Remember when Andoni Iraola failed to win any of his first nine Premier League games as Bournemouth manager? No, of course not, because the Spaniard has been utterly sensational in the Cherries dugout ever since.
Despite that start, Iraola went on to deliver a club-record 48 points in the 2023-24 campaign and then bettered his own achievement by leading the Cherries to 56 last season.
The loss of four-fifths of his favoured backline threatened to halt the improvement but the Basque-born tactician has coped just fine without Kepa Arrizabalaga, Dean Huijsen, Illia Zabarnyi and Milos Kerkez, and has raised the bar again.
Bournemouth’s latest win, a 2-0 success over Nottingham Forest, lifted them to second in the Premier League and if their current form was to continue they would finish the season with 76 points.
It would be easy to say there is no chance of that happening, sure, but plenty of advanced metrics suggest Champions League football at the Vitality Stadium may not be far away – as long as Iraola stays.
Bournemouth are pressing masters, ranking top for goals from high turnovers with a total of ten and for ball recoveries per 90 minutes with a figure of 47.92 last season, and even their mass exodus hasn’t had an impact on their energy as they have made a total of 462 recoveries, the highest in the Premier League this term.
The Spaniard has an air of Jose Mourinho about him and it appears the entire Cherries squad are buying into his methods and ready to run through a brick wall for their manager.
If Iraola stays at Bournemouth, who knows what they can achieve? However, keeping hold of a 43-year-old manager who has continued to improve an unfancied team despite losing numerous key players may prove a difficult task in the long run.
The expert tactician could manage any side in the world, so why wouldn’t Manchester City look to replace Pep Guardiola, their own influential Spaniard, with the obvious heir to his throne?
Bournemouth’s Premier League points tallies under Iraola
SeasonPointsPoints per game2023-24481.262024-25561.472025-2618*2.00Scroll >>> table to view
Source: Premier League
Is Iraola the perfect Pep replacement?
Stylistically, Guardiola and Iraola clash. City’s manager is all about retaining possession and creating space via triangles but the impact of his style has waned over the past year and a change may be exactly what the Citizens need.
Iraola likes to keep the ball – Bournemouth’s average possession figure of 50.7 per cent per game is the eighth-highest in this season’s Premier League – but, crucially, he is not afraid to go long.
No side have scored more Premier League goals from direct attacks than Bournemouth’s tally of five this term, suggesting Iraola’s ability to switch styles throughout a game could, in awful news for everybody else, get even more out of Erling Haaland.
Iraola’s 4-2-3-1 system relies on defensive solidity, energetic, enigmatic and creative midfielders and a forward capable of dropping in to link play, winning headers and getting in behind.
City’s squad checks all of those boxes. The Citizens have numerous excellent defenders – Josko Gvardiol’s pace and John Stones’ ability to find attackers with defence-splitting passes make them the standouts – while Tijjani Reijnders is an ideal Iraola midfielder, Jeremy Doku and Phil Foden should thrive under the Spaniard and Haaland is Haaland.
Manchester City must start thinking about who they want as Pep Guardiola’s successorCredit: NurPhoto via Getty Images
Stage set for Sunday’s audition
Iraola will get the chance to audition live for a role in the Etihad dugout on Sunday as Bournemouth host the Citizens at the Vitality Stadium, where they beat the then-champions 2-1 last season.
The difference between Iraola and Guardiola was clear on that day. City, as usual, dominated the ball and had 67 per cent of the possession, yet they struggled to create anything of note until their consolation goal in the 82nd minute.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, carved the Citizens open time and time again. They nearly made a rapid start by forcing a turnover on the halfway line and bringing Ederson into action twice.
The Cherries then took the lead through Antoine Semenyo in the ninth minute as a low cross from Milos Kerkez split open the City defence.
A cross from the same side also provided the assist for Evanilson’s winner and it is notable that the pass prior to Kerkez’s delivery was a raking long ball from Bournemouth’s own half.
City were regularly caught out by long balls but also needed goalkeeper Ederson to bail them out on numerous occasions when the Cherries started to make intricate passes around the 18-yard box.
Iraola’s tactical flexibility bamboozled Guardiola and it would be no surprise to see the in-form Cherries use the same methods to great effect on Sunday.
Girona boss Michel continues to be touted as Guardiola’s successor but if City are serious about again becoming Europe’s best team, Iraola has to be the appointment.
Bournemouth’s Premier League odds
MarketPre-season oddsCurrent oddsPremier League winner350-1150-1To finish in the top four25-14-1To finish in the top six9-111-8To be relegated
9-1100-1Scroll >>> table to view
Odds from bet365 and correct as of October 30
Read more:
The Early Bird: Weekend football predictions & free betting accumulator tips from James Milton
Cornering the market: How to profit from the Premier League set-piece craze
Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.
