Marcus Tavernier

Tavernier spent most of his career as a winger or attacking midfielder before Bournemouth pushed him back into a wide defensive role, and rather than dulling his instincts the switch simply moved the starting point of his usual runs. He still gets beyond the last defender and into crossing positions the way he always did, except opponents now have to track a full back doing it rather than a recognised attacker they were already watching. That surprise factor has made him harder to plan against than a conventional left back.

The obvious tension is defending, because a career spent going forward does not automatically produce a player comfortable dealing with a winger running directly at him. Bournemouth have accepted the trade off for the attacking numbers he still produces from an unusual starting position. Whether it survives a run of games against genuinely elite wide forwards is the question that keeps resurfacing.