The boss spoke to the media this afternoon to preview AFC Bournemouth’s trip to Spurs on Sunday.
Read every word from the broadcast section of Iraola’s press conference here.
**Paul Belverstone (Premier League Productions): What effect does a dramatic win in the cup have on the squad, especially after a couple of defeats before that?**
Andoni Iraola: I don't know, it's always good when you win a game. Normally the next days are easier, but the importance is more about the cup itself, the chance to play in the quarterfinals. If we are talking about the league, we come from two defeats.
So we know that now we have a difficult game on Sunday but we will try to recover the points that we've lost against Wolves and Brighton.
**PB: Luis Sinisterra hasn't had much to smile about certainly since August and Everton. How good is it for him that he scored the winning penalty?**
AI: I think it's very good that apart from the penalty that he played I think 40-something minutes and he finished well and he has been training with no pain, no restrictions, with confidence and I think it's small steps in the right direction. No, obviously if you score and it means that we are in the next round, much better. But I think he's slowly, slowly adding confidence and it’s what he needed after a lot of time out, seeing that he can perform well, play more minutes and I think he's in a better spot every day.
**PB: What about other players who might be in or out injury wise this weekend, how’s Ryan Christie?**
AI: You know, more or less, the situation with Ryan. I think he's something chronic. He's dealing with some pain and I think it's a situation that we will have to manage day by day.
I am not ruling him out, but also I trust Ryan a lot and he knows his body and sometimes he comes and he says okay, I'm feeling well, I think I can give it a go. And he trains and he feels well. Sometimes he comes and he's in pain.
So it's not an easy situation to deal with during the season. Probably he needs some rest but obviously he wants to continue playing and it’s this situation that we have to continue dealing with and I think we will try to continue trying to make him play especially if he's in a good mood that I think he is now.
**PB: I know you're not a doctor but for a long term solution as far as Ryan is concerned, is that something that can be fixed in an international break or is it a summer thing?**
AI: Probably if we are thinking in a possible surgery or something like this.
I think probably it's better for everyone if it's in the summer. But I'm not Ryan Christie and he has to see how he feels, how he can play or he cannot play and decisions that he will have to make obviously with the doctors. But I think he's pretty good managing it.
He knows himself pretty well and it's not the intention right now.
**PB: I think you said last week Julian Araujo is back with the squad. Has he had a good week of training?**
AI: He came from Finland past week and he passed all the tests and he started training but he's not feeling still 100%. So I think we will have to wait a little bit more. It’s a surgery. It's a long rehab.
He has started training but one thing is the surgeon saying okay, the green tick but after you have to feel the player playing, recovering the confidence and I think he will need little bit more time.
**PB: Is there anyone else who's delivered good news or bad news to you this week?**
AI: No, no, I don't think. No, the ones that were available I think continue being available.
No, nothing new.
**PB: We've spoken the last couple of weeks about Evanilson’s fitness and how much he can play and so on.**
**I wondered how impressed, maybe surprised, you were at how quickly he seems to have recovered his sharpness.**
AI: Yeah, no, it was a very good surprise for us. I think he played well.
He looked quite natural and it's very good news for us because obviously he's very important and I hope he continues the same way, his rehab, even playing for sure, these things need more time.
But he's training normal, he's playing normal. So let's hope that continues like this.
**PB: Tottenham this weekend. What have you made of their up and down season?**
AI: I think they are a very dangerous team to play against because you can see the stats. It's a team that scores goals very easy. I think they are the second team that scores more goals or something like this.
They have a lot of offensive power. They are also a team that plays in a very high rhythm, similar to us. So I expect a very demanding game physically, probably quite open, chances probably for both teams and we have to be very ready.
They are in a position now, they've recovered most of the players that they had out because of injuries and they have a much better squad or at least more players available, very important players. So I expect a very good team in front on Sunday.
**PB: There's a lot of focus outside on what's gone wrong for them this season. It's not the season they wanted, but I remember you said in December before you played them, that's a team you like to watch. When it clicks for them, what do they do that sets them apart?**
AI: No, I think the games that they've played well, they are very difficult to stop because they have very different threats.
Also, they push a lot of players forward and we hope we can play a good game and don't allow all the individuals they have not to shine. And knowing that for sure they will have chances and we will have to be during phases of the game defending. But also we will try to make them run backwards and make them defend.
And I think it looks like a nice game to watch for the neutrals, let's say. But let's see what happens.
**PB: What did you do against them here that worked so well?**
AI: Probably it was strange, 1-0, Bournemouth Spurs. I don't expect just one goal in the game.
I think there were chances for both teams probably looking at the result. Probably the most difficult thing probably is to keep the clean sheet because they normally score and have the chances. But I know it's going to be difficult to have another one on Sunday.
We will try to defend well, but I think we'll need to score if we want to get a result. We need to score goals.
**PB: I have to ask you a Dom Solanke question. You've kept him quiet here in that game, I imagine, were there mixed emotions when you saw him back in training, back on the pitch yesterday, but then obviously went off injured?**
AI: Dom Solanke is a hell of a player, I have no doubts and I don't want him to play on Sunday. On this I'm very clear.
But I also think that he can play and I think he gives them something different on the ball, without the ball. I think he's involved in a lot of their offensive goals, even if he doesn't assist or he doesn't score, he's part of a lot of things they do offensively.
So I think he's a very important player for them and we have prepared the game thinking that he's going to be available.
**PB: The match winner in that game was Dean Huijsen. It was the start of his long, extended run in the team because of Marcos’ injury. I wonder, I know he'd sort of made some sub appearances, made a couple of starts as well, but he's been extraordinary. Rave reviews across the board. How quickly after signing him did you realise that this young man is so very, very talented?**
AI: I think you have the feeling the first trainings. You feel the player, you see the qualities straight away. I didn't know about his mentality because when you sign someone that is 19, Okay, you see, okay, it looks like a good player, he’s going to be a good player.
But you are not sure if he's ready to perform straight away against the best opposition. That is what he's facing in the Premier League.
And he showed since the first day, I think he started playing the season against Forest. He played really well.
And after he was more or less with Marcos, with Zaba, playing maybe a little bit less. But straight away, once he got a good run of games, everyone sees now that he's a very good centre back.
**PB: He seems to have two great feet, very calm senses, danger. What's his best attribute for you?**
AI: I think his mentality, his head.
I think he's confident. He is not afraid of marking any forward and I think he's calm on the ball.
He knows what he's doing, he's under control. Sometimes he will make mistakes like all the others, but there is always a reason for the things he does. And for someone that is 19, it's really strange to find this at this level.