Sport
The rise of Andoni Iraola
When Bournemouth were beaten 9-0 by Liverpool at Anfield in the Autumn of 2022, just weeks into their Premier League return, they were almost wholly dismissed as a serious top flight outfit.
That game forced Scott Parker’s hand; the manager had felt frustration bubbling over a summer of what he perceived a lack of backing in the transfer market. He decided to walk away, publicly declaring he felt the Cherries were not given a full and fair crack of the Premier League whip. When Gary O’Neil stepped in to replace him and kept them up fairly comfortably that season, he was proven badly wrong.
But that wasn’t enough for O’Neil. He was sacked in the following summer and replaced by Andoni Iraola. The usual outrage met the announcement, as Bournemouth’s American owners made clear their ambitions, and that O’Neil wasn’t the right man to fulfill them. A young, British coach losing their job with perceived injustice will always be a hotbed for feisty debate, and when O’Neil took the Wolves job weeks later, some media battle lines were drawn.
Iraola arrived with a strong reputation as a player with Athletic Club in Spain. He’d spent time under Marcelo Bielsa at San Mamés, and that had more than fed into his football education and ideology. He’d given Rayo Vallecano, a small Madrid-based club, a new lease of life in La Liga, and it was no shock to see Leeds United, still reeling from Bielsa’s exit, make the first move to appoint him in February 2023. The approach was blocked and Iraola was keen to finish what he started at Rayo.
Leeds’ loss was Bournemouth’s gain, but not immediately. His start was poor and those baying for blood after O’Neil was ousted were almost gleeful in their
response. It took time for him to get his message across, winning his first game against Burnley at the tenth time of asking. From then, his side only improved, again staying up comfortably, finishing 12th, with a number of hugely impressive results, most notably a 3-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Just a few years earlier, before relegation in 2020, Bournemouth were seen as a model club. Eddie Howe had driven them from League 2 to the Premier League inside a decade, all by playing an attractive, attacking style of football. Establishing themselves in the right way has always been paramount, and they have been vindicated in their bravery by hiring Iraola, who is showing himself to be one of the most thoughtful and impactful coaches in Europe.
There is a calmness and staunch belief that radiates from Iraola, but never any sort of ego or arrogance. In the summer, when Dominic Solanke, who’s 19 goals were a huge contributor to Bournemouth’s success last season, was sold to Tottenham for £65m, there was no panic. Evanilson arrived from FC Porto, and although the goals are yet to start flowing, he has looked the part.
If people hadn’t sat up and taken notice of Bournemouth after their win over Arsenal in October, they certainly will have after Saturday’s first ever win over Manchester City. On the rare occasions that City do lose, it is usually a result of the opposition unsettling them, pressing them and chasing them. It takes bravery, quality and faith in a well structured and detailed plan. Step forward Iraola.
After the game, speaking to Match of the Day, Iraola drew parallels with beating Real Madrid while Rayo boss.
“It’s kind of similar,” he said. “When you beat Real Madrid, it’s kind of similar. You know you have to be at your best level and wait for them to not have their best day.
“We had to feel the pressure and it was tight at the end.
“I’m very pleased, one thing is to beat City but another is to play better. We played with no fear, tried to press when we could and defend when we had to.
“It was dangerous in the last 10 minutes. You don’t enjoy that at all. There was so much pressure.”
There has been lots of talk of the next generation of great coaches with the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Bayern Munich opting for younger men with points to prove rather than a strong track record.
Iraola hasn’t been in many of those big conversions, but with Bournemouth sitting ninth having organically grown in his image, that may soon change.
