Moving on from the Champions League advancement, Chelsea needs to bounce back in the league. Bournemouth is out of form, and that has been the problem.
In a way, Eddie Howe paved the path for Frank Lampard. For a long time, the only way for a young English manager to end up in the Premier League was to fight their way up the pyramid. Howe did so, miraculously and fantastically, with Bournemouth. He was not the first young English manager to do so, but what set him apart was his fearlessness.
Previously when teams are promoted up from the lower levels, they had to adjust their tactics to go from big fish in small pond to big fish in ocean. Bournemouth did not do that. They continued their aggressive, possession based approach and Bournemouth has stayed in the Premier League more or less comfortably with Howe. That changed not only the calculus on trusting young English managers with something beyond a stingy 4-4-2, but also the calculus on promoted teams needing to change instead of sticking to what got them into the Premier League in the first place.
These traits have consistently kept Howe in and around rumors every time a top six club has a vacancy. Realistically, someone will bite eventually but there is one big thing that has held them back: Bournemouth is notoriously streaky. They are currently on the down slope of one of those streaks and usually that would be good news but Chelsea has struggled for two weeks against out of form teams with nothing to lose. Bournemouth will be the third and that in of itself is a test.
Not much has changed for Bournemouth over the years. 4-4-2 is their main set up, but Howe is unafraid to change things to fit in the best players available (usually because they are facing an injury crisis at least a few times a season). Even beyond the formation, Howe is one of the most tactically astute managers in the league as he often comes out with a solid plan almost every time.
Because Howe makes tweaks in regards to the opponent, their defensive and offensive setup can vary. A few common building blocks do remain however, such as smart high pressing (though not always aggressive) and an unforced build up into the final third. The trickiest thing about a Bournemouth attack is dealing with the fluidity of it as the players fill into cracks like water.
On their day, Bournemouth can beat anyone (and often have). But as mentioned earlier, they are streaky. Yearly, they will go on a long and bombastic winning run followed (or occasionally preceded) by a disastrous drop off in form. That more than anything is why they often finish mid table and why Howe cannot seem to make the jump to another club despite always being linked.
Howe has always turned it around so far but eventually that luck will run out. Currently, they are on a five match losing streak, they have just one win in the last 11 matches, and they have not won back to back since September.
On paper, that sounds easy for Chelsea right? Well that is what the feel was going into a West Ham that was winless in eight before Chelsea or an Everton that had just sacked their manager. Chelsea has struggled against these teams with their back against the wall and that makes Bournemouth dangerous.
Add in the fact that, more so than most, Howe’s tactics are generally spot on against Chelsea and this match could be another difficult one. Champions League is behind the club, but the physical and mental exhaustion of it will remain for Bournemouth.
Frank Lampard must get his side into the right mindset or Howe will see Bournemouth repeat what West Ham and Everton have done the last two weeks.