Andoni Iraola: The 'obsessive' coach guiding Bournemouth to Europe
2025-01-26
Category: sports

Andoni Iraola is obsessive about a European tour - and this is exactly what Bournemouth's supporters were singing about as they floated out of The Vitality Stadium into the bracing south coast air.Iraola has inherited the Basque love of cycling, so much so that as he prepared his Bournemouth players in his first pre-season at their Marbella training headquarters, he requested club staff tune the big screen into the Tour de France.Foreign climes will be in his sights again soon if Bournemouth maintain the blistering form that saw Nottingham Forest, flying high at third place in the Premier League before this game, blown away 5-0 in the sort of blizzard of attacking football that has become Iraola's trademark.Iraola's name echoed around this compact arena as Bournemouth extended a club-record unbeaten run to 11 Premier League games, the second half turning into a masterclass that left Forest's rearguard a shambles.Iraola's transformation of Bournemouth is a work of contrasts - the relaxed, calm appoachable presence around the club's training ground turning into a fiery, intense personality in his technical areas that has already earned him a touchline ban this season.It has resulted in Bournemouth adding Forest to a list of victims that include Arsenal and Manchester City at home, as well as Manchester United and Newcastle United away.Iraola's meticulous training ground work marks him out as one of the league's outstanding young coaches, someone who has shown a liking for taking so-called underdogs into the arena where they trouble the big names.He took Cypriot side AEK Larnaca into the Europa League group stage for only the second time, Spanish minnows Mirandes to safety from the lower reaches of the second division and the Copa del Rey semi-final, before establishing Rayo Vallecano in La Liga after promotion, beating Barcelona along the way.
Iraola, modest and smiling, is now assuming hero status at Bournemouth. No wonder, when fans can watch football of this quality, with Dango Ouatarra scoring a hat-trick, Justin Kluivert following up his hat-trick at Newcastle United with his 11th goal of the season and Antoine Semenyo showing his quality and threat with the fifth.Those around the club marvel at Iraola's relaxed manner before games, happy to chat to staff in his office 20 minutes before kick-off while warm-ups continue on the pitch. His love of an online game called 'Football Bingo' is used as a relaxing break from analysis sessions with his backroom team during the week.Iraola is hooked on the football trivia questions involved, also satisfying his competitive edge that has even seen leaderboards being compiled for the game.And away from the training ground, cycling is another form of relaxation, although the Dorset hills do not present the sort of challenges that keep him glued to Le Tour.It is on the training ground where he flourishes, working alongside two former Bournemouth stalwarts in Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper. He brought compatriot Pablo de la Torre with him when he was appointed but did not follow the usual pattern of an influx of staff, even after his plan to appoint Inigo Perez, now coach at Rayo Vallecano, was denied by work permit issues.Iraola took 10 games to get his first league win but external speculation was never mirrored within the club. Those inside accepted he had been given a tough start,  with games against sides including Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Arsenal in that opening period.Those at Bournemouth saw enough to justify their faith in the man who, to the surprise of many, replaced the sacked Gary O'Neil.This mauling of Forest was everything Iraola's Bournemouth are about, the ball being transferred swiftly into attacking possession, happy to use long balls, before their potent attackers â even without injured Â£40m record signing Evanilson and others on a lengthy injury list â do their work.Iraola's side are keen to get into the opponents' half quickly and then, relying on the possession they have or pinching the ball through fierce pressing, create danger.Bournemouth lost Dominic Solanke to Tottenham in the summer but we have barely seen the join. The transition has been seamless.Former sporting director Richard Hughes, now at Liverpool, is still given much credit for his work, while former Bournemouth captain Simon Francis, his assistant for four years, has moved into the role with success.The smart recruitment is exemplified by central defenders Illia Zabarnyi, signed from Dynamo Kyiv for Â£24m in January 2023, plus Spanish under-21 teenager Dean Huijsen, brought in from Juventus for Â£12.8m last summer.Bournemouth have not lost since they came together 11 games ago, cutting an unlikely and unconventional pair, as both play with their socks rolled down. They have created a formidable barrier.Hat-trick hero Ouatarra, 22, cost Â£20m from Lorient in January 2023 while Kluivert now looks a bargain after his Â£9.6 move from AS Roma in June 2023.Hungary left-back Milos Kerkez, outstanding again against Forest, is already hot property after arriving from AZ Alkmaar in July 2023.Iraola wants his players to be tactically smart and physically at their peak â and this was all on show as they simply carried too much for Nuno Espirito Santo's side.He prides himself on every player knowing his role, having unity of thought and purpose, perhaps best proved when Ryan Christie replaced Marcus Tavernier in the 2-0 win over Arsenal in October, instinctively taking his team-mate's place in an intricate training ground routine at a free-kick that brought the substitute the opening goal, There was much to the delight on the pitch and backstage among those who designed the ploy.Iraola was playing down talk of Europe but if Bournemouth can perform like this and get a result against Premier League leaders Liverpool at The Vitality Stadium in seven days' time, his status will rise even further and those joyous supporters will be getting the travel brochures out.