Talking points from AFC Bournemouth win against Hibernian

Some made the trip to Marbella, with many watching on from home as a Philip Billing brace put the seal on a comfortable 4-0 victory over Hibernian, after early goals from David Brooks and Jaidon Anthony.

While it is often hard to draw definitive conclusions from early pre-season matches, there were some things that stood out.

New tactics

There was certainly intrigue around how Iraola’s first line-up would look.

He has spoken in the past about ‘staggered’ positions of his midfielders, the most advanced of which supporting a lone striker.

That was evident from the first minute against Hibs.

• Iraola highlights area for improvement after win over Hibs

Setting up in a 4-4-1-1 formation, the central midfield trio were almost in a vertical line up the pitch at times. The returning Gavin Kilkenny sat at the base of that, playing the full 90 minutes. Lewis Cook started the game alongside (or ahead of) him, with Ryan Christie further forwards, playing off of Kieffer Moore.

Another clear tactic on show was the utilisation of the wingers.

Often the first pass Cherries were looking for was out to the wide men, initially Brooks and Anthony.

Marcos Senesi played a key role in this, spreading passes from centre-back into those areas.

That continued still when subs were made later on, notably Owen Bevan picking out Dango Ouattara to launch an attack down the left.

Iraola spoke about a more direct, efficient style, playing higher up the pitch. This was a clear tactic to ensure that happened.

Another phrase the Spaniard has been linked with is ‘organised chaos’ in attack, saying in his opening press conference: “I don’t like the games to be too controlled. I prefer we try to attack as soon as we can, we open the game, we have a good volume of crosses, of chances.”

That was another factor which stood out throughout the contest – Cherries flooding the box with players and delivering multiple low crosses.

Christie in particular was benefiting, taking up some great positions in the box, seeing multiple shots blocked, as well as picking out Anthony for his goal.

Speaking after the game, Iraola said he had only been working on tactics with his team for two or three days.

He will hope more of ideas will be implemented for longer periods of the game against Maccabi Tel Aviv on Sunday.

Wales duo impress

With Dominic Solanke left out of the squad for this one, Kieffer Moore got his chance to lead the line.

There has been some scepticism as to how, if at all, Moore could fit into Iraola’s plans.

But the Wales international made a huge impact against Hibs.

As well as the aforementioned attacks down the flanks, getting the ball up to Moore was also a clear key strategy in the early stages.

And the towering striker played a key role in both opening goals.

He brought the ball down and held off a defender before teeing up Brooks to break the deadlock, before doing similar to find Christie, who saw his shot deflected behind.

Moore then peeled off into a channel to receive a throw-in, his cross eventually worked to Anthony to make it 2-0.

Cherries were at their best during the first 25 minutes, Moore playing a massive part in that, also having a goalbound header saved as Hibs’ defenders failed to deal with him.

If there were any doubts around if the 30-year-old would feature in Iraola’s plans, he certainly grabbed his chance on Thursday with both hands.

Without doubt the moment of the night was seeing Brooks smash in the opening goal.

His inspirational return to action has been well documented, but purely from a football perspective, these are the best glimpses we’ve seen of the midfielder since he got back on the pitch.

As well as thrashing into the top corner from outside the box, much of Cherries’ best work came down the right flank which Brooks occupied.

Another highlight saw the Wales star audaciously nutmeg Hibs defender Josh Campbell, before picking out Christie, who was only denied by a brilliant Rocky Bushiri block.

Brooks played an hour of the contest, also standing out during the second third of the game.

He found the net again, only to be denied by an offside flag, before setting Cherries off on another attack with a perfectly-weighted through ball, which eventually led to Anthony striking the post.

Kluivert’s first minutes

While seeing Brooks in full flight again may feel like a new signing, the only new face in the squad so far this summer also impressed.

Introduced in the 48th minute, Dutchman Justin Kluivert ended the evening with two assists to his name.

Again caveated by the level of opposition, the former Roma man came on on the left wing and showed his pace, trickery and intention to run at defenders.

• Kluivert targeting first Cherries goal after two assists against Hibs

After around 10 minutes playing out wide, Kluivert showed the versatility Iraola spoke about last week to move central, taking up the role vacated by Moore’s substitution.

Kluivert did then on occasion swap positions with Dango Ouattara, back out to the left, but generally played through the middle, supported by Billing.

The pair combined for two goals in the final 25 minutes.

The first came with Kluivert playing centrally, released by Ouattara, before picking the perfect moment to put it on a plate for Billing.

Then Kluivert moved out to the left wing, drifting across the box, past three defenders, before rolling it to Billing to calmly slot into the bottom corner.

Between those two goals, he should have had another assist, picking out Ouattara free in the box, but the Burkina Faso international made a mess of the finish.

What stood out from you from the win over Hibs? Comment below.