Iraola reflects on hard-fought 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspurs

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Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola reflects on hard-fought 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspurs  09/03/2025  Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium, London, UK

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00:00Does that feel more like the two points lost in one game?

00:04Yes, I think we are disappointed.

00:06I think before coming here probably it's not the worst result, a point here.

00:10Difficult opposition, difficult stadium to play.

00:13But considering how the game has gone, our performance,

00:17definitely the feeling of losing two points, yes.

00:21Obviously the equaliser comes from the penalty spot.

00:25What did he make of that?

00:30I think Son is very smart.

00:32I think Son does very well.

00:34I think he forgot about scoring, about everything.

00:36He just tries to buy time to Kepa to force a contact and he manages.

00:41Kepa gives him the chance to find the contact somehow.

00:45And even if it's a slight touch or whatever,

00:48I was waiting for the refereeing decision because normally VAR doesn't overturn

00:52if there is a small contact.

00:54It's whatever the referee decides in the moment.

00:56He decided a penalty and it has cost us, yes.

01:01It was a pretty good performance up to that point.

01:04Lots of energy and quite a chaotic game and an outstanding first goal.

01:08What did you make of the Cherries' goal today?

01:12I think overall we've played really well.

01:15I think without the ball we've created a lot of offensive situations

01:20starting from very good presses, recovering the ball very high.

01:23Even in the first five minutes I think we go two times against the keeper.

01:26We don't score.

01:28We should have capitalised more.

01:30Even in the second half I think on the ball, attacking the spaces really well.

01:35The transitions I think there were being, like expected,

01:38not transitions for both teams.

01:40I think ours were being more clear.

01:44But at the end it's one point for each team

01:47and we have to look at ourselves and we need to be more efficient.

01:52Because big teams and teams that achieve big things,

01:58they find ways to win.

02:00Even in the games that haven't played well.

02:02In our case I think it's been the opposite.

02:05We are playing very well.

02:07You see the performance today away

02:10and you get one point from these two games.

02:13This is a part of, OK, they are smart, they are fortunate,

02:17they scored the first goal with a little bit of luck.

02:21But there is a part where you have to take the value

02:30from the things that you are doing well

02:32and today we couldn't.

02:34Do you think that's perhaps a symptom of a slightly more inexperienced side?

02:38A team that isn't used to playing in this position?

02:42We are a young team, it's true.

02:44But if you want to achieve things, you cannot use the excuses of

02:50we are young, so it's normal.

02:52No, we need to increase our demands.

02:55You have to be demanding with ourselves.

02:57After we don't arrive, we don't arrive.

02:59But I think it's a shame because the players are doing so many things so well

03:05that really not to get the points that I think we deserve

03:09is a shame, yes.

03:14We are nearly ten days from the international break

03:17and Alistair Kepa has been performing so well this season.

03:23Dim, we've seen today the performance, he has done amazing again.

03:27Do you think they are ready to be with the Spain national team

03:30in the next international break?

03:33It's not my job, I don't know.

03:35Luis de la Fuente is my friend.

03:38He will take the best decision.

03:40I think the only thing I can say is that they are playing very well.

03:43Very well at a very high level, both.

03:46I don't know if Dim is going to go with the U21s, straight away with the first team.

03:51It's a decision that I don't have to make.

03:53I think we are very happy with Kepa.

03:56He's been very, very solid during all the season.

04:00But it's true that Spain has England, these kind of national teams.

04:04You deserve it because you are playing very well.

04:07I think they have so many options, different options.

04:11Whatever the decision is, it probably would be the right one.

04:25We are very happy with Dango.

04:27He has evolved a lot since last season.

04:30Dango has some spectacular physical qualities.

04:33But now I think he is taking advantage of those qualities.

04:37He is playing in many different positions.

04:41He adapts.

04:43And for me, as a coach, that is very valuable.

04:46He is scoring more goals, more assists.

04:49He is close to scoring a goal.

04:51And I trust he will stay in this line until the end of the season.

04:58You've beaten Arsenal, you've beaten Man City.

05:01You've come here and outplayed Tottenham for long periods.

05:04You're into the FA Cup quarter-finals.

05:06You've played so well in so many games this season.

05:09Should we enjoy watching this team play together now?

05:13Because you're going to have a lot of big clubs interested in a lot of your players this summer, aren't you?

05:18These are problems that we don't need to solve today.

05:22I don't know what's going to happen.

05:25For me, my biggest concern is that the good things that we are doing, that I agree.

05:30I think we are playing very well, we are performing really well.

05:33To make them matter at the end.

05:35Because I think the players deserve to take something from this season.

05:39And we need to, I don't know why I say it, be more efficient, more experienced.

05:47We need this gap with the teams that are, I don't know, because they are bigger or because they have more experience.

05:56They find ways to take points.

05:59I think we need to improve this game management, call it like you want.

06:05But I will try to fight until the end to get something from this season, definitely.

06:12Andoni, can I just ask you about the first goal of Milos?

06:15Yes.

06:16Especially, I mean, the way he entered to the ball and then runs 30 yards.

06:19I could see you instructing him as well.

06:21It was one of the goals of the season perhaps.

06:23Can you just talk about the way he stepped up this season?

06:26What were you shouting at him on the touchline?

06:28Now, Milos has improved a lot from past season and he has done a great job.

06:33I think defensively, I think he's a player that because of his physical condition arrives so many times to the last third.

06:41With the ball under control, to put good crosses.

06:45The number of assists, of good balls he was having was quite low past season.

06:54Because he arrives a lot and he has this good offensive power.

06:59But this season I think he's decided much better.

07:01He's adding quality to his deliveries.

07:03He's more calm when he arrives.

07:05And today was a lovely ball.

07:07And I think he spends a lot of time crossing and at the end of training we have to fight with him to put him inside.

07:14And I think it's good that at least it's worth it.

07:18And today he had a really good delivery, yes.

07:22And Dani, you've had a lot of increases this season.

07:25I believe you had a brilliant year.

07:26You were great from the table.

07:27Do you have the belief in the squad that they can kind of make the last push in the last months?

07:34I don't know.

07:35I wish I would know, but I don't know if we are able to get the reward at the end of the season.

07:41I think it's not that we've had a lot of injuries.

07:44I think we've had not a big number of injuries, but bad injuries.

07:50Players that the number has been quite low, but injuries of surgery, three months, four months.

07:55The foot, obviously the ACL, the worst for Menes.

07:59But Alexis Scott's surgery, Marcos, Nessie, Julen, Araujo.

08:03Not a lot of injuries, but bad injuries.

08:05And it has taken a lot of games from each player.

08:10But I think we are doing well.

08:13We are performing well.

08:14I see reasons to believe because I see our performances and we go to difficult places and we play well.

08:22But it's true that you see other teams that are around us on the table.

08:26They find ways to make their performances matter.

08:31You see, I don't know, Villa yesterday.

08:34They find a way to win it.

08:36Brighton even over the time, one penalty.

08:40We miss a little bit of this.

08:43We are still on the fight and I hope we can continue there until the end.

08:51Just on Ryan Christie, obviously there was a bit of doubt coming into it.

08:55How is he doing?

08:57Obviously he was fit enough to start, but how is he doing when he got off?

09:00Yes, with Ryan we have to be smart with his management.

09:03I think we are being quite selective training.

09:06Feeling going day by day.

09:08Sometimes we don't know why he's feeling better.

09:10Sometimes he's more with the pain.

09:12I think especially first half he was really good.

09:14He played very well.

09:15Probably in this kind of injuries that are more chronic, after the half time it's difficult to get the same.

09:24I don't know, because you stop and then it costs us a little bit more to start again.

09:30But he's very experienced.

09:32He's very honest, so we have to listen to him.

09:36Whenever he thinks he's ready to go, for us it's perfect.

09:43If not, also we have other options.

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