When Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth suddenly find themselves against a massed defence, or with an attacking avenue blocked, they are given an instruction that is rare in modern football. That is, really, no instruction at all. Trust yourself.
“I sometimes value much more a player carrying the ball and forcing things to happen,” Iraola explains. “I think when you play too positional – one, two touches to find a free man – you sometimes lose the initiative from the players to just take their man on and attack the spaces.”
