Three at the back, free form attack and less 'sideways' passing - first impressions of Cherries' new system

Of course, it would be remiss to make outright conclusions from 90 minutes of pre-season action, but Parker’s statements suggest that he has settled on what we describe as a 5-2-3.

Cherries also lined up in the formation for their training matches away in Portugal, indicating that it will see heavy use next term.

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The starkest change in the way Cherries play was certainly at the back, with Parker choosing to select three centre-backs.

Last season the backline was important for two reasons – their traditional role of keeping goals out, and also the secondary function of constructing attacks from the back.

Whilst Cherries conceded the fewest goals in the Championship last term, at times there were moans and groans from fans on a perceived inertia, with Cherries comfortable passing the ball amongst their back four, taking their time to build moves.

It was not uncommon to see the ball shuffle across from the right flank to the left via the centre-backs, but the “sideways” passing of last season was noticeably absent on Saturday, where Cherries frequently looked to move the ball forward and into the midfield as quickly as possible.

There will be two reasons for that – firstly, by moving the ball away from their own box, the danger of losing it closer to goal is removed, but also the fact that the new shape is designed to commit bodies forward and hit sides in transition.

Faffing about with the ball in front of your own goal is a recipe for disaster in the Premier League, and whilst Cherries were rarely caught out last term, it makes sense to limit opportunities for other sides to pinch the ball back high up the pitch.

Lewis Cook and Philip Billing dropped deeper at times to pick up the ball and move it up the pitch quickly, whilst at other times, Jefferson Lerma, who was deployed as the middle defender in the back three, distributed the ball diagonally to either wing-back, or at times, one of the wingers.

Lerma’s inclusion at the back is another talking point. It is clear Cherries lack numbers in terms of central defenders, so the move to three at the back seems counterproductive on that front.

Last season it was not too uncommon to see the Colombian international drop into the backline when Cherries were out of possession, before moving forward and becoming the base of the midfield triangle.

However, Lerma was frequently the last defender on Saturday, and in the absence of Lloyd Kelly, he appeared to be the chief distributor at the back.

With three senior centre-backs at the club, it is clear that reinforcements are required.

20-year-old James Hill, signed in January, totalled one minute of league action last term, and Chris Mepham, who has one year left on his contract, made just three substitute appearances after his last start in February, clearly not trusted for the run in.

With Kelly injured, and a clear desire from Parker for more defenders, it is hard to say for certain whether Lerma will frequently be positioned as a central defender.

Captain Kelly was arguably the main playmaker last term for Parker’s team, becoming a magnet of frustration when his diagonal balls lost their effectiveness towards the tail end of the campaign.

As the only left footer currently able to play centre-back at the club, it makes sense that Kelly could line-up on the left with Lerma in the middle, but perhaps the Colombian’s bite in the midfield would be lost, and perhaps his inclusion in the backline was out of necessity rather than a sign of things to come.

The biggest question regarding Lerma and Kelly in the back three would be whether both would be responsible for constructing moves, or whether the responsibility would be split.

Having two capable passers in the backline would certainly help move the ball away from danger quickly, but the benefit of Lerma and his heightened dribbling ability compared to the average centre-back would be lost, considering the ball theoretically will not be spending much time in the defensive third.

Parker said Cherries would be looking to “inject speed and pace on the counter-attack”, and there were glimpses of that premise on Saturday.

The long, sweeping diagonal balls that sees Cherries launch from defence to attack continued from last season, and it seemed that the wing-backs, Jordan Zemura and Adam Smith, roamed forward more often than they did last season.

Again, 90 minutes is a small sample size, but it appeared there was a slight asymmetry to the way Cherries played, with Zemura frequently higher up the pitch than his right-flank counterpart Smith.

Labelling Ryan Christie and Joe Rothwell as out and out wingers would be incorrect, as both clearly had licence to roam more centrally.

This was more apparent during quick counter-attacks, with the ball switched out wide before being fed into either Christie or Rothwell, who made runs into the channels between defenders.

Rothwell’s innate ability to pick up the ball further away from goal before carrying the ball into dangerous areas was on show, and it appears he will suit the transition-based nature of Cherries’ attack.

At times Christie and Rothwell swapped flanks, and at certain points, Solanke also became a part of the rotation, drifting out wide whilst Christie took up a more central role.

Solanke frequently dropped deep last season to receive the ball, so it is not too alien a tactic.

Cherries were sometimes accused of being too structured in their attack last term, meaning the free form nature of their front three is another noticeable change.

By giving his attackers more freedom, Parker appears to be designing a counter-attacking side that can soak up pressure before exploding down the other end of the pitch, having multiple players able to pop up in the right areas.