Cherries On Top · https://cherriesontop.news/analysis/afc-bournemouth-mainz-05-tactical-analysis-102330
Picture becoming clearer for Cherries under Rose after final friendly
16.08.26, 15:44 Updated 18.08.26, 22:24 6 Minute Read
AFC Bournemouth’s pre-season is effectively over, rounding out their friendly fixtures with a 2-1 defeat to FSV Mainz 05. It is Cherries’ first loss of the summer, and if you’re one to place weight on friendlies, their first defeat since January.
Having watched the game back a few times now, there were some trends that stood out, and overall, a better understanding of how Cherries will approach football under Marco Rose.
Rough outline of Cherries’ shape
Cherries’ ‘neutral’ shape is ironically the 4-2-3-1 you would see listed on line-up previews before the game. I say it's ironic as it is very rare to see players be in the exact position listed in the pre-match formation, but before any press is triggered, we can clearly see Evanilson up top, supported by the two wingers of Marcus Tavernier and Rayan either side of Justin Kluivert in the 10.
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Starting his journalism career covering local non-league football at the age of 14, Dorset-native Jack Tanner covered Cherries for the Bournemouth Daily Echo for the best part of four years. After a brief stint covering AFC Bournemouth on a freelance basis for national newspapers, Jack went on to cover boxing for The Independent.