When Andoni Iraola turned down the option to leave Rayo Vallecano for Leeds United in February, La Liga analyst Terry Gibson wondered if the opportunity had just come at the wrong time for the 41-year-old Spaniard.
Leeds United, after all, were on the verge of relegation at the moment. Andoni Iraola would have entered under pressure to immediately turn around a sinking ship without the luxuries of a full pre-season or – due to a grueling game schedule – sufficient time on the training pitch, as Gibson pointed out on El Tel and Jon’s La Liga Weekly podcast.
Iraola, on the other hand, cannot depend on such reasons at AFC Bournemouth, where he took over in July before being given adequate opportunity to shape a side in his own image.
Speaking to The Telegraph last week, Iraola admitted that winning over a crowd enraged by the firing of the highly-popular Gary O’Neil would be a difficult task. That ‘adventure’ is now turning into an uphill battle, with Iraola resembling a man attempting to free climb in the middle of a blizzard.
Bournemouth, along with Sheffield United, are the only teams yet to win a Premier League game this season. Saturday’s 3-0 thrashing by an out-of-sorts Everton left The Cherries in second place, with Iraola near the top of the bookies’ sack race.
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