Tavernier threat, DefCon Hill king + Kroupi prospect

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Tuesday’s stalemate on the south coast was a good result for those invested in Bournemouth and/or Brentford’s defence.

This is the third goalless draw in the Premier League in the last seven match weeks. The Cherries have been involved in two of them.

As for the owners of the attackers on display, many felt frustrated.

TAVERNIER UNLUCKY… OR MORE BAD FINISHING?

If you saw our Scoreboard article, you’ve definitely seen it Marcus Tavernier (£5.3m) finished Gameweek 29 with double the expected non-penalty goal involvements (NPxGI, 1.47 – adjusted from initial 1.51) as anyone else on Tuesday night.

No one had more shots in the box (five) or big chances (two).

Above: Players involved in Bournemouth v Brentford ranked by goal attempts (five)

It was surprising how he relented. Twice his shots hit the goalpost, once from eight yards and another from a wider position. In the first incident, his calf was cut and he was entitled to a penalty – which he will likely take.

He also curled a shot that was off target early on, forcing a save from a tight angle and almost going off target Ryan Christieeffort (£4.9m) from 12 yards.

The near misses didn’t end there. In stoppage time, Tavernier provided a substitute Namely, Junior Kroupi (£4.7m) with good odds, just for Enes Unal (£5.4m) for accidentally deflecting a shot on goal wide.

It’s a tale of great misfortune, but as Sir Michael Taker so well points out, his finishes tend not to be very good. He’s scored one open play goal all season (two penalties, one direct corner and one free kick!) and has underachieved on the xG front in the last three seasons.

However, at £5.3m, you get the possibility of a penalty taker (during Justin Kluivert £7.0m) remains out), semi-frequent corner kick taker and direct free kick taker. He is also, in the post-Semenyo era, the safest link in Bournemouth’s attack.

BOURNEMOUTH DOMINATE, BENCH CROUPHY

The Cherries extended their unbeaten run to nine games but will be annoyed that this was not a win.

They dominated the game and even apart from the chance involving Tavernier, there were further chances.

Christie should have scored a goal while trying to tiptoe around Kevin Kelleher (£4.7m), provisional James Hill (£4.1m) nods to a very good opportunity.

Evanilson (£6.8m) kicked off a stump leg to start, eliminating Kroupi from the team. This Brazilian player, who is also the top scorer in history, actually performed brilliantly in scoring a goal in the second half, but he was in an offside position. Evanilson links the play well – one of his strengths – and Iraola was quite emphatic on Saturday when discussing who he prefers up front.

So, Kroupi’s best bet to start with is probably ’10’. The problem is that Christie, who started in that position on Tuesday, is starting to rediscover his form. Keep in mind that Tavernier started in that role on Saturday.

Iroala may have picked Kroupi in Gameweek 30 against leaked Burnley, but you wouldn’t be surprised to see him proceed with more caution, namely playing someone less than ‘nine’ on the hole, in the next game:

MORE DEFCON POINTS FOR HILL + SENESI

This was Hill’s eleventh consecutive start with Marcos Senesi (£4.9 million).

In that time, no defender has made a greater defensive contribution than Bournemouth’s cheaper centre-backs:

That’s a top 16 DefCon points for the defender. It should also be 18, as his contribution in Gameweek 22 increased after the FPL deadline.

While the Cherries rode their luck to keep clean sheets at Wolves and West Ham, this was far more convincing. Brentford only had five shots throughout the match, and Hill again appeared arrogant.

Vitality is a bit of a defensive fortress: Bournemouth are ranked 1st with the fewest goals conceded (15) at home this season.

BACK TO BASICS OF DEFENSE FOR BEES

Brentford’s xG Statsbomb was only 0.05 in the 70th minute.

A worthy opportunity for Dango Ouattara (£6.0 million), founded by a Kevin Damage (£6.9m) header, and a very good set-piece chance Sepp van den Berg (£4.5m) adds a respectable feel to their expected target total.

Igor Thiago (£7.2m) failed to score in a match for the second time since Christmas.

Perhaps a more cautious approach could have been expected after the seven-goal thriller at Turf Moor. Judging by Keith Andrews’ post-match comments, it does sound like there was a redoubled defensive effort. Whether they realize it or not as a result of Burnley’s return, the Bees may attack with less gay abandon.

“We reviewed some of our basic play without the ball after conceding three goals on Saturday, and I thought we did that really well tonight. There was real collective resilience without the ball whether we were pressing high or defending our box.

“With possession, we probably didn’t reach the level we could have, but it can happen, and opponents obviously have their game plan to try to stop you.” – Keith Andrews

Bournemouth’s solidity at home was another mitigating circumstance.

There are still plenty of good games to come, although Wolves have improved significantly of late.

HALF CHANGE AGAIN, HENRY IS INJURED

Brentford lost Rico Henry (£4.3m) due to injury early in this contest.

“It was a hamstring injury, that’s all I know.

“His performance was at a high level. It was a shame we lost him so early in the game and hopefully, the problem is not too serious.” – Keith Andrews on Rico Henry

For the first time in 2026, Nathan Collins (£4.9m) started with van den Berg. The centre-back partners who were once team-mates have now seen their duties in the first team split due to fitness and good form Kristoffer Ajer (£4.4m) performed quite well in return.

You’re never sure what Andrews will do next at centre-back, so Kelleher – back here after paternity leave – and Michael Kayode (£4.5m) remains the most reliable route into the Bees’ backline.

However, Ajer, Collins and van den Berg may start together in the next few games, if Henry joins Aaron Betta (£4.0m) on the injury list.

“Keris [Ajer] It’s a shame to leave the team, really. Overall since he joined the team he has played a huge role both on and off the field.

“I think it’s fair to say he’s not a natural full-back, Aaron [Hickey] clearly injured, now Rico [Henry]. We don’t have a natural full-back to replace him. Another option is Keano [Lewis-Potter]who played there a lot last season. That is a decision you have to make.” – Keith Andrews

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