Bournemouth boss makes bold Aston Villa claim that'll upset Pep Guardiola
Andoni Iraola admitted he was very impressed by one particular component of Aston Villa’s tactics against Bournemouth.
The Cherries will be by far the happier of the teams after Villa threw away their lead to draw 1-1 in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
Unai Emery’s side, on home soil, dominated for large stretches and had far more clear-cut opportunities before Ross Barkley found a breakthrough, only to be pegged back by Evanilson’s 96th-minute header.
Iraola believes Villa were so dangerous in attack because of their overload on the left flank. Jacob Ramsey and Ollie Watkins worked excellently between the lines, while Lucas Digne was always available on the overlap, forcing Bournemouth’s defenders into tough dilemmas.
The threat was so prevalent that Iraola made his first-ever tactical first-half substitution, replacing right-back Julian Araujo with Adam Smith. Both players were booked for good measure, with Smith taking just 10 minutes to see yellow.
“We didn’t play well today, they played better than us,” Iraola conceded in the post-match press conference. “We were leaving space in behind and the timing of their runs separated us two on two with our centre-backs.
“We were surviving but we were not comfortable at all. I made one sub in the first half for the first time in my career but I have to assume the responsibility because I put Julian (Araujo) in the most difficult game for a right-back that you can find in the Premier League!
“Villa play on their left side, using the space very well with different players. We then identified better the space, rather than going man-to-man. Everyone knows what they’re going to do, but it’s very difficult to defend. The timing and the way they turn the players in the middle, we needed to be better in the decision making,” Iraola continued.
Based on that admission, Villa have a more threatening left side than the Premier League’s top scoring team, Manchester City. It’s hard to argue with that point, in fairness, given just how important that flank is to Emery’s usually clinical system.