam Smith: Good shift on his 431st appearance for Bournemouth. Largely nullified Barcola's threat. 6

Antonio Silva: Settling into life in the Premier League, and this was another impressive display from the Portuguese centre-back. 6

James Hill: Solid on his 50th Premier League appearance and, like Silva, kept Alexander Isak quiet until the Liverpool forward found himself in space to break the deadlock. 6

Adrien Truffert: Good battle with Cody Gakpo but was sloppy in possession and was ultimately beaten by the Dutchman just before Liverpool's goal. 5

Tyler Adams: A decent display but will look back at Isak's goal and wonder if he should have done better defensively. 5

Alex Scott: Such a tidy player, especially in possession, and can now look forward to joining England on international duty. 6

Rayan: Scored in midweek and was good to watch whenever he had the ball but didn't get on it enough. Great ball to Ryan Christie after Liverpool scored. 6

Ryan Christie: Started in the absence of Justin Kluivert. Got into some good positions but failed to convert. 6

Marcus Tavernier: Threatened going forward and nearly got an assist when he put in a good cross for Evanilson. 6

Evanilson: Caused problems and had a first-half flick saved by Alisson and another effort denied after the break. 6

Bournemouth substitutes:

Cook (on 75, Smith): 5

Brooks (on 75, Tavernier): 5

Jebbison (on 75, Christie): 5

Gannon-Doak (on 88, Adams)

Toth (on 88, Rayan)

Subs not used:

Di Gregorio, Soler, Gannon-Doak, Diakite, Sanchez.

Read the full article and see how you rated the players

Bournemouth manager Marco Rose speaking to BBC Sport: "It is disappointing to lose this kind of game when it is really tight. But we defended one situation not well enough. We didn't use our chances today and, in the end, we lose the game with one situation. We have to be sharper in both boxes.

"You don't get points for playing well, that is what we see. The fact is we have three points after five games when we could win every game. We have to speak about it, we don't have to change things in general - we just have to change details but we need to change those quick.

"We played a good game against Liverpool, who has some days more to recover. We looked fit, even at the end we were the team that went for a goal.

"It's about details and right now it is really disappointing, but I am quite confident we can change the situation points-wise."

Listen to Rose speaking to BBC Radio Solent here

Did you know?

• This is the ninth time in their history that Bournemouth have failed to win any of their opening five matches of a league campaign (drawn three, lost two), and second in the Premier League, after 2023-24.

• Bournemouth have made just two changes to their Premier League starting XIs under Marco Rose this season, the fewest of any side. It's the fewest XI changes by any manager in his first five Premier League games since Roberto de Zerbi with Brighton in October 2022 (one).