For Sean Dyche’s first top flight game in charge of Nottingham Forest, he returned to the south coast where he had previously lost his final game at the helm for Everton.
Forest did not exactly boast a pleasant record recently against the Cherries to fall back on either, having capitulated in a rare defeat in January as they were hit for five goals with no reply.
After nine league games this season, the two sides now find themselves at opposite ends of the table, with Bournemouth achieving their best start to a Premier League campaign and Forest trapped in the relegation zone.
A calamitous Matz Sels error gifted Marcus Tavernier the opener. The Belgian goalkeeper completely misjudged the trajectory of Tavernier’s in-swinging corner, which went directly into the net.
Eli Junior Kroupi doubled Bournemouth’s lead and this epitomised a dominant display of unparalleled intensity from the hosts, which Forest were simply unable to contain.
The energetic and incessant pressure applied by Andoni Iraola’s instructions pummelled their opponents in the first half, while the shift to a more measured and controlled approach ensured they kept Forest firmly at bay after the interval.
The Tricky Trees gained some of the territory they had been denied, creating some opportunities, but ultimately slumped to defeat and were devoid of attacking vigour.
This left Bournemouth unscathed and the Cherries cruised into second place behind Arsenal once all the other matches had concluded.
18th place and Dyche is tasked with getting Nottingham Forest out of this rut, something he has previously been adept at executing.
Here are four things we learnt from Nottingham Forest’s loss to Bournemouth:
Thursday night hangovers
For all the restored optimism from Thursday night’s Europa League win against Porto, there was little sign of that for the visitors on Sunday.
This was a reality check in regards to the levels they quickly need to climb before they continue to drop precious points given the objectives the club have set.
However, the short turnaround between European football and Premier League matches on a Sunday is a testing adjustment the squad must get to grips with and manage in the correct way.
Nottingham Forest were worlds apart from the intensity Bournemouth showcased in the first half. The difference was stark and Forest were hanging on the ropes, seemingly physically quite drained.
Certainly, the money spent in the summer has bulked up the Forest ranks considerably to facilitate rotation without sacrificing quality or stability.
Ange Postecoglou continuously made alterations to his starting lineup during his eight games as manager to attempt to offset these physical demands or to experiment with his favoured personnel.
Yet, already, Dyche has taken an alternative view on how this team can improve and get points on the board. He made just one change from the victory against Porto, despite the strength in depth Forest have.
Stability in the starting lineup
Although his decision to deploy the exact same starting lineup as the midweek game, with the exception of Nicolo Savona who replaced Oleksandr Zinchenko, did not pay dividends, perhaps Dyche wants partnerships to grow throughout the team without drastic changes.
In his bid to curb the tumultuous times in Nottingham, this could be one strategy he has up his sleeve - seeking to establish a familiar lineup.
This may especially consist of those in the back four and notably Elliot Anderson and Douglas Luiz’s partnership in midfield.
This may not go down well with all the players, but it could be a necessary way of getting back on track, if too many injuries or suspensions also don’t unfold.
Dyche has been given the tools to succeed and the backing from an ambitious owner. This is an advantage he was unable to harness during his spells at Burnley and Everton, as Forest are overflowing with quality players.
It may be too early into his tenure to say, but if this decision is foreshadowing a familiar and set Forest lineup for games to come, would it boost their chances of reversing their woes and dismal form, especially domestically?
Failures in both boxes
The harrowing statistic which circulated once Forest got over the line against Porto was that they earned their first clean sheet in twenty games.
This stretched back to the start of April when eventual Golden Glove winner Matz Sels did indeed keep a clean sheet against Manchester United at the City Ground.
The defeat to Bournemouth still extends their wait for one in the league and much of their recent struggles of leaking goals is attributed to their fragility from set pieces.
It would be fair to pin the blame on the goalkeeper rather than the defenders for Bournemouth's opening goal, but ultimately Forest have shipped seven goals from set plays this season - vastly different to the defensive resolve they were lauded for under Nuno Espirito Santo.
This lack of clean sheets has taken centre stage, but what about the lack of goals?
In the five Premier League games Postecoglou oversaw, Forest only netted one goal, and that came in a 1-1 draw against newly-promoted Burnley.
As it stands, they have scored the least goals (5) in the Premier League, with even Wolves and West Ham United scoring two more than them (7).
The ownership ploughed money into this department before this campaign commenced, striving to slightly change the style, and strengthen the attacking threat to cope with the departure of Anthony Elanga.
The club’s investment into the attack is yielding low returns so far. With Chris Wood still sidelined against Bournemouth and two goals against Porto coming from penalties, is this another issue Dyche needs to add to his list?
Defensive assurance may supersede the restoration of offensive threat and intent, but the majority of his players are geared for attacking football and should be delivering more.
Elliot Anderson has been the brightest spark this season, earning the plaudits of Thomas Tuchel and being called up for England duties with the senior team in two camps.
It is deserved recognition for his remarkable performances with Forest, not simply as their defensive engine but gradually showcasing so much to offer when he has the ball.
But Forest are in decline, and Anderson’s individual performances reflect the bigger picture.
He is by no means dragging them down and he will be an indispensable figure for some time to come.
But, there is something clearly missing from the team collectively if Anderson is unable to find solutions and struggles to find his feet.
At 22-years-old, he is not conventionally a senior face at Nottingham Forest, but he is probably the most pivotal player, who, together with Morgan Gibbs-White, need to spearhead Forest back to winning ways.
The onus lies on them to lift the team and avoid being pulled down with them.
A significant week of sessions on the training ground now follows for Dyche to implement his plans before his men host Manchester United at the City Ground on Saturday.