When I look back at the 2019-20 season, one player who really found it hard to find any level of consistency was Arnaut Danjuma. He was an important signing for Eddie Howe, one of the last he made as Bournemouth manager and yet he didn't become a regular in the first team until the last few games of last season, and even then he had some indifferent performances. So what has changed in his game since then?
Bringing the best out of Danjuma who had been having a hard time at the club has probably helped other players too. They can see that for Danjuma things are working and if he can improve, others will be thinking they can do the same. Danjuma is only thinking positively now and probably wondering how good he really can be in the Championship. I like to think of him not as a winger, but as a player who can cause chaos in the opposition by cutting inside and either striking or setting up other runners. He seems to have more idea now of when he needs to find runs that unlock defences and his team-mates are looking for him to make those runs.
When Danjuma is facing his own goal and wondering how he can offload the ball, he is not being effective. Being under pressure in an area of the field he doesn't want to be is not making the most of his abilities. But when he is released to only look forward and try and create the space in which to have a clear sight of goal, he comes to life. There are others in the side who can fill in behind Danjuma when he goes to attack, and Bournemouth seem to be playing to Danjuma's strengths now rather than forcing him into doing things that don't come naturally to him. Sometimes simple messages are the best for players and in Danjuma's case you just want to see him scare defences, because that is what he is good at.
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