Based on both teams’ playing styles, AFC Bournemouth’s game against Tottenham Hotspur should provide plenty of entertainment. Matt Furniss from Opta analyst is looking forward to the meeting on Thursday.

81 goals have been scored in 26 Premier League games involving Bournemouth or Spurs this season.

With an average of more than three goals per game, entertainment is guaranteed with these teams. But some of the underlying data could shed even more light on why this game will be a must-play.

Thursday night’s meeting may seem like an ordinary game between two teams separated by just two points in the table, but the high-intensity pressing style of both in the 2024/25 season means it is one to keep a close eye on.

Spurs and Bournemouth like to win the ball in the final third and have done so effectively this season.

This is nothing new for either side as their respective managers, Ange Postecoglou and Andoni Iraola, took over last year and their pressing strategies have continued to be effective this season.

Heading into Gameweek 14, Spurs have recovered the ball near their opponents’ goal more times than any other team in the Premier League this season.

Their record of 133 turnovers – the number of possessions that begin in open play and start 40 meters or less from the opponent’s goal – is a league high. Their average of 10.2 per game is just below last season’s figure of 10.4, where they only trailed league winners Manchester City’s 11.0.

The Passes Allowed Per Defensive Action (PPDA) metric is useful when trying to gauge a team’s pressing intensity.

It indicates how many passes from the opposing team the pressing team allows before making a defensive action to win the ball back.

The lower a side’s PPDA, the more aggressively it pushes.

Spurs top the PPDA rankings in the 2024/25 Premier League with a league-low 8.6 – which is slightly lower than last season when they also topped the league rankings with 8.8.

As was the case last season, Bournemouth are among the top seven teams in this metric in the Premier League, 11.2 this season and 10.7 in the 2023/24 season.

Iraola’s side are fourth in the league with 114 turnovers in their first 13 games, but no team has taken more shots in these situations than them with 25 – level with Liverpool.

Spurs themselves sit third in this metric both this season (21) and since the start of last season (91), while they and Bournemouth are two of just six teams in the league to score double figures in goals after a high turnover since then have start 2023/24 (Spurs 12, Bournemouth 10).

In short: Spurs are the Premier League’s most adept team at winning the ball back from opponents in the middle and attacking thirds of the pitch.

Bournemouth aren’t quite as good as Spurs in this regard overall, but they make the most of these situations by converting their turnovers into shots.

Spurs have put the most pressure on their opponents in the final third in the Premier League this season with 911, while Bournemouth are in second place with 831. Even when they give the ball away, these two teams work hard to win it back within seconds.

Looking at counter-pressure, where the team applies pressure within two seconds of losing the ball, Spurs (801 total, 378 in the final third) and Bournemouth (788 total, 345 in the final third) are in first and second place.

Meanwhile, only Man City (40 percent) has used a higher proportion of pressing in the final third of this season than Spurs (37 percent).

Looking at the current data for both teams, it is once again Spurs and Bournemouth who are ahead. No team has completed more sprints in the first 13 gameweeks of the 2024/25 season than the Spurs (2,326) or the Cherries (2,186).

Meanwhile, only Brighton & Hove Albion (1,457 km) separate Bournemouth (1,459 km) and Spurs (1,453 km) in the top three places in terms of total distance covered.

Spurs players particularly focused on their runs off the ball, making the most intense runs to receive a pass or create space than any other team, with 2,258. Bournemouth are third with 1,984 (1,973), behind only Spurs and Liverpool.

Solanke’s pressure

Dominic Solanke was a key component of Bournemouth’s big press last season before moving to Spurs in the summer. Of course, his 19 league goals were a key factor in Spurs spending a club-record transfer fee for him.

However, Postecoglou also knew that his work outside of possession would strengthen his team. He was right.

Solanke ranked higher than any other player in the Premier League last season for pressure applied (1,242), pressure in the final third (703) and pressure in the final third that resulted in a loss of possession (142).

Overall, Spurs applied more pressure in the final third (2,935) and resulted in turnovers in the final third (591) than any other team in the division last season.

At the individual player level, only Solanke was ahead of Son Heung-min in both scores with 639 and 130 respectively.

So far this season, Solanke once again leads the Premier League leaderboard in pressures (489), final third pressures (255), and final third pressures ending in a loss of possession (60).

Solanke has missed three of Spurs’ 13 games due to injury or illness. The image below compares his pressure over the last two seasons.

Bournemouth may not have found a direct replacement for Solanke’s work out of possession, but they have become a better collective pressing team.

Only Spurs (156) have had more pressure in the final third, resulting in ball losses, in the Premier League so far than Iraola’s team (139).

With four of their players achieving 19+, namely Marcus Tavernier (26), Evanilson (23), Justin Kluivert (20) and Antoine Semenyo (19), no club has as many players in the top 30 rankings for this Key figure like Bournemouth does, with four.

Semenyo has been the biggest beneficiary of Bournemouth’s work out of possession, attempting 11 of his shots after high turnovers this season, two more than any other player in the league before Gameweek 14.

Evanilson has also made seven attempts in these situations, which is the fourth-most attempts behind Semenyo, Ollie Watkins (nine) and Matheus Cunha (nine).

Expect plenty of overlapping runs at Vitality Stadium on Thursday too. No player has made more overlaps ahead of this round of midweek games than Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez (100), while Spurs’ Destiny Udogie (87) takes second place.

Dejan Kulusevski (79) ranks fifth in this metric, but stands alone among players who do not play as a full-back – Arsenal’s Kai Havertz (52 – 27 fewer than Kulusevski) is in the next highest place without these players.

Spurs beat Bournemouth in both Premier League games last season, but the Cherries have already enjoyed impressive home wins against Arsenal and Man City in 2024/25.

After winning at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, this game offers Bournemouth the chance to make it two consecutive league wins for the first time since April.

Spurs have failed to achieve the same result in any of their last eight Premier League games and have fluctuated between wins and losses in seven gameweeks before playing out a 1-1 draw at home to Fulham on Sunday.

Given both teams’ erratic form coupled with high-intensity performances from Spurs and Bournemouth, their clash should be chaotic… in a good way.

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