Andoni Iraola is fighting to keep Bournemouth in the top flight. Photo: Getty Images/Justin Setterfield
Andoni Iraola is happy to address the elephant in the room.
“Gary O'Neill's work was excellent,” he says. “But the change happened because the owners were looking for a different style of play.”
On the surface, the “change” Iraola talks about was particularly cold-blooded, even by Premier League standards. O'Neill, the man who led Bournemouth to Premier League safety, was sacked in June. A few hours later Iraola was appointed. However, the 41-year-old is unfazed by O'Neill's rise in popularity, even though his new side are yet to win in seven Premier League games.
«I'm sure there will be many fans who remember him and would like him to stay at Bournemouth,» the Spaniard told Telegraph Sport. «That's normal and I accept that.»
This is Iraola : outspoken and charming In the Premier League, after a stint at Rayo Vallecano, a long and successful career on the bench now surely beckons.
Except… it doesn't happen.
“I don’t see myself [working] for a long time, no,” he admits. “It's a very personal thing. Balancing this with family life is difficult, especially when you have children. You cannot change places every two years. There will come a time when you will have to prioritize other things. I'm 41 now, I have no idea how long this will last, but I know I won't be here much longer.”
This is a stunning endorsement from a man who has been hailed as one of the brightest young men in European management. But Iraola dances to her own tune.
After all, he was a manager who fell into this profession almost by accident. He never had serious plans to become a coach until two years playing under Patrick Vieira in New York lit a fire in him. “Patrick gave me a new perspective on the game because he came from Manchester City school,” he wrote in The Coaches Voice in February. Now he is known for his ambitious, attacking and attacking football.
There is one problem, however. It's very good to play like Manchester City when you have the best players in the world at your disposal. But Bournemouth operates in a different area.
Bournemouth have not won a single victory in their first seven matches. Photo: Shutterstock/Vince Mignott
Iraola is realistic enough to understand that fixed dogmas about how to play are not the path to success, even if his job description included changing his style to match the tactics of the best teams.
“I may have a style or an idea that I identify with, but football belongs to the players and you have to play to their strengths,” he insists. “To do this, you will have to change the original plan, and we must do it.”
Oh yes, players. While initial skepticism from O'Neill's supporters was obvious, what about his former charges, who just weeks ago managed to survive in the Premier League? No matter how professional the playing roster is, there can always be a problem with changing the team's style.
“I explained my principles to them and they took it well,” he says. “Bournemouth has an exceptional work culture. They were used to obeying and did everything we asked of them. Perhaps the type of training has changed them compared to last season. They have to think more when making decisions in games. We try to explain to them why they do what they do. This knowledge will make us better.”
“If the results don’t come, it will be my fault.”
A special mention goes to Ryan Christie, “the most tactically intuitive player on my team.” He always knows what's going on,” but Iraola is open about what will happen if his ideas don't catch on soon.
“We haven't won a game in the league yet, but I'm happy club, I feel the support, I feel the affection of everyone,” says Iraola, before pausing: “[But] if the results don’t come, it will be my fault.”
A former defender who played more than 500 times for Athletic Bilbao, he is part of the new Basque team, a management team hailing from a small region in northern Spain. Iraola comes from the town of Usurbil, close to where Mikel Arteta and Unai Emery grew up. Other notable locals include Txiki Begiristain and Juanma Lillo (Manchester City director of football and assistant coach), Julen Lopetegui (former Wolverhampton manager) and Xabi Alonso (former Liverpool midfielder who now manages Bayer Leverkusen).
And yet, amid the spread of ideas in this independent-minded corner of Spain, there is a backlash.
“Medical services set limits on body fat,” says Iraola, laying out more the subtle details of his faith. “And there are small fines for overweight players.”
Few break the rules. «We hardly sweat because the players know how to behave and take care of themselves.
«That money at the end of the day is for them to have a group dinner or something like that.»
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