Sport
Iraola emerging as the Premier League’s next great manager
Bournemouth were merely concerned with staying in the Premier League when they appointed Andoni Iraola two years ago. The season before his arrival at the Vitality Stadium, the Cherries finished 15th. Now, they are chasing European football and could even be in the mix for Champions League qualification.
Saturday’s 5-0 demolition of Nottingham Forest was Bournemouth’s biggest statement result since the last one a week earlier, when they thumped Newcastle United 4-1 at St James’ Park. Iraola’s team are now unbeaten in their last 11 league games and are just one point off the top four. They are a formidable outfit at this moment in time.
Iraola is emerging as the Premier League’s next great manager. He has taken a club with one of the smallest budgets in the division and turned them into a modern and exciting team that has proven their quality against the strongest opponents this season. Indeed, Bournemouth have beaten Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.
This weekend, the Cherries will have the opportunity to take down Liverpool as well. The way Bournemouth are playing, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Arne Slot’s table-toppers became the latest side to be humbled on the south coast. Liverpool won’t have faced many trickier tests than the one Bournemouth will pose on Saturday.
Against Forest, the full capacity of Bournemouth’s attack was on display. Dango Ouattara scored a hat trick despite only filling in for the injured Evanilson in the centre forward position while Justin Kluivert continued his impressive scoring form after also netting a hat trick in the away victory over Newcastle.
Under Iraola, Bournemouth have become one of the most dynamic teams in the Premier League. They are capable of controlling matches through their use of possession. However, they are also comfortable sitting back, staying compact and hitting out on the counter – this is what they did to great effect at St James’ Park.
In Tyler Adams, Bournemouth boast one of the most effective midfield anchors in the entire division. The USA international has missed much of the last two seasons through injury, but is now fit again and is demonstrating why the Cherries were so keen to land him after suffering relegation with Leeds United.
Iraola has been helped by a recruitment department that has delivered the likes of Adams, Evanilson, Dean Huijsen and others to him. The former Rayo Vallecano boss has a talented squad on the south coast, but Iraola is the one who has pulled everything together with his coaching ability.
In some ways, what Iraola has done with Bournemouth is more impressive than what Nuno Espirito Santo has done with Nottingham Forest even if the latter currently occupy the higher place in the Premier League table. Forest are good at what they do, but only have one way of playing. Bournemouth, on the other hand, have several different approaches.
Softly spoken and introverted, Iraola isn’t the most imposing of characters in the media, but he has made a profound impact on his players on the training pitch. At a time when some of the biggest clubs in the Premier League (see Manchester United and Tottenham) are struggling, one wonders how long it will be before Iraola has a decision to make on his future.
For the time being, though, Iraola is pushing Bournemouth higher and higher up the Premier League table. The sound of the iconic Champions League anthem at the Vitality Stadium next season would be yet another indication of the incredible job being done by a manager destined for even bigger and better things.
