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Cherries on top: the Iraola effect at Bournemouth
Cherries on top: the Iraola effect at Bournemouth Premium
After securing its highest position — ninth — and biggest points tally — 56 — in Premier League history last season, Bournemouth appeared to pay the price for overperformance.
Its players attracted the attention of Europe's heavy-hitters, and the club lost almost its entire first-choice back-line — centre-backs Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid) and Illia Zabarnyi (PSG), left-back Milos Kerkez (Liverpool) and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga (Arsenal) — in the summer. The reasonable expectation was that the Cherries would struggle this season.
And yet, ahead of Sunday's trip to Manchester City, Bournemouth (18 points) sits in second place after nine rounds of fixtures. With five wins, three draws and one defeat, it has two more points than City and three more points than Liverpool.
This unexpectedly good start is impressive in itself. But when seen in the context of the odds Bournemouth is up against, its standing is extraordinary.
In football, there is a strong correlation between a club's league position and the amount it spends on player wages. The top teams recruit the best players, who demand high salaries. So, the larger a club's wage expenditure, relative to the others, the more likely it places high on the table. Bournemouth, as per several sources, is in the bottom five of the Premier League, in terms of player wages. But it is in the top two on the table, punching well above its weight.
Manager Andoni Iraola deserves huge credit for Bournemouth's success.
Last season, he proved he can produce results in the most adverse conditions. When the club sold striker Dominic Solanke to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2024, it didn't merely lose its top-scorer; it lost the contributor to 35% of its league goals in 2023-24, the highest percentage in England's top-flight that season.
In addition to Solanke's absence, Iraola also had to contend with a serious injury crisis in 2024-25. And still he very nearly secured Bournemouth a spot in Europe. Moreover, he did it in some style. Last season, his side registered statement wins over City, Arsenal and Manchester United, mauled Newcastle at St. James' Park, one of the toughest places to travel to, and caused champion Liverpool all sorts of problems.
So perhaps it isn't all that surprising that Bournemouth has started this season so well. The manager's methods, the club's acumen in buying the profiles that fit his needs, and his success at integrating new players, bringing them up to speed with his system, have worked a treat.
Showing the way: Andoni Iraola has proven that he can produce results in the most adverse conditions. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Evanilson, signed from Porto as Solanke's replacement, returned an impressive 10 goals last term before injury cut his season short. This season, 19-year-old striker Eli Junior Kroupi, who played for Lorient in the French second division in 2024-25, has already scored four times in six Premier League appearances.
As for the back-line, replacements Adrien Truffert (left-back), Bafode Diakite (centre-back) and Djordje Petrovic (goalkeeper) have transitioned seamlessly from Ligue 1 to the Premier League.
Asked about having to deal with so much churn in the squad, Iraola said: “I think we have obviously the disadvantage that we have a lot of new players, especially a lot of new young players, that have to adapt to the rhythm of the Premier League. But also we have a big advantage in that we have a lot of players that have been with us for two seasons.
“Those players help us a lot to integrate new ones. Sometimes they are the first ones to correct [tactical mistakes of new players], even live during exercises and training, because they've been there before and they know the normal struggles when you start. This is a big advantage. So I think this is sustaining us in moments where we need clarity on the pitch.”
Much like Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta — his teammates at Basque club Antiguoko when they were boys — Iraola, too, has a reputation for being a cutting-edge tactician. City manager Pep Guardiola, one of the most influential minds in the game's history, picked out Bournemouth as a team that plays “modern football”.
Iraola's influences include former Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde and Marcelo Bielsa, a messianic figure credited with shifting the paradigm of football coaching. He also draws from his experiences as a player in America, where he studied the tactics in the NBA and NFL. But his approach is uniquely his own: a disruptive, hard-running, high-pressing, direct style.
Iraola's Bournemouth adapts the orientation of its press to the opposition's methods, looking to win the ball high up. From there, the side shifts play as swiftly and directly as possible. Perhaps nobody embodies this style better than star winger Antoine Semenyo, who works incredibly hard off the ball and is a driving menace on it.
“This is something we can't lose, it's part of our identity,” said Iraola. “We like to prioritise this type of volume in our runs. Most of the games we win are the more open ones, where there are more chances, where we can exploit one-on-one situations on the outside and find wider spaces, because attacking small spaces is probably not our strong suit.”
Training-ground guru: Bournemouth's acumen in buying the profiles that fit Iraola's needs and the manager's success at bringing new players up to speed have worked a treat. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
The Bournemouth ownership merits praise for hiring Iraola in 2023 and backing him through a string of poor results. He had shown glimpses of his potential at Rayo Vallecano, earning the team promotion to LaLiga and getting the better of Real Madrid and Barcelona, but his top-flight experience as a young manager was limited. The Bournemouth ownership took a long-term view, which includes modernising the club's facilities, and it is paying off spectacularly.
Even as the south coast English club pursues further progress, it faces a challenge keeping hold of its transformational manager. Iraola's contract is up next summer and has been linked with bigger clubs, including Manchester United, in recent months. But the 43-year-old Spaniard insists that there will be plenty of time to negotiate his contract; his focus is on the season.
“It's unbelievable the start, but it's just the start,” he said. “This season, the differences between teams are so small. It's going to be difficult for us to earn more points, but we have to try. The standings are almost an anecdote, it is not significant. I value how we are competing in every game and are efficient, but it is too early.
“I'm very happy how the new players have understood the collective purpose of everything that we are doing. I think, even not just on the pitch, off the pitch, they understood well how we want to train, how we want to live together. There are going to be mistakes from those players, from the other players. There are going to be ups and downs and this is still a work in progress.
“Every week presents a new game to relish, and I believe this is the mindset we should adopt.”
Published - November 01, 2025 01:49 am IST
Weekend Sport / Football / soccer
Source: TheHindu
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