Leeds United take on Bournemouth this weekend, and for the 49ers, it’s a potentially familiar face in the dugout in Andoni Iraola.
Andoni Iraola is a manager who has been mentioned alongside Leeds United for some time now.
Previously, Leeds United wanted to appoint Iraola after sacking Jesse Marsch, and more recently, it was claimed that Leeds United wanted to hire a manager like Iraola, when the club were considering Daniel Farke’s future.
And it’s easy to see why Iraola is so favoured given his success at Bournemouth. Last season his side finished 9th and currently they sit in 4th place of the Premier League table.
Saturday’s game at Elland Road is bound to be an exciting one with Leeds United beating Wolves 3-1 in their last outing, taking momentum and confidence into the Bournemouth game.
Leeds United’s Pascal Struijk is an admirer of Andoni Iraola
Pascal Struijk has been an ever-present for Leeds United so far this season. The Dutchman has played every minute of every Premier League game so far, helping to keep two clean sheets, despite many thinking Jaka Bijol would replace him in the XI this season.
And Dutchman Struijk has spoken to the press ahead of the weekend. But speaking with Leeds United, Struijk previewed the game against Bournemouth and explained how he thinks they’re a good team, under good management in Iraola.
Struijk said: “They’re a decent team, they’ve got a good coach, they’ve got them performing since last year and they’ve obviously started well in the league.”
Andoni Iraola’s record at Bournemouth
As a player, Iraola was best known for his time at Athletic Bilbao. In 12 years he made 510 total appearances for the club and played under former Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa, too.
Iraola spoke fondly of his time under Bielsa, explaining how he’s taken a lot of inspiration from the legendary former Leeds boss: “I was very lucky to play for him for two seasons as a player,” Iraola said. “I think he has another vision of football. They were two very good seasons for us, and, for me, it was a different knowledge.
“I use a lot of exercises from Marcelo that I learned from him. I use a lot of things, especially with the ball. Offensively, his teams are very dynamic. He is willing to make all the runs to the space, he is ready to accept this kind of disorder, offensively.”
And Iraola is certainly making a strong name for himself in the dugout now. In 93 games as Cherries manager, Iraola has won 39.78% of those games, which is impressive when compared to Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth win rate of 40.17%.
His Bournemouth side play very aggressive and attacking football like Bielsa did at Leeds. But Farke’s style of play has worked so far for the Whites who’ll fancy their chances on Saturday, with kick off at 3pm.
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