'Injury-ravaged' Cherries will welcome Toth impetus
- Published
"I like to play with the ball at my feet… I'm energetic, I run everywhere."
That was how Alex Toth described his own style of play after signing for Bournemouth from Ferencvaros on Tuesday, which will be music to boss Andoni Iraola's ears as he seeks new blood for his injury-ravaged squad.
Four more Cherries players have joined the lengthening list of walking wounded, with David Brooks, Julio Soler and Enes Unal all missing Monday's 1-1 draw at Brighton after starting the draining FA Cup epic at Newcastle the previous weekend – while Marcus Tavernier came off against the Seagulls with a hamstring problem that looks likely to keep him out for a spell.
That quartet join Ben Gannon-Doak, Tyler Adams, Justin Kluivert and Will Dennis in the treatment room.
Iraola had to name four development squad players, with a total of two Premier League appearances (both 89th-minute substitute cameos) between them, on the bench at Brighton and the situation does not look like improving before the Cherries host Liverpool on Saturday, unless more new signings can follow Hungary midfielder Toth through the front door before then.
While an entertaining, high-energy pressing style has been a hallmark of Iraola's Cherries, its physical demands also take a toll on players.
"They do need help," ex-Bournemouth midfielder Joe Partington told BBC Radio Solent's Cherries Unpicked podcast after the Brighton game.
"They were completely out on their feet. Those players weren't wasting time, it wasn't like when we saw Arsenal walking to [take] corners a couple of weeks ago.
"They were cramping up, and [the numbers] look even lighter than they were before the game, which is concerning."
Iraola's post-match comments also suggested that while players in general might usually be wary of new signings who could challenge them for their place, his beleaguered squad had accepted that reinforcements were needed.
Willingness to "run everywhere", as Toth put it, would seem to be the key.
