It was raining goals in the South Coast on Wednesday evening as Bournemouth trounced Chelsea with an emphatic 4-0 victory, producing an impressive second-half display. Striker Josh King notched two goals as Eddie Howe’s side ran rings round Chelsea’s hapless defence.
Chelsea dominated the first half at the Vitality, but collapsed to their heaviest Premier League defeat in 23 years after the break as Bournemouth registered their first home win against Chelsea since 1988. It was another night to forget for Maurizio Sarri’s Blues as they were made to look average on a night where they needed to re-affirm their position in the top 4 after Arsenal’s win over Cardiff and Manchester United dropping points at home to Burnley.
It is now the third away game in a role that Chelsea have failed to find the net and their attacking ploy will be a major worry for Maurizio Sarri with Gonzalo Higuain, Eden Hazard and Pedro all failing to conjure up any threat to Bournemouth’s much improved back-line. Huge credit must go to Eddie Howe on the tweaks and improvements to Bournemouth’s game. No longer are they trying to control the game – leaving gaps within defence and midfield in the process – but Howe has now implemented changes such as Bournemouth now becoming more dangerous on the counter and that was perfectly highlighted against Chelsea.
There were many instances during the match where Chelsea struggled to break through the defence, with much of their passing being played in front of the Bournemouth rearguard, attempting to play through with intricate passing and movement but to no avail – a testament to the way Eddie Howe has adapted his game plan. Josh King, Junior Stanislas, Ryan Fraser and wonderkid – Bournemouth’s breakthrough star this season – David Brooks tore Chelsea’s defence to pieces with their constant movement and pace, it was a joy to watch.
The Welsh international was the one to watch on Wednesday as he put in yet another assured, confident and stylish performance. After the game, Eddie Howe heaped praise on the youngster who was also tasked with man-marking Jorginho:
“It was something we looked at an planned and David did a brilliant job beyond his years with his diligence, and then he showed his class at the other end as well so I’m pleased for him.”
It was a plan that worked to perfection as Jorginho was given the run around by the midfielder. Brooks has had to come up the hard way after being released by Manchester City as a teenager. Now at 21 years of age, he has been a revelation propelling himself as one of the breakout stars of the season.
“Devastation” was how the Welsh youngster described his emotions after being rejected by Manchester City at youth level, aged 17. He had enjoyed a progressive 10 years at the club only to find that they were not going to offer him a professional contract which threw his future in doubt. Four years on, however, he is not just playing at the level he has always strived for – but really excelling at it too.
David Brooks has taken in the demands of the Premier League like a duck to water so far after his summer move from Sheffield United for a fee of £11.5m, adapting seamlessly to the rigours of the competition. Brooks has established himself a vital figure within Eddie Howe’s fluid system at the Vitality so much so that he has started all but two of Bournemouth’s 24 Premier League games. His brilliant and vibrant displays coming off the right-flank in a fluid 4-4-2 formation has reaped many rewards for the club and also for him personally, tallying six league goals and 4 assists in 22 appearances. Brooks has earned himself a reputation as one of the brightest young talents in the Premier League this year making him a shoe-in contender for the Young Player of the Year Accolade at the end of the season.
It makes you wonder what would have been had Manchester City offered him that pro contract back when he was 17, finding himself struggling to break into the first team due to all the talent at their disposal. However, it was Sheffield United that decided to give him the chance he deserved and he has never looked back. In the last few months, Brooks has come up against the likes of Manchester City, United, Arsenal and Chelsea to name a few – games where youngsters freeze, failing to make any impact but that hasn’t fazed Brooks at all, in fact, it has propelled him to that next level. There were times when all of this seemed unimaginable. With all his talent and technical abilities, Brooks was considered too short by some of the clubs he trialled at.
Even Sheffield United had their reservations.
Nick Cox, Sheffield United’s academy manager at the time told Sky Sports:
“He had some obvious qualities that wouldn’t look too different from what you see in him now. Great awareness, good technique, good decision-making, composure on the ball. Those were the things that sprang out straight away. The questions we had were around his physicality. He was two or three years behind in terms of his physical development. His shirt was hanging off him, his shorts were below his knees. Looked like a little boy.”
Despite all of those reservations, Sheffield United decided to take a punt on him anyway, taking on the remainder of his two-year scholarship he had signed with Manchester City. That decision taken by the club was Brook’s breakthrough during a time where he doubted he would get another opportunity.
Cox who is now academy operations manager at Manchester United added:
“David made a brave decision to come to a football club which looked very, vey different to Manchester City. It is a humble, industrial, hard-working, no-nonsense, no frills football club. It offers brilliant development but is a heart-on-sleeve kind of place to be. He always showed a determination to be the best player he could.”
Brooks even had to endure short term loan spells at Halifax where he had his first taste of men’s football in 2015 in the National League. The circumstances at the club didn’t help – the clubs poor form would eventually cost the job of coach Neil Aspin – but with one goal in five appearances, he was sent back to Sheffield United. He was on the verge of being farmed out to Chesterfield at the end of the 2016/17 season, but his impressive displays for England at the Toulon Tournament changed their decision, he would then go on to pledge his allegiance to Wales but when he returned to Sheffield United that summer, it was clear to the club that he was ready to make a name for himself.
David Brooks impressed right from the get-go during the 2017/18 Championship season but it wasn’t until the Steel City derby at Hillsborough against Sheffield Wednesday in September 2017 where he gained the recognition he deserved. Gaining a few wandering eyes from clubs such as Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United but having seen his pathway to stardom blocked by City, he decided to shun those big clubs in favour of Bournemouth and that will probably be the biggest decision in his bright career. Having had his technical abilities nurtured and honed as a boy in City’s academy and at Sheffield United, David Brooks is now showing the benefits of his steady and astute footballing education.
As we saw against Chelsea, there is endless amounts of flair and assurance to his game; when in possession of the ball, his ability to find pockets of space in between midfield and attack – there is also that hunger and intensity. What’s even more impressive of Brooks is his ability to weave his way past defenders and the way he took his goal on Wednesday was a real joy to watch, a gentle reminder of his qualities all stemming from his constant movement and composure. Taking the vital touch of the ball to take it in his stride past David Luiz and carefully and coolly slotting the ball past the Chelsea goalkeeper. A touch of class from a player who has deserved every bit of the plaudits that has come his way so far.
Eddie Howe and Bournemouth have a real bright prospect on their hands. With much of the season still to come, David Brooks will have the opportunity to turn a few more heads as he goes seeking stardom. Potential Premier League Young Player of the Year? You’d be mad to bank against it.
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