Andoni Iraola has laid out his plans for Bournemouth after speaking in his first press conference since replacing Gary O’Neil in the dugout. The 41-year-old Spaniard is seen as an exciting up-and-coming manager with the Cherries having tied him down to a two-year contract at Vitality Stadium.
In his first week on the job, Iraola has given an insight into how he will operate on the south coast with a change in playing style, transfers and similarities between his former club Rayo Vallecano all discussed as he addressed the media.
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What Bournemouth Fans Can Expect of Andoni Iraola?
Playing style
The former Spain international explained just how his new Bournemouth side will attempt to play this season, with an emphasis on being “efficient”.
Iraola wants the team to set up with a high press and look to play in the opposition’s half, but conceded that there is a need for flexibility as he prepares to embark on his first campaign in the Premier League.
“We want to be an efficient team, we want to be neither offensive or defensive – we want to be efficient,” Iraola explained to afcb.co.uk in his first press conference since joining the club.
“The teams I’ve coached normally try to play as high as we can up the pitch, we try to have a good offensive volume.
“There will be some times that we get beat or the press gets beat and we have to stay low and defend low in a low block, but we don’t want to be there.
“We are not comfortable with that style, so we will try to be proactive with and without the ball.”
This new approach is one of the reasons the new coach was brought in to replace O’Neil with the club looking to adopt a different style of play as they seek to build upon their survival last season and establish themselves as a competitive Premier League side.
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The shift to a high-pressing team on the front foot will please Cherries fans after scoring just 37 goals in the Premier League last season – the fourth lowest in the division.
Iraola’s understanding of needing to switch to a low block also shows a flexibility in his coaching philosophy in knowing when to take teams on and when to shut up shop. As the man said himself, it is about being “efficient” with and without the ball.
Transfer dealings
Another key point to come out of this press conference was his attitude towards player recruitment. The club have already announced the acquisition of Dutch forward Justin Kluivert and the manager trusts in the club’s recruitment department to bring in the right players to suit his style.
He added: “They have been working for a lot of months and they know the market better than me and know the players much better than me.
“I will help the club and I will give my opinion. I will tell them if I think one player will fit well in our system or not but I don’t think managers should be the ones signing players.”
Iraola was clear that his role is to understand the current crop of players at his disposal and get the best out of the players he has to work with, whilst still being part of the process of bringing new players in.
He continued: “Obviously there will be new signings, but I am not so concerned about the new signings because I have a lot of work to do before and I know the club is working hard.”
Cherries fans will be expecting plenty of new additions to the squad before the start of the new campaign, with several players already starting to attract attention from the Dorset club, including Inter Milan’s Robin Gosens according to calciomercato.
Getting the Best Out of the Underdog
Iraola joined Bournemouth after his contract expired at Spanish side Rayo Vallecano and the two clubs certainly have some similarities. Both sides have small stadiums, both are considered underdogs and touted for relegation each season they grace their respective top flights.
The new Cherries boss seems to relish in being an underdog, however, and went on to explain how it can be to their advantage: “I think that when you start the season, this sense of the underdogs, that we have to gain respect from the league or whoever, it’s pretty similar.
“With the stadiums not being so big or the clubs not having the history some of the other clubs have, but we have to use this to our advantage.
“I’m used to playing like this in Spain with Rayo and even Mirandés; I think it’s good for us.
Bournemouth fans will be looking to their new coach’s body of work at Rayo as an example of where they can expect to finish under the Spaniard’s stewardship.
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Promotion from Spain’s second tier was achieved in his first campaign at the club before two 12th-placed finishes in La Liga, the second of which saw Rayo fall just four points short of a Europa Conference League place.
If the team get anywhere close to the cusp of European football it will be deemed an excellent season all round, but just solidifying the club’s Premier League status – with a positive approach – will keep fans happy and excited for where the 41-year-old can take the team.
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