There are 3 standout Cherries players that need to up their game when Premier League football returns on October 10. It is clear these players have high ceilings, but need to show more consistency when either starting or coming off the bench in the last half hour of a game.
The first player that needs to step up from a consistency point of view is Justin Kluivert. Following the injury of Junior Kroupi, the baton was passed to the Dutchman to be the attacking midfielder to pop up with match winning moments. Kluivert was expected to be the spark in the 10, and with only 2 goals in the first portion of the season, it is fair to say that he has underwhelmed from a goal involvement standpoint.
Cherries fans will know that Kluivert can score goals, whether that be from a dead ball situation or hitting one into the top corner from 25 yards out, but his confidence seems to be limiting him from taking on those risks frequently.
The 27 year olds only goal this season came from him shooting from distance against Brentford, but for large chunks of the games prior to that, he would be one of the quieter players on the pitch and have very little impact on the game. Kroupi's return from injury is getting ever closer, and if Kluivert wants to keep his spot in the 10, he needs to find the back of the net a lot more after the break.
REUTERS/Vincent WestThe next player that needs to show more when coming off the bench to impact games is Alvaro Rodriguez. The Uruguayan arrived to Dean Court with a reputation of being fast when making runs in behind despite his size, and also being aerially dominant, and those qualities have not been showcased yet.
The great form and link up play that Evanilson has possessed under Marco Rose will make it hard for a substitute of any quality to be able to replicate, but whenever Rodriguez has come on, Cherries' attacking threat has looked significantly more blunt.
Even if Rodriguez doesn't offer as much on the ball as Evanilson, the 22 year old had a great goal involvement to minutes played ratio when at Elche last season. 12 goal involvements in just 2200 minutes averages out to roughly a goal involvement every other game, and if he can find this form after the break, he could be a great addition to the attack in the last 25 munutes if Cherries are chasing a goal.
Reuters/Peter CziborraThe last player that needs to rekindle his confidence when taking on defenders and receiving the ball on dangerous transitions is Rayan.
Everyone who has watched AFCB in the last 9 months will know that Rayan has a lot of talent, and can unlock defences within a blink of an eye, however this has only been shown in small glimpses this season.
Similar to Kluivert, the Brazilian international has 1 goal in the Premier League and has 1 goal in Cherries Europa League campaign so far. However, he has looked passive whenever he has the chance to take on a full back and will need to reignite his ability to line up defenders when in a 1 v 1 situation if he wants to keep Ben Gannon-Doak from taking his starting position off the right hand side.
