Iraola makes players recite his game plan — and it’s working!
THE league leaders are coming to town tomorrow but Bournemouth will not fear Liverpool, because they feel like they have cracked a winning combination. Theirs has been a remarkable run. Seven wins in 10. Three clean sheets in five. It has taken Bournemouth to 12th and it is Andoni Iraola’s tactical approach which has inspired this turnaround. He joined English football with a glittering reputation from Spain, where he took Rayo Vallecano into La Liga and kept them there with a plan to press high. Across the 2022-23 season, only Bayern Munich forced more high turnovers that led to shots than Iraola’s team in Europe’s big five leagues. It takes time to implement a new philosophy and Iraola even tested Bournemouth’s players on their knowledge of the tactics early on. He had them stand up in front of the room and recite his game plan to the group, in a bid to see if they understood his instructions. Bournemouth did not win any of their opening nine Premier League games as the players struggled with its complexities and Iraola was under pressure. But since beating Burnley, Bournemouth have not looked back. With a 4-2-3-1 formation, they are set up to press high, knowing most opponents will play out from the back. Dominic Solanke leads that charge and tomorrow will be huge for him after being let go by Liverpool. He is the leading English scorer in the Premier League and will want to show his former employers he was good enough for them, after all. He is irreplaceable in Bournemouth’s attack. Everyone else must fight for their place but Iraola wants grafters on his wings, with Luis Sinisterra and Marcus Tavernier used in their last Premier League outing at Tottenham. Justin Kluivert was at No 10 and pushed up to join Solanke in the press, supported from behind by a midfield pairing of Lewis Cook and Ryan Christie. There is real competition for places but I believe the talented Alex Scott needs to start. With his socks hanging low like Jack Grealish, Scott is a terrific technician and Iraola has been desperate to get him back to full fitness after his injury issues. Scott showed his class in Bournemouth’s last Premier League win over Fulham with the way he dropped the shoulder, used a step-over to breeze by two opponents, drove into the box and had the calmness to push the ball into the path of Kluivert to open the scoring. He will be itching to showcase his talents against Liverpool. When I played under Graham Taylor at Aston Villa, the plan was to kick the ball into touch straight from kick-off. Andy Gray would give away a throw-in as close to their corner flag as possible. Taylor’s thinking was it immediately put our opponents under pressure. Bournemouth have been wasting no time from their kick-offs either. I’ve seen them send the ball straight out for a goal-kick, purely for the purpose of testing their opponents’ passing out from the back. Alternatively, they will send the ball into the sky so the attackers can sprint forward to win it as it lands. When battling with the best of the Premier League, it never hurts to have a plan, even from kick-offs. Bournemouth’s back line has gone through a transformation, mostly due to injuries. Milos Kerkez was at left back, but now it is the attack-minded Dango Ouattara, a winger by trade. Max Aarons was at right back, but now it is Adam Smith. They have adapted well and I like the look of the two central defenders, Marcos Senesi and Illia Zabarnyi. They are comfortable on the ball, passing into midfield so players such as Scott can do what he did to Fulham. Liverpool will have benefitted from 10 days off, but Bournemouth have had two weeks to prepare and Iraola will be confident.