Andoni Iraola Interview: Bournemouth’s Flying Start and Shining Semenyo

0:00Hello and welcome to the Two Robbies podcast, your destination for in-depth discussion and analysis of the Premier League. I'm Robbie Musto, he's Robbie Earl, and we have a special podcast today. We sat down with Bournemouth manager Andona Iriola. Here's how it went. Thanks for joining us today. We did speak at the Premier League Summer Series when you were over here pre-season. A couple of months into the season, as we sit today, you're third in the Premier League. Has that pre-season helped you get the start that you wanted? Yes, definitely. probably we've started better than we expected. In the moment we spoke in pre-season, but the problem is only the beginning.

0:42I wish we were here and it was already game week 25, but it's only eight games. So it's good to start well, but we know that it's about the consistency and I hope we can keep. It's going to be difficult, obviously, to keep that level, but at least be as competitive as we've been until today. Andoni, I know there were some notable departures goalkeeper gone and the three of the back forward left, yet the team still, so far, seems very strong, if not stronger. How do you do that? How is that possible? I think it's a challenge for us. We talked a lot during the summer about adapting with the new players, I think especially the ones with more experience Adrian Truferd Petrovic, Diakite even Amin, I think they've been quite easy to adapt because they were coming also from competitive teams, playing at a high level.

1:37And now we still have to add the younger ones, let's say. We could see the other day Kroppi scoring two goals, Van Doogh, I think Milo Savlevic, Alex Jiménez, players that are 18, 19, 20. and we still have this process to make them feel confident, to help them in their adaptation to the Premier League and I hope we can improve with them. And we do shows every weekend and I had to do a spotlight on Antoine Semenyo and I said right now he's probably the best player in the Premier League. What's been his rise since you came to the club and where he is now? Yes, I think it's a special career, I would say, because he doesn't come from big academies.

2:33He had to earn every division, I would say. He has played in League 2, in League 1, in the Championship. When I arrived, he was playing as number nine. He was injured in that moment. and I think we saw that he was feeling more free outside. You need to give space to Antoine, you want to put him facing the opposition goal and I think he has been improving every single season. That's why we cannot put a sailing because let's keep pushing, let's keep going, let's keep adding things to your game so we don't know where you can arrive. Andoni, we recently caught up with Tyler Adams and he described you as an educator, somebody that's pushed him to develop.

3:25Can you describe your relationship with Tyler Adams and just how good is he? I think Tyler is a competitor. He's a great leader. You have to challenge Tyler, even trainings, he's the first one to complain if every decision doesn't go to his side. But I love these kind of characters that they want even more. He's all the time focused. It's a captain, you can see, that he has been in a leader position in all the teams he has played for. I think he had a very difficult start here with Bournemouth, because in his first season he didn't play, I remember, just some minutes because of the injuries. But with him, it never has been about doubts about his capabilities, about the availability.

4:16Every time he has been available, has been playing for us, has been magnificent. It's not about his game, he understands well that this is a collective side and he's the first one that from the middle can correct the team. If he comes to me and he's telling something, it's because something is happening there. We can see each other and there is something going on because Tyler is not comfortable. So we have to talk because we have to adjust things. That's interesting. That's interesting because he did talk about the flexibility that you show to the players and the players can kind of make, figure things out for themselves.

4:54How much do you, just in terms of the training ground, Andoni, and what thoughts you put in their minds, how much do you interject with tactical work and shape work for the team? Yes, for me, I always say that I trust much better a player, live in his position that what I can say in that moment. I can give them my instructions, my overall patterns, what I feel, let's try to attack here, let's try to use these spaces, but once you are on the ball and you are the one seeing the play, you are the one taking the decision and most of the times your decision in that moment will be much better than whatever I've told you 25 minutes ago because football is very difficult.

5:36There is no two same plays. So in that moment, you are deciding if you think that the pass is on there between the two, you make the pass. You miss it, okay, we take responsibility. But I encourage the players, sometimes not to do everything we tell them. And if they see it clear, go against the plan if you want, because normally you will be right. I know things are going well on the pitch. Off the pitch, the owner, Bill Foley, is an ambitious man. Can you talk to us about that relationship and really what you most proud that you've achieved so far at Bournemouth? I think we have an owner that he's not an expert in football, but he's an expert in how things work well.

6:22And he smells things and he analyses people, I think, very quickly. And he detects very quickly the problems. He is obviously learning a lot about the game. And I'm surprised because he knows every player, even the ones that are not playing. He asks for small things, small details, and he remembers almost everything. And I think he has a clear direction where the club is going. As you said, he's very ambitious. I don't know if we are going to be as good as he wants us to be. But it's a challenge for everyone that is involved in the club. And Ernie, I used to watch you play for Athletic Bilbao and I know people talk about Marcelo Bielsa but I think in previous interviews you've talked about Ernesto Valverde and the influence that he had on you can you just describe anything that you took from him that's helped your coaching career?

7:18Yes, I've been very lucky as a player very lucky because I've had very good managers I always go to Ernesto when they ask me about just one because he has been very influential for me because I had him in the under-18s when I just arrived to Athletic Club. He was the first one to give me the chance to play for the first team. And you always remember this. And even at the end of my career there, he was there playing in the Champions League, Cup Finals at the end. So I've had a very close relationship with him. And naturally, I think, I use a lot of things that I learned from him. And he's someone that always has inspired me, yes.

7:58You spent your final years playing in New York City. Tell us what you liked about the US and New York to our American fans. I think it was one of my best decisions, probably the best decisions I took in my career. I was playing at a very high level in La Liga. I remember my last game was a Copa del Rey final and it was a completely change of environment for me. I was all my career playing for the same club, so I knew that I had to do something very different, completely different. And I learned a lot about the game playing in the MLS. I didn't have the legs in that moment, so I had to adapt also my game.

8:40I remember with Patrick Vieira, I changed position, I played as a number six and I enjoyed it a lot. I enjoyed it, I controlled more things, I wasn't as fast, so I couldn't deal as well with the wingers, so I had to cover a little bit myself inside, but I really enjoyed it. And also off the pitch, I think, to live in a city like New York. I was living in the Upper West and with the family. We really enjoyed the season and a half we spent there. But let's go back further, Andoni. Of course, you grew up childhood teammates with Mikel Arteta and Xabi Alonso. Come on, give us this Basque secret. What is the secret for Basque region to producing these great, great top managers?

9:19You are not the first one that asks me this question. And I don't have answers, really. I think it's a little bit of luck, definitely. Also, we have a big sporting culture there in the Basque Country, but it's true that, for example, in America you have a great sporting culture, so it cannot be only this. We come from, I would say, big academies, from Athletic Club, from Real Sociedad. Mikel also decided to make the jump to Barcelona when he was really young. We are using everything we learned. We've had very good coaches, very good coaches in our career. I always say that we were not also, we were very good players, but we were not the most athletic.

10:02So we had to understand very well the game when we were playing to make the difference. And I think this helps us when you manage a team. And you've been fortunate to live in beautiful places, San Sebastian and Bournemouth. Which one's your favourite? This is a tough one because for me, San Sebastian is probably the best city in the world. It's not because I'm from there, it's unfair for Bournemouth. I'm very happy here, I enjoy it with my family, it's a lovely place, but San Sebastian is, for me, nothing better than this. Thank you very much, Andoni. Top man, thank you. Good luck for the rest of the season.

10:47So it's fascinating to hear the attention to detail that people like Bill Foley gives. I thought, Rob, the freedom at times that Ando Doneriola gives his players. And interestingly, he said Antoine Semenyo is a player you don't put a ceiling on. You allow him to grow as big as he could. It's great nuggets for us to work on at the weekend. So that does it for this week's special podcast, where we get up close and personal with current members of the Premier League. But for now, I know he's must be together with the two Robbies. Thanks for watching and listening. Be safe, stay healthy. It's a good night from me.

11:24And it's a good night from him. Good night. Good night.