New manager Andoni Iraola enjoys underdog mantle at Bournemouth

Andoni Iraola has said he will relish the underdog tag once more as he prepares to lead Bournemouth in the Premier League. Iraola, who replaced Gary O’Neil last month, established Rayo Vallecano in La Liga after guiding the club to promotion and previously led the second-tier Spanish side Mirandés to the Copa del Rey semi-finals.

Last season Iraola’s Vallecano side beat Real Madrid and Barcelona and he is adamant Bournemouth can give Premier League rivals a bloody nose. Iraola acknowledged there were similarities between Bournemouth and Vallecano, where he spent three years. The Spanish club finished 11th of 20 last season and also play in a modest stadium.

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“I think when we start the season, this sense of underdogs, we have to gain a little bit of respect from the league or whatever and it is pretty similar, perhaps because the stadium being not so big or the clubs not having quite the same history as other clubs,” Iraola said.

“I think we have to use this to our advantage and I’m used to doing this in Spain with Rayo and even Mirandés. It is good for us. I don’t think being more or less a favourite guarantees you anything. At the beginning of the game it is 0-0 and we have to show if we are good and if we are ready for the challenge or not. I have no issue with this.”

The 41-year-old, who helped the Cypriot side AEK Larnaca qualify for the Europa League in his first managerial post in 2018-19, was visited by Eddie Howe before the former Bournemouth manager, then between jobs, was appointed by Newcastle. Iraola has also recently spent time with Howe’s longstanding assistant, Jason Tindall, who had a short spell in charge of the Dorset club.

“Obviously everyone here talks about Eddie,” Iraola said. “That is a sign that he did a lot of very, very good things in Bournemouth. I am happy that he has been very successful also now in Newcastle. But every coach has his own ideas and there are some things we should maintain from previous managers and some things where we will do it our way.”

In joining Bournemouth on a two-year contract, Iraola became the fourth Basque manager in the Premier League, alongside Unai Emery, Julen Lopetegui and Mikel Arteta. “It is something strange because it is not a big area,” Iraola said. “There are not so many of us. I have coached against Unai and Julen. It will be very good for me to see some familiar faces and the level as coaches is top.”