If Marcelo Bielsa is to take over the reins at Bournemouth, he will inherit a player in Marcus Tavernier few in the Premier League can rival on present form. Even before Everton surrendered to a second meek collapse in a matter of days, the former Middlesbrough midfielder was already terrorising Vitalii Mykolenko.The right flank was a constant outlet before a two-goal lead was established inside 25 minutes. Tavernier already looks well-suited to Bielsa’s infamous murderball.The 23-year-old enjoyed a slice of good fortune in capitalising on Jordan Pickford’s error but he was alert to the loose ball, duly becoming the first ever Bournemouth player to both score and assist in back-to-back Premier League appearances.
Bournemouth interim boss Gary O’Neil said: “He’s been incredible. He’s got so much energy and he’s done loads of work on adding quality to the end of it. You’re now seeing improvements. I’m delighted for Tav as he’s a great lad and he’ll do whatever you ask him to do. I’m just pleased he’s now getting the reward for his hard work.”
O’Neil has done a superb job to stabilise Bournemouth after Scott Parker was sacked following the 9-0 defeat to Liverpool in August. If this is to prove his swansong, he saved his best performance until last.
The talk is that Bielsa is the external favourite to take over permanently at the Vitality Stadium – something O’Neil was at pains not to disclose despite praising the Argentine’s managerial capabilities.
Tavernier was the marquee summer signing when he arrived for £12.5m but it is proving to be a very shrewd piece of business that prospective new owner Bill Foley will certainly acknowledge as he seeks to enhance the club’s global appeal with a high-profile appointment.
What awaits O’Neil next remains uncertain, but his ability to coach the best out of Tavernier – and a group dismissed as not good enough by Parker – means he should not be short of options.
this article is originally published at SkySports.com
