The boss discussed the Villa draw, the threat of tomorrow's hosts, Alex Jimenez and James Hill, praising both defenders.
Read every word from the broadcast section of Iraola's press conference below.
Mark McAdam (Sky Sports News): Another really, really solid point performance against Aston Villa, and it once again underlies that you can always go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the Premier League regardless of who they are.
When you reflect upon the performance and the result, now you've had a chance to do a bit of analysis on the game, how do you look back at the weekend?
Andoni Iraola: Yes, a little bit reinforces our feelings after the game. I think we played really well against Aston Villa.
I value a lot the performance. They are a team, especially I would say away, that they've been so, so good. And I think we did everything we could to win the game, but probably we should have scored one more goal.
But now we have to leave it there. We haven't even shown the players the game because we've tried to focus on Everton. And the next morning, straight away, we were already watching videos of Everton because this very quick turnaround is just two days in between games.
So we need all the hours focusing on the next one.
MM: You're five points off the European places. You're 11 points clear of the bottom three.
What's your focus? Are you worried about the teams behind you or are you thinking about trying to punch into the top 10?
AI: No, I think we are now in a good moment football-wise, but I think the reality is we want to— I think everyone will need, I think, if not 40 points, very close to 40 points to stay out of trouble, let's say. So I think our focus is let's try to win two games as soon as possible and then we can start thinking in other things. But I think not only us, everyone, I think, in the last, I don't know, the second part of the table or even the mid part of the table, in the first look is okay, let's do 40 as soon as possible because we all still think that it's going to be an expensive season to stay in the Premier League.
You see all the teams and I think everyone thinks they are going to do 40. So the sooner we win this couple of games, the better for us.
MM: The performance of Alex Jiménez has now triggered the obligation for Bournemouth to buy him from AC Milan. I know it's been spoken about over the course of the last week, and his development over the course of this season has been fantastic. He's got better every single week.
What does it say about this club that once again you can attract young talented players from AC Milan, you can develop them and improve them, and already people are saying this looks like an exceptional piece of business for the club?
AI: Yes, I'm very happy with Alex. I think he's someone who has come from top academies, from Real Madrid, from AC Milan. He already had some Serie A games at a very high level, but very little experience.
And his progression has been very quick and very fast. I think he still has things to improve, that is very good for him. But I like his spirit, I like how he's giving everything.
Almost every game you see that he finishes with cramps, he finishes— and for sure, the more he plays, the better he will finish the games. But it's something that I value from the players and I'm very, very pleased that he has signed with us.
MM: In a world where a lot of football owners get criticised, Bournemouth owners have spent, I believe, over £407 million since the summer of 2023, and every time they've sold a player, they've reinvested the money back into the squad. As a head coach, what does that mean for you? How good are the Bournemouth owners? How much are they maybe a model for, for the rest of football? Because from the outside, it certainly looks like they're doing the right things to give you the platform to be successful with a good team.
AI: Definitely they are doing a good job in the sense that there is a lot of clubs that want to be in the Premier League, want to be successful, and some clubs have more resources than us. How the rules are made, the revenue is very important.
And that's why the club is trying to progress, make the stadium bigger, try to put yourself in a better position so the distance with the other clubs reduces and you can have a better picture. But accepting our reality, I think the club is doing very good things, but it's not easy because when you change the team so much, you have to get it right almost every time. And this is difficult to do, but we are in the same situations than other clubs, and I think they are doing a good job.
MM: Bill’s over at the moment, the owner, the chairman, have you had the opportunity to sit down and have a conversation with him and talk to him about the project and about the work that's going on? Because he's obviously instrumental to the success as well.
AI: Yes, at the end, he's the one in charge, and he's always been successful here and in other businesses, other projects that he's involved. And we talked briefly before the game against Aston Villa.
And now we haven't had any time because we had yesterday to prepare for the game. We were already here with videos, meetings and this. And we are travelling.
We are travelling straight away. We train now and we travel. But yeah, it's good that he comes because also when he comes normally we play well.
We have good results. So I encourage him to come to as many games as he can, yes.
MM: Up next in the Premier League, Everton.
What's the, all the team news? Have you— I know that Marcus Tavernier may be getting closer, Tyler Adams may be involved, David Brooks again. Just give us the latest on those three and any new faces or worries you may have.
AI: No, my worries is more about the players that finished the other day.
Let's see if we can train with everyone today and everyone ready to go again. We don't have any like injury concerns, but it's true that a lot of players finish with cramps, finish with some small things that I hope they are small and they are ready again to go tomorrow. Brooksy, it’s good that he played a little bit the other day.
I think he's still probably not 100 per cent, but it's good that he can give us some help. And Tyler is— let's see, he will train today. Maybe it's early for tomorrow, but I think he's getting closer.
And Tav is still not there. Tav has been still training by his own and is the next one after Tyler, let's say. But it's not in the— it's going to be— I think it's going to be then for the next one against West Ham, maybe too early. But he's there.
MM: Everton, just one defeat in their last eight games, a really difficult side to play against.
David Moyes, one of the most experienced Premier League managers that you come up against. Why are his sides so difficult to play against? Why are his teams so efficient and effective and difficult to pick up three points against? Although you do have a good record against them.
AI: Yes, I think first of all they have very good players.
This is the main thing. And obviously David Moyes is a— I’ve always said it— he's a great, great manager. You don't stay in the Premier League as many years as he has had not being an elite manager, and he's shown it again this season.
They are also in a very good run of results away, at home. I think they are doing very well, and it's going to be challenging. Now we have also two away games in a row.
We play Everton and West Ham in two away games. And now we arrive to the moments of the season where every point is massive for every team.
And it's going to be a big fight, I expect, because they are duel winners. They have players that make the difference. Ndiaye, Dewsbery-Hall, Garner, players that are in a very good moment of form.
Thierno Barry now is with more confidence scoring goals, very uncomfortable striker to defend. And yeah, big challenge, big challenge. Also very excited to play in the new stadium.
It looks very nice from the outside, but I haven't been there, and looking forward to be there.
Paul Belverstone (Premier League Productions): Your last 4 games against Everton, it's been 0-0 at halftime.
All the goals have come in the second half. Should supporters stay in the pub until halftime?
AI: I don't know what to tell you! I think we had good numbers against them, but we lost in the first game against them this season.
I think they are an uncomfortable team to play against because they combine very well, they can play short and then they can go direct and you have to be a little bit ready for both and sometimes your team can get longer. Probably, I wasn't aware of that stat.
It makes me think maybe we should be good in the second half. Maybe we leave some players for the second half. I don't know if you can read too much.
I think in this short turnaround, it's true that for me it's key to analyse today who can go again. I don't think we will repeat the same starting XI. Probably there is, I don't know, but probably there is going to be some change because we did a massive effort the other day against Villa.
I suppose for them it's going to be very similar and now it's about who has the energy to go again. Maybe some players are not ready for 90, are ready for 20 and we are focusing today especially on this.
PB: You referred to that game at Goodison Park, that remarkable fightback in the last press conference.
How fondly do you remember the last few minutes of that remarkable game?
AI: Yes, past season we were lucky, we won twice because in the cup also we won in Goodison. We had two very good experiences there away, very different, especially the first one was a little bit crazy. It's one of the most strange games I've played because we were very bad for 80 minutes, the last 15 were incredible.
But it's an exception. I think you cannot read too much into this game. I also think both teams, especially as we have changed so many players from past season, that I think probably the game we played here at home against them can be more of a reference.
PB: You mentioned Alex Jimenez suffering cramps at the end of most games. I mean, he looks absolutely dead at the end of every game. He gives everything.
Did he arrive with that attitude that he's going to leave absolutely everything on the pitch? Is that something that you've got into his head?
AI: It's something that I try to install in the head of the players. I'm very happy with someone with cramps asks me, for a change. It's the best news I can have in the sense that he doesn't have more to give.
Sometimes the game ends and you still have more in your tank and no, no, just empty your tank. We have 5 subs now, we have now starting to recover players, we have quality subs, so please don't save any energy, don't save any run, you are there, you cannot, perfect, because we use you at your maximum and then you have a lot of minutes to give to someone else, we give him his maximum and this in that position, we've done everything we could.
Also he’s someone that is difficult to read, you have to understand his body language because in some moments you think, oh, it's done. 'He's done. He cannot run anymore.'
And then he starts running and he had something. He had a couple of sprints more. So it happened to me with Milos sometimes, this kind of players that they do a big effort.
You think, 'Okay, this is the last one.' And then they recover 30 seconds, no more, and they are able to give another incredible sprint. So we have to know each other more.
And the other day he was cramping still. He didn't want to do the sub, but after another two sprints he said, 'I cannot anymore.' So the more he plays, the more we know him, the more he knows himself also better.
But I have no doubts about his willingness to go and push. And sometimes with the full-backs, especially with the full-backs we have, I want them to go and attack and be offensive. But both of them sometimes, you have to be sometimes careful because you have no chance of touching this ball.
They are not giving you this ball and they are overlapping and they are going forward. And my job sometimes is just to be careful, be aware, because we may need you for the lockout. And it's something that I prefer to do than the opposite, because sometimes you have to push the full-backs and go, but the ones we have normally are quite offensive-minded.
PB: I'll ask you about the attitude of another defender, James Hill, because you've talked him up understandably recently. He's on this lovely run of starts.
After the Blackburn loan, I think he came back, picked up an injury. He had many, many months, maybe 18 months, where he was always on the bench, very rarely came on, maybe a last-minute sub. A lot of players, I think, would have downed tools, would have had a tantrum, demanded a move.
But he, to get back in the team, clearly was working hard in training every week. So how impressive is that, that he for 18 months did just work, work, work, work, work?
AI: I think James Hill is the dream scenario for a coach, to have a player like him. I told him when he was not playing, you know, I would— I told him I would renew you for 10 seasons and you are not playing, and if I— it's because of me, I would renew you forever because it gives quality to the squads.
Because they don't play and they train top level. They come every Monday, the +1, that is a difficult day for training, and they train at their best. And I'm very happy that now he's getting the rewards.
Sometimes you have this kind of players and it never arrives this moment. And I think he has been pushing enough to wait for his moment and now he's getting the rewards. I remember also that when he came back from Blackburn, he had also nice games where he was starting and he was playing, and then he had another injury.
And probably he went straight backwards, you know. He has climbed again and pushed again, and now he's playing really well. And for me, it's nice because you need this kind of players in a squad, and he has been patient.
He knows he has to be at his best level because otherwise we have Bafo, Veljko pushing to get his minutes. But he's very good for the team.
PB: You gave him his Premier League debut in your first game, I think.
How different is he, how much has he developed and improved since day one to today?
AI: Yes, I think in these 2 and a half seasons, almost 3 seasons with us, when we arrived It was kind of a player coming from the development squad team almost, very young and needing the experience. He was coming from a loan also at Hearts where he did well and kind of a fourth centre-back, fifth centre-back sometimes and he was earning the minutes in the squad. And he has gone through a logical, I think, or the development process that everyone expects, adding more experience, more quality minutes.
He has adapted also playing as a right-back, playing as a number 6, playing as a centre-back. And now he's playing very well and I haven't given him nothing, you know, anything. He has earned everything.
Every time you play 2 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, you have to earn the right for more, and he has done it.