Every word from Andoni Iraola’s first Cherries press conference

Here is every word of what he said…

Q: How did the club approach you and what was the initial thought process when you got the approach from the club?

A: For me, it was quite the opportunity because the Premier League is the best league in the world. Also, I liked a lot of things about the club.

We knew the club, I always talk about set-pieces, and we were familiar with some of those, we used some plays that were the same as Bournemouth. It was the first thing that came to my mind when I was approached.

Now that I know the club a little bit more, now that I’ve seen new faces and new people, I’m sure it was the right choice for me.

I hope I can be at the level but I’m really grateful. The welcome for me has been very, very nice.

Q: Have you ever had any connection to the club before, known any previous head coaches or watched Bournemouth play?

A: I have watched the games before.

I didn’t really have any relationship before, we know Eddie Howe, he was in Madrid visiting us.

Obviously, now we also talk with Jason Tindall, and we had talked previously about Bournemouth.

Q: You used to play with Mikel Arteta, have you spoken to him about the Bournemouth job and is there anyone else you’ve spoken to about the Premier League?

A: I know Mikel, we played together probably when we were nine or ten years old.

It’s true that we have kind of lost the relationship, but we know that once we meet, we’re going to give a hug and we can talk about a lot of things.

We haven’t maintained the relationship; I could call him right now but we don’t talk every single week.

I know other players and coaches from other clubs, and everyone is talking very positively about Bournemouth and the Premier League.

In my first days here, I’ve found everything easy for the coaches because the club makes our work very easy. 

Now we have to do our job and do the correct things to get results.

Q: What can you tell Bournemouth fans about your philosophy and style of football?

A: We want to be an efficient team. We want to be neither offensive or defensive, we want to be efficient.

The teams I’ve coached normally try to play as high as we can up the pitch, we try to have a good offensive volume.

There will be sometimes that we get beat or the press gets beat and we have to stay low and defend low in a low block, but we don’t want to be there.

We are not comfortable with that style, so we will try to be proactive with and without the ball.

Q: Have you spoken to the board about what you would like to do in the transfer window?

A: For me, it’s important that we understand the way the team is going to play and what we need from the players in each position. I’m pretty sure that’s understood, and the board are doing their best.

They have been working for a lot of months and they know the market much better than me and they know the players much better than me.

I will help the club and I will give my opinion. I will tell them if I think one player will fit well in our system or not, but I don’t think managers should be the ones signing the players.

Q: Is there a budget or a number of players?

A: No. Truly, I’m much more focussed on knowing the players we have, we have to know the ones we already have.

We have them training and we need to know where they can play in our system and which positions they can occupy to perform.

Obviously, there will be new signings, but I’m not so concerned about the new signings because I have a lot of work to do before and I know the club is working on it.

Q: Have you had the opportunity to have discussions with Bill Foley and build that relationship?

A: Bill is an owner that is willing to improve everything at the club, we can see that from the first day with new facilities and thinking about a new stadium.

Also, he’s thinking about how he can help Bournemouth and everyone at the club more, that’s the players and the staff – it’s very good.

He has sporting culture and has been successful this season with the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

He wants the best for AFC Bournemouth, and we will try to help him.

Q: What is the target for this first season?

A: I don’t believe too much in long-term goals. I am more focussed on playing West Ham and getting prepared, and then playing at Anfield and getting prepared.

In the end, we have to be realistic. It’s true that the main goal will probably be to have next season in the Premier League again, but I am much more concerned with how we’re going to do it, how we’re going to play, how we’re going to improve the team.

We’ll take it game by game and stay prepared. If you don’t start the season well the goal will be to stay up, but you start well and you start to think about other goals.

I think it is much more logical to think game by game.

Q: Some people described your Rayo Vallecano team as “chaos but fun,” is that a fair description?

A: I think that I don’t like the games to be too controlled, I prefer some kind of, even if we are not so clinical or sharp, we try to attack as soon as we can.

We open the game and we have a good volume of crosses and chances, even if sometimes when you want to play high you will suffer at the back.

We have to be ready, we have good defenders here and we have to stay compact, even if we are high.

But I don’t want to use those words you talk about!

Q: What is the one attribute above all others that you need from your players?

A: We need commitment especially. The way we want to play, we need everyone involved. We need everyone involved offensively and defensively.

That’s one of the players that I like about the players we have. The forward players from the past season, they were all really committed.

They didn’t give up; they weren’t one fewer without the ball. We want to maintain that because, if we start from there and if everyone is committed, we can survive better.

The idea is to be more collective. Each player has his individual things to do, but they need to think about what they do for the team that makes their teammates better, and how they can help the team.

That’s what I want the players to think.

Q: Have you spoken to Eddie Howe about the club?

A: Everyone here talks about Eddie, that’s a sign that he did very good things here in Bournemouth.

I’m happy that he’s been very successful now in Newcastle, but every coach has his own ideas.

There are some things that we should maintain from previous managers and some things that should be done our way.

Q: When you first arrived, did you see similarities with Rayo Vallecano?

A: I think that when you start the season, this sense of the underdogs, that we have to gain respect from the league or whoever, it’s pretty similar.

With the stadiums not being so big or the clubs not having the history some of the other clubs have, but we have to use this to our advantage.

I’m used to playing like this in Spain with Rayo and even Mirandés; I think it’s good for us.

Q: Several managers come from the same small area of Spain as you, what do you think it is about there that produces great managers?

A: I don’t know, it’s something strange because it’s not a big area!

It’s really nice, I’ve coached against Unai Emery and Julen Lopetegui, I haven’t coached against Mikel Arteta. I didn’t even play against him because he spent almost all of his career in England.

It will be good for me to see some familiar faces and the level as coaches is top, it’s very high, I could say the same for the other coaches in the Premier League

For me, as a coach, it’s a really big challenge.

Q: Is what Unai’s done at Aston Villa an inspiration that you now want to follow?

A: I think I’m not there, I’m not at his level because he has shown a lot of things before.  

For me, he’s someone who has been really successful almost everywhere.  

He’s a very, very good coach, with set-pieces, with the ball, without the ball and how they prepare for the games tactically.

It’s something logical for me that he’s been so good with Aston Villa.

Q: Does Justin Kluivert’s signing show that Bournemouth can attract some of Europe’s top players?

A: Of course. I think Bournemouth is a very attractive club for players.

That’s the ones that play for other clubs in Europe and for the ones that play for other clubs in England.

We have to choose well and select where we need players and what kind of players we need but for sure, it’s an attractive club for the players.