Dominic Solanke will face his former club Liverpool this weekend as Bournemouth visit Anfield for their second game of the season. Having opened his account with a goal against West Ham on the first weekend of the Premier League campaign, the 25-year-old striker will be eager to find the net again.
With a new coach and style of play at Vitality Stadium this season, Solanke could find himself scoring more regularly, and could even push his way into Gareth Southgate’s England squad.
Can Iraola’s New Approach for Bournemouth Propel Dominic Solanke Into England Consideration?
23/24 season underway! pic.twitter.com/4lZofBwXYf
— Dom Solanke (@DomSolanke) August 12, 2023
The Strikers’ Career to Date
After coming through Chelsea’s famed Cobham Academy, the striker made his debut in a 6-0 Champions League win over NK Maribor in 2014. Unfortunately, it would turn out to be his only senior appearance for the Blues.
A loan spell with Dutch side Vitesse followed the next season, which saw the forward score seven goals in 25 appearances, but upon his return to London, he was unable to break into Antonio Conte’s title-winning side.
Solanke was part of England’s U20 World Cup winning side in 2017 but with a lack of opportunities to play for his club’s senior team, he decided to leave Stamford Bridge and moved to Liverpool.
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Appearing 27 times for the Reds in the 2017/18 campaign, Solanke was used predominantly as a substitute throughout his time at Anfield. Unfortunately, he was not turned to in key moments of the season, as highlighted by the fact he was an unused substitute as Jurgen Klopp’s side lost 3-1 to Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
He earned his only senior England cap during his time at Anfield, featuring in a 0-0 draw with Brazil early into Southgate’s tenure in November 2017. Despite this breakthrough, the young Englishman failed to earn his way into Jurgen Klopp’s side and made the switch to Bournemouth for £19 million in January 2019.
He has gone on to appear 175 times for the Dorset club to date, scoring 57 goals and providing 27 assists. His most prolific campaign came in the 2021/22 season when he helped the Cherries return to the Premier League by scoring 29 times in 46 games.
However, despite two prolific seasons in the Championship, the former U20 World Cup winner has yet to break double figures in a single Premier League campaign, with just 11 goals in 97 top-flight games. The arrival of exciting coach Andoni Iraola could be about to change that.
Iraola’s Tactics Can Help Dominic Solanke
Solanke is the first-choice striker at the Vitality Stadium and a new style of play under Iraola will be very effective in helping the 25-year-old find the back of the net. Last season, he scored just six times but was still a key player in the build-up to most of the Cherries’ attacks, as he also provided seven assists and was responsible for a total of 13 goal-creating chances.
With the team now pressing higher up the pitch and heavily involving the full-backs to provide width and crosses, Solanke can be expected to find himself with more goal-scoring opportunities and exploit his finishing instincts.
This was already on show against West Ham as the forward pounced on a loose ball inside the box to round Alphonse Areola and level the scoreline, earning his side a vital point.
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During the 2022/23 campaign, the striker found himself carrying the ball a total of 4479 yards, as he often looked to drive the team forward from deeper positions, as Bournemouth played a counter-attacking based style.
By doing this, he inevitably found himself in situations where he had carried the ball a great distance before getting a shot away, leaving himself tired and under pressure from opposition defenders.
With the Cherries expected to play with a high press this season, it can be expected that Solanke will find himself much closer to goal when he gets the ball, which should result in a greater return in his goal tally.
Can Dominic Solanke Force His Way Into the England Fold?
Harry Kane is England’s captain and clear first-choice striker, however, the opportunity to deputise for the Bayern Munich man in the event of an injury, or as an option off the bench, is very much up for grabs.
The likely candidates to be a backup for Kane would be Callum Wilson, Ollie Watkins, and Ivan Toney, although, the latter’s ban for gambling infractions could hamper his chances of making next summer’s Euro’s, as he will not be allowed to return to Brentford’s side until early 2024.
Wilson has started the new campaign on the bench at St James’ Park and if Eddie Howe’s opening day selection is anything to go by, Alexander Isak could be Newcastle’s primary number nine. Coupled with the 31-year-old’s dodgy injury record, this could leave the door open for Solanke, with two of Southgate’s options already at a disadvantage.
In terms of goals, Solanke admittedly fell far short of the tallies registered by Toney, Wilson, and Watkins last season. However, his shots and shots-on-target totals for the campaign are not far off of the aforementioned trio, which is impressive considering the fact he played for a weaker side than his peers. If the opening-day draw with the Hammers is anything to go by, then the 25-year-old can expect to improve his totals.
The Cherries striker averaged 2.39 shots at goal throughout 2022/23. Against David Moyes’ side, he registered three shots with two of those on target. This was an encouraging sign given his percentage of shots on target from last season, which was 36.8% – in comparison, Toney recorded 37.9%, Wilson 44.3% and Watkins 53.6% in 2022/23.
Keeping up that level, coupled with being in positions higher up the pitch that will enable the forward to attack the goal with more energy could lead to a breakout season for the Englishmen in the Premier League and play his way into Southgate’s thinking.
Main image credit: AFC Bournemouth, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
