Historic European nights beckon for the Cherries, but cautionary tales of domestic collapse loom. Dive into the squad depth dilemma facing Marco Rose as he balances continental glory.
AFC Bournemouth are about to embark on their first European adventure. It is a historic moment for the club, but as the Cherries prepare for their first Europa League fixture, there is one rather less glamorous question to answer:
Do they have the squad to keep their Premier League form going?
There are some cautionary tales.
Burnley provide perhaps the starkest. Having finished seventh with 54 points in 2017/18, Sean Dyche’s side entered the Europa League with a small squad. The Guardian warned before the season that “a lack of squad depth allied to a Europa League run” could prove problematic. Burnley subsequently dropped to 15th with 40 points.
West Ham offer another fascinating example. After finishing seventh with 56 points in 2021/22, they played 56 games the following season while going all the way in the Conference League. They finished 14th with just 40 points, a 16 point drop, despite lifting a European trophy.
Southampton's decline was even greater. They went from sixth and 63 points in 2015/16 to eighth and 46 points the following season, while competing in the Europa League and reaching the League Cup final. Seventeen points gone.
Leicester provide another warning, dropping from 66 points and fifth in 2020/21 to 52 points and eighth while progressing from the Europa League into the Conference League. Injuries and other factors clearly played a part, so Europe cannot be blamed entirely, but that is arguably the point.
So, looking at Bournemouth’s two potential XIs, the verdict is fairly simple.
Bournemouth can field two teams but sadly they can't quite field two competitive Premier League quality teams but perhaps they don't need to.
An analysis by 21st Club, published in 2020, found that Premier League clubs playing European football typically needed around 20 players capable of playing at least 900 minutes across the season. Clubs without European football averaged just 17.6 reaching that mark. That's roughly 2½ additional meaningful contributors.
And suddenly the picture looks a little more encouraging.
Bournemouth don't need 22 players of identical quality. If they already have a solid core of around 17 or 18 genuine Premier League contributors, perhaps they only need another two or three players capable of stepping in and making a meaningful contribution.
On paper, they might just have them. The problem, of course, is injuries. Lose two or three key players simultaneously and those useful rotation options suddenly become regular starters. A manageable problem can quickly become a crisis.
And that leaves Marco Rose with the biggest balancing act of the season: how much do you rotate in Europe, and how much do you protect the Premier League?
Because Europe is the reward but the Premier League is still the priority.
Still, after everything Bournemouth have achieved to get here, most Chez would agree there is only one sensible thing to do...Just enjoy the ride. It’s going to be one hell of an adventure.
Who do you think are Bournemouth’s best 20 players capable of making a meaningful contribution this season? Comment below.
