Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola has explained his decision to bench new signing Evanilson for their recent match against Aston Villa.
The Brazilian striker, who has been impressive since joining the club, was replaced by Enes Unal in the starting lineup.
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Iraola emphasized the importance of squad depth and the need to adapt to different game situations.
He believes that players should be played on their strengths according to different opposition.
“I’ve said it a lot of times, I don’t only think about the eleven that start the game,” he said.
“I think normally there are more goals scored in the second half than in first half.
“So, it’s very important what we are going to do after 50, 60 minutes.
“We take decisions in different positions with different reasons, how we see them training, how they fit with the matchup with the opposition, the duels they will have, what we will need in certain positions.
“It’s good to have available a lot of players because it gives us these chances to think, okay, we’re going to start with him and then we will have for the second half this, this and this, so we can attack differently.”
Bournemouth are currently dealing with injury concerns to key players Luis Sinisterra and Dango Ouattara.
Their availability for the upcoming match against Manchester City is uncertain.
Despite the potential absences, Iraola is confident that his team can compete against City.
He believes that both Unal and Evanilson are capable of making a significant impact in the match.
