Andoni Iraola Addresses Player Injuries and Previews West Ham Match

Andoni Iraola, the manager of Bournemouth, addressed the media ahead of the Premier League fixture against West Ham scheduled for Monday, with a kick-off time of 20:00 GMT. The following are the main points from his press briefing: Marcos Senesi will be sidelined due to an injury necessitating surgery. Iraola commented, “It’s a big one. Three, four months normally is what it takes.” Marcus Tavernier is also dealing with a muscle injury, which Iraola described as a “normal” issue, expecting him to be unavailable for “some weeks.” Tyler Adams, however, is anticipated to be fit for Monday’s match. Regarding Tavernier, Iraola stated: “He’s a very good player and gives us a lot in all facets of the game. Tactically, he’s very smart and we can use him in different positions. He’s playing a lot in the middle as a 10 but the other night, as an eight, he did very well. He is an important player for us.” Addressing the team’s achievement of three victories within eight days, Iraola remarked: “When you’re in a competition, you don’t enjoy it a lot. If you win or you lose you have to do this [enjoy it or not] in a period of 24 hours and then start thinking about the next game. It has been a very good week – it’s nine points.” When asked about his personal evolution since his initial match as manager, Iraola responded: “I hope that I have changed and improved. I know my players better. I have more clear [ideas] on what should be. They know me much better and we understand each other. That’s the advantage of being here for 18 months.” Regarding West Ham, he commented: “They are a very good team and they have very good players. We had experience [against them] in the cup – it was a very level game that they won in the last minute. I expect something similar and they also had an important win on Monday.” When questioned about the utility of their Carabao Cup loss to the Hammers in August, Iraola stated: “I think it’s useful, because the players in the main will be the sameand we’ve kept the structures quite similar, so it’s a good reference. We played quite well that game but it wasn’t enough to beat them. I hope we can be better, especially in the last third.” Discussing Julen Lopetegui, Iraola remarked: “We have crossed [paths] many times. Julen is always difficult – he’s a very good coach, experienced and it’s the Premier League. every week you face a good opposition manager and you have to be ready for the challenge – and I hope we are on Monday.”