Following up on my Shaqiri post( http://www.fantasyfootballscout.co.uk/2015/08/23/the-scoreboard-gameweek-3-sunday-2/?hc_page=4#hc_comment_11039319 ) I thought i'd do a little something on Bournemouth's £7m(he's £6m in FPL) import Max Gradel.

Phase 1: 0 minutes ➡ 50 minutes playing as a left midfielder.

- His initial positioning is always primed for giving his side and himself the best chance of breaking down the opposition(as you'd expect) and this is an integral aspect in Eddie Howe's possession based philosophy.

Very much like Shaqiri, he drifts very wide to stretch the pitch when Bournemouth attack down the opposition flank, allowing for 1-on-1's should the ball come his way. His position when attacks occur down the left depend upon the onrushing Daniels but are also heavily based around what King & Wilson are doing. As a result of this, a lot of interchanging can occur, which leaves King/Gradel/Wilson occupying one another's position(more of this as an advantage in phase 2), as well as one of Daniels/Gradel hugging the touchline.

- While Bournemouth were in stagnant possession, his movement was a little lazy off the ball, maybe dropping deep once or twice but otherwise maintaining a position parallel to the opposing full-back. However, when given the ball, Gradel's instinct was to move infield onto his stronger right foot, either through one-two's or directly running with the ball. This caused West Ham, and Jenkinson in particular, issues given that Luke Daniels' overlapping runs were often unaccounted for due to the lack of a backtracking winger(this was also the case with Francis down the Bournemouth right). Gradel's pace and superior technical ability in 1-on-1's really didn't help the matter for Jenkinson, but West Ham successfully packed the centre to prevent Gradel/Ritchie shooting opportunities coming in from their respective flanks.

I'd expect this to change if opposing sides play a winger to counteract the quantitative advantage the Cherries had over West Ham down the flanks. So this may play into Gradel's hands, with more space inside.

- It's also worth noting that Gradel took up numerous good positions inside the penalty area for cut backs when Francis/Ritchie hit the byline on the right, or Bournemouth played more direct and broke on the counter attack. Although only one cutback actually reached him(he forced Randolph into a save but really should've scored), signs are good on this part from my perspective.

Phase 2: 50 minutes ➡ 85 minutes plays as the #10.

Following Josh King's injury, Gradel occupied the #10 role for 35 minutes with substitute Marc Pugh operating on the left.

- From the #10 position, Gradel was able to use his spatial awareness to receive the ball in pockets of space in front of the back four. There is one example of him turning his man in midfield before driving on towards goal and shooting from 20-25 yards which went just wide of the post. On other occasions, he either lays the ball wide to Pugh(for his goal)/Ritchie or attempts to breach the backline via Wilson. The 'hub' of the team, the emphasis is on him to make a difference from this position, more so than when on the left.

- Himself and Wilson often stretched the backline with one making a run down the channel(due to Jenkinson & Cresswell taking up high attacking positions) and the other dropping deep. His starting position at times is often in line or even beyond Wilson and can be advantageous when Bournemouth elect to play slightly more direct, as they did during the second half as many 2 vs 2/3's occur.

- To give a true representation of the pure speed, determination and footballing nous of the Ivorian, the way he wins the penalty for Wilson's hat-trick is the epitome of all three. Starting from his own box, he beats the dormant Jenkinson(who starts out at the half-way line) to a long clearance down the left flank. He touches it down the line, comes inside and wins the penalty.

From the #10 position, I really fancy Gradel as a fantasy asset, more so than as a left winger, although he will still be effective there. The positions he takes up and the application of his positioning, movement and personal attributes can be maximised from an FPL perspective by him operating in tandem with Luke Wilson. I'd wait and see whether he can secure that spot long term before investing.

Also, on a slight tangent, Daniels/Francis really thrive in this system from an attacking perspective, get Francis in particular while you can!