There is no doubt in my mind that AFC Bournemouth can go toe to toe with every single team in the Premier League. Of course, they won’t win every game, but the fearless, high intensity press designed by Andoni Iraola can cause problems for any team when they get it right. That was shown when they finally beat Manchester City last season by absolutely suffocating them in the press early on, and how close they came to getting a result at Anfield on the first day of this season. Claiming big scalps has been no problem for Iraola since taking over – perhaps none more impressive than beating Newcastle United 4-1 at St James’ Park last January.

Newcastle went into that game nine unbeaten, plus the fact they had only lost once at home all season. On the other hand, Bournemouth’s form was good, but Iraola had just 12 senior outfield players to choose from, with no fit striker or right-back. The performance that day was quite astonishing, as the Cherries battered the Geordies from start to finish in a 4-1 demolition job, which could have been even more. Newcastle simply couldn’t deal with the press set out by Iraola, and had no answer to overcome those problems on the day. That result continued Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth curse – he had just one cup win against them, but in the league had failed to beat them on six occasions (D4, L2).

It would not be unfair to say that in the four games between Iraola and Howe, Iraola had got the best of him every time, if not always achieving a win. Going into Sunday’s game at Dean Court, Howe clearly felt something needed to change in order to nullify Bournemouth’s strengths and force a result: that was to set up in a low block.

Whilst there is no doubt AFCB can compete with anyone in this league, there is also no doubt of their weakness – coming up against a low block. The catalyst to beating a team with a low block is to score first, or even more important, to score early. Iraola’s side so nearly did that against Newcastle, but David Brooks’ 15th minute strike was ruled out for offside by mere millimetres.

Breaking down a low block can be tough for any side, but it has seemed especially tough for an Iraola side. An article from The Independent a couple of weeks ago revealed that new signings had been targeted with the goal to get in behind defences and break down low blocks. Of the new (attacking) signings, only Amine Adli featured for 15 minutes, amounting just eight touches of the ball in that time.

Howe came here to frustrate Iraola, and did just that. It is also worth mentioning that they made seven changes from their 2-1 defeat to Barcelona in the Champions League on Thursday – had they not rested key players like Bruno Guiamaraes and Joelinton, maybe they would have set up in a different way.

But the low block set up by Howe meant that AFCB played right into their hands. Newcastle were happy for Marcos Senesi to try and channel his inner-quarterback, attempting to loft long balls over the top of Howe’s lofty defence. Senesi attempted 25 (!!!!!!) long balls in the game, completing just nine of them. In total, AFCB completed just 28% (17) of their long balls in the game.

It was a very frustrating watch from the stands, seeing Dan Burn, Sven Botman and Malick Thiaw head almost everything that was aimed at them away. Burn made a whopping 10 headed clearances in the 90, with Botman making five and Thiaw three (+ one by Jamaal Lascelles who replaced Thiaw). Presumably, the plan was to win second balls and create chances off them if they couldn’t get it over the towering Newcastle defence, in a similar way to Alex Scott’s opener against Brighton last weekend.

But those second balls never came, and on the ball, the side didn’t really seem to have any ‘Plan B’, just those long balls. Set pieces seemed a rare way to find a goal – Justin Kluivert had the only shot on target of the second half, coming in the 90th minute of the match. The game was probably summed up about 10 minutes before that, when AFCB tried a creative free kick routine. With the ball in what seemed a perfect distance for a shot, Ryan Christie floated the ball over the wall to the onrushing AFCB players. The idea itself was not bad at all, as no Newcastle players had tracked the runners. But the execution was shocking, as Christie badly overhit the lob and Nick Pope was able to sweep the ball up.

In my opinion, AFCB simply need to be braver when coming up against low blocks. Antoine Semenyo only attempted five dribbles against Newcastle, and David Brooks just one. Marcus Tavernier started in the ’10’, which wasn’t surprising given his form so far this season. But in order to break down low blocks, you really have to constantly move into space between thirds so that your midfield can break through the lines – I’m not sure he did that enough. This is an area where Justin Kluivert would more naturally excel, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Kluivert came into the XI against Leeds United this weekend, who will likely also set up in a way to frustrate Bournemouth.

The lineup may also need tinkering with at times in order to try and break down low blocks. Tyler Adams has inserted himself as one of the first names on the AFCB team sheet – and rightly so, given his performance levels. But progressive passing isn’t his greatest strength: he completed seven passes into the final third against Newcastle, the same amount Alex Scott did in 63 minutes. Might trying Scott deeper, with Ryan Christie and Kluivert ahead of him, be a way in which AFCB attempt to break down a low block? I would never be an advocate for dropping Adams, nor am I claiming this is something Iraola should definitely try, it’s merely a consideration to be had. It shouldn’t just be Senesi attempting to break through the lines with his passing range; Scott may be more capable of that than Adams from a deeper position.

They must also not play into the hands of the opposition by moving the ball slowly – from watching on in the stands, I definitely feel as if the ball could be moved quicker a lot of the time. Of course, players never want to be wasteful in possession, and the old adage of ‘you have to go back in order to forward’ is especially prevalent in football, but I would like to see the players take more risks sometimes. This is definitely the case if they are to use Evanilson better – he never stops making runs off the ball, but is almost never found. That the Brazilian had the least touches of the ball (24) of all outfield players to play 90 minutes in the game against Newcastle, was very telling. They need to find a way to utilise him in these sorts of games, whether that be by taking more risks on the ball, or getting more men around him.

Might the answer even come from someone who hasn’t played in the league yet? Ben Gannon-Doak has yet to make an appearance in the PL since his big money move, but his one start against Brentford in the cup showed a willingness to beat his man. Enes Unal did not have a good season before injury, we don’t even know when he’s back, or what levels he will be able to achieve. But he definitely adds something different to the team, which may help play in a different way to beat the low block.

It is of course easy to just talk about this from a Bournemouth perspective, but it must be acknowledged for that for any team, playing against a low block is very tough. Eddie Howe came here to frustrate Iraola and try nick a goal, which never happened, or looked particularly likely to happen. But in terms of defensive structure and organisation, he deserves credit for setting up in a way to perfectly stifle everything good that Bournemouth can do.

Andoni Iraola should, maybe, feel flattered that even great teams like Newcastle feel the need to set up so negatively in order to force a result against him. But Iraola will be searching for ways to unlock low blocks so that every manager doesn’t feel the need to set up like that against him, knowing they will likely force a result.

As previously stated, I would expect Leeds to line up in a similar way, so it will be interesting to see how AFCB fare this weekend. Old habits die hard – the club won’t want to miss out on another record breaking season by not beating sides they would expect to beat. It has been positive in that regard so far, with a +8 points differential compared to the same games last season, but the Newcastle performance may just have given some fans flashbacks they won’t want to see again.

When all is said and done, I believe in Andoni Iraola to find a solution. He is one of the great young managerial minds in the game, and if anyone can find a way, I’m sure he can.