Bournemouth have surpassed all expectations with a remarkable start to their Premier League campaign and the Cherries currently sit 6th in the standings with 16 points from their first eight games. Eddie Howe’s men have scored as many as 16 goals so far and few can deny that they have taken the top-flight by surprise this season.
The most impressive thing about Bournemouth has been their level of consistency. While most of the other mid-table sides have teased their fans with flashes of brilliance, the Cherries have consistently strung together high-quality football against some of the top sides in the competition. Although they have found themselves behind at times, Bournemouth deserve credit for their resilience to fight back.
Much of Bournemouth’s newly-found success has been down to the exploits of their front three – Callum Wilson, Joshua King and Ryan Fraser. In fact, they have outperformed Liverpool’s deadly front three, previously reckoned as the most potent force in England’s top-flight.
While the forward trio has stolen much of the limelight, the solid performances of Nathan Ake at the back should also be taken into consideration.
However, the performances of new signing David Brooks have been largely overshadowed by Bournemouth’s meteoric rise to the top half. He has played a key role for the Cherries in the midfield and has been an influential figure since his arrival at Vitality Stadium from Sheffield United in the summer.
Eddie Howe’s direct approach to the game has brought the best out of the 21-year-old Welsh international. Although Brooks is primarily a central attacking midfielder, the manager has deployed him down the right and the youngster has obliged with a series of impressive outings.
The 21-year-old boasts of a good technique and has combined it with his directness to constantly bully the defenders in the final third. His wonderful technique allows him to keep good close control and he is confident enough to test the goalkeeper with strong long-range efforts, averaging at least 2 shots per game.
He is also neat with his passing and distributes the ball effectively in the centre of the park. The Welshman can also move the ball around quickly and has the vision to pick out the perfect pass. To go with his passing, vision, technique and shooting, he is also a good dead-ball specialist and has emerged as Bournemouth’s new set-piece taker.
To go with his 0.9 key passes per game, the 21-year-old has also shown tremendous levels of energy and commitment to track back and help out the defenders. He has played a major role in cutting out the attacks from the centre of the pitch, averaging 1.6 tackles per game – something that is unusual for an attacking midfielder.
Brooks already has two goals to his name and going by the performances he has put in so far, it would be hard to back against him grabbing more this season. He has established himself as a key cog in Bournemouth’s engine and could play an even bigger role as the season wears on.