Bournemouth are defying pre-season expectations with their impressive start to the Premier League season, thanks in large part to Andoni Iraola's aggressive approach. The team's head coach has always emphasized out-of-possession work, and his team's smothering aggression has emerged as an antidote to the pass-heavy football that had dominated the Premier League. With a victory at Manchester City on Sunday, Bournemouth would propel themselves to 21 points, surpassing their best Premier League record after 10 games. Andoni Iraola will have one eye on making history this weekend. The head-to-head makes grim reading, but then again, Bournemouth aren’t often perched in second place. Iraola has this team flying, defying pre-season expectations and rattling English football with his hard-hitting approach. The head coach was written off after a poor start, and the team’s hopes were dismissed after a mini-exodus in the summer. When will we really start to take Iraola and Bournemouth seriously? The Athletic analyses what has made them so tough to beat. Bournemouth's appetite without the ball has not waned, and they are successfully sustaining those intensity levels despite injuries and big losses in the transfer window. Tyler Adams has become a key player, with a series of relentless performances in midfield filling the void left by injuries to Ryan Christie and Lewis Cook. Adams has a huge part to play in Bournemouth’s defensive strategy, and his timing is impeccable. The 26-year-old’s anticipation is a huge asset to the team, and his ability to read the game is allowing Bournemouth to quickly move the ball to their attacking players. While their off-ball approach remains aggressively front-footed, Bournemouth have evolved slightly with the ball at their feet. Their average possession figure is up, nudging over 50 per cent this season, while the number of passes they attempt and their accuracy have risen. More specifically, their rate of completing passing sequences involving at least nine passes has increased from 9.2 to 11.7 per game, suggesting that they are controlling games more easily. Iraola’s teams tended to struggle when leading from the front, but this season they seem to be thriving. Thriving without possession, always looking to win the ball back quickly and catch their opponents off guard. Andoni Iraola's success at Bournemouth has contributed to a league-wide stylistic shift, with Premier League players running harder, faster and farther than ever before. Games are also increasingly decided in moments of transition, swaying towards athletic teams that can win duels, paired with technical ability. Ensuring his teams are fit enough to execute a high press, Iraola has always emphasized the importance of fitness and athleticism. Bournemouth’s high-pressing tactics are allowing them to dominate games and catch their opponents off guard. With their impressive start to the season, Bournemouth are certainly a team to watch in the Premier League. Andoni Iraola's tactics and key players like Tyler Adams are leading the charge, and it will be interesting to see how the rest of the season unfolds for this impressive team.