Andoni Iraola will come face to face with his old side this weekend when Bournemouth travel to Anfield, marking his first meeting with the Cherries since he departed the club in the summer to take charge of Liverpool. The occasion carries an unusual duality for the Spaniard, who spent three successful years building Bournemouth into a competitive Premier League outfit before handing the reins to Marco Rose.
Iraola conceded the familiarity works both ways. "It's going to be a tricky one because they know very well what we try to do," he said. "But I also know their strengths and weaknesses. It's going to be strange for me." The transition between the two managers was reportedly smooth, with Iraola spending more than two hours in June briefing Rose on the squad and staff before staying in the area so his children could complete the school year.
Bournemouth's identity under Iraola became closely associated with drawn matches. No manager in the Premier League drew more games last season than Iraola, whose side were held 18 times — the most in the division, well clear of Leeds United's 14. Ten of those stalemates came at the Vitality Stadium, representing over half of Bournemouth's home fixtures, and the accumulation of points ultimately cost them a Champions League place, finishing three points behind a Liverpool side that also stumbled to the finish line under Arne Slot.
Remarkably, across his last 38 league matches in charge of Bournemouth, Iraola drew 21 times — a figure matched only by Mark Hughes across a spell managing both Manchester City and Fulham between 2009 and 2011. Because Hughes' run included a seven-month gap between jobs, Iraola stands as the first manager to reach 21 draws from 38 consecutive Premier League matches without interruption.
Now in charge of Liverpool, Iraola finds himself managing similarly high draw counts, but under vastly different scrutiny. Three of Liverpool's opening four league matches this season have ended level, allowing Arsenal and Manchester City to open a six-point lead over the reigning champions. The frustration among supporters was evident in audible groans following home draws against Nottingham Forest and Fulham. Alisson did not mince words in assessing the situation, telling the club's in-house media: "Unbeaten with three draws is not something to celebrate too much with this shirt. We take the clean sheet but we are not happy at all. We need to aim for big things."
Iraola acknowledged the difference in expectations compared to his time on the south coast. "That's totally fair," he said of the differing reactions to draws at Liverpool versus Bournemouth. "But it's something that I knew before coming here. When you draw 2-2 at Newcastle with Bournemouth it is probably a good result, but I understand that with Liverpool it is not a good result. The goals of the team are different and the expectations are different as well."
Liverpool's underwhelming draw with Fulham followed more encouraging displays against Ipswich Town and Atlético Madrid, but the team responded with a spirited Carabao Cup victory over Tottenham Hotspur in midweek. With regulars including Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Bradley Barcola and Victor Muñoz rested, academy products Lewis Koumas, James McConnell, Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni impressed with their energy and application.
Iraola pushed back on the idea that he treats star signings differently from academy graduates. "For me the demands on the players and positions are the same," he explained. "I don't give different instructions to one player because he is more expensive than another player who has cost us less money... I feel all the players here are doing everything to try to win and to try and get where we want as quickly as possible. But sometimes I need to adapt too to the players that we have."
Asked whether he wished he had a team full of players with Koumas' work rate, Iraola laughed off the suggestion. "That is a cheating question," he said. "I love the desire of Koumas, I love what he gives, but every player has different weaknesses and strengths... I also have to work with Koumas a lot in other areas. There are things he has to improve."
With Liverpool's midfield structure still a work in progress and Wirtz yet to find consistent Premier League form, Iraola faces mounting pressure to make difficult calls before the international break. Sunday's reunion with Bournemouth offers an early test of how far his new project has progressed.
Based on reporting from The Guardian.