Andoni Iraola
Posted inDaily News

#PLStories- Andoni Iraola reveals loan move of Jaidon Anthony to Leeds United was not controlled by him #AFCB

September 5, 2023
Anthony had featured regularly under new boss Iraola, starting three of the first four games this season. However, after Cherries moved late to sign winger Luis Sinisterra on loan, Anthony was suddenly deemed surplus to requirements, shipped out to Leeds United in the Championship for the rest of the season. Iraola explained earlier in the summer how he has little to do with transfer dealings, leaving that to the likes of Richard Hughes and Neill Blake. Asked how much of a say he had in the shock Sinisterra and Anthony swap deal, Iraola told the Daily Echo: “It is a situation that happened on the last day of the window. “The club thought that we could be stronger adding a player like Luis Sinisterra. “He was on Saturday (at Brentford) watching the game. Now he is going with the national team, so we will not have him for the next 10 to 12 days. “But it is another player we have who can make the difference, starting from wide. It is a good addition for us.” Quizzed on if he supported the idea of Anthony going to Leeds, Iraola added: “It is a decision he had to make. “I tried to help him as much as I could, because Jaidon, I love him as a person and as a player. “Of the four games he has been with me, he has started three. He was very good in pre-season. “But he had to take the decision, because we have a lot of options there out wide. “It is the decision he finally took and I hope the best, because he deserves it. “I know he is going to play very well there in Leeds and I hope he returns next season even better as a player.” Luis Sinisterra joined Cherries on deadline day (Image: PA) Anthony was with Cherries’ squad in the team hotel, getting ready to face Brentford in the Premier League the following day, before his sudden departure. Detailing his conversations with the 23-year-old, Iraola said: “I tried to be as honest as I could, because he deserves it. “I had no problem if he was to stay here, no problem at all. “And you can see because he has played with me, he has started. He is a reliable player. “You tell him to do this, he will do it or he will try to do it. He will make mistakes, like everyone else, but he is a very reliable player. “He had to take the decision knowing the players he will be fighting for in his position. “The option he had also I think was really good, to a very good team. “He decided to take that route. It’s a loan, so I hope he comes back with us, for sure he will, like a better player. “As a person, he is a top, top guy. I think he deserved all the honesty, as much as I could. “I tried to help him, but he was the one with the final decision.”
Roberto De Zerbi
Posted inDaily News

#PLStories- Roberto De Zerbi reveals behind the scenes planning and coaching to improve Brighton attack #BHAFC

September 4, 2023
And he revealed how the second goal was a case of planning paying off. De Zerbi saw his side bounce back from a defeat by West Ham to enjoy a 3-1 win at the Amex. The Seagulls boss said: “I am happy for the reaction after the defeat to West Ham because we didn’t deserve to lose that game. “We didn’t play a great game against West Ham but I think it was enough to win. We were unlucky. "Today we played one of the best games in my time because we have to consider the opponent and the opponent is one of the best in the Premier League. Incredibly physical. “I am very happy.” De Zerbi revealed the part played by Billy Gilmour on the second goal resulted from careful planning and hard work during the week. He said: “We are working a lot. We are having a lot of meetings to speak about the details on the pitch. “The second goal was fantastic because we worked on that situation. “When the ball is with the centre-back, he has to find the right position, the right body shape, the player between the lines has to move in the right way, they have to keep the right position. “It’s fantastic when you can see your work and the improvement of the players during the game.”
Thomas Frank
Posted inDaily News

#PLStories- Thomas Frank praised Brentford mentality after Bournemouth draw #BRENTFORDFC

September 4, 2023
Mbeumo’s fourth of the season cancelled out goals from Dominic Solanke and David Brooks after Mathias Jensen put Brentford in the lead for Brentford in the first half. And Frank praised his team’s second-half display which saw them extend their unbeaten start to the season, with six points on the board. “First half we were good but second half we were fantastic,” Frank said. “I think we ran over Bournemouth in the second half and we created chance after chance. "The only chance I can remember from Bournemouth was the goal, and that was a mistake from Rico (Henry). "But the mentality in this team is incredible. What character. They never give up, they will never die. "After we got a more than well-deserved equaliser, we still went for it, with centre-backs Nathan Collins and Kristoffer Ajer still overlapping. "I am very proud of the team's performance. "If we play this 100 times, we win it 98, draw one, that was (Saturday), and lose the other time, because there were so many big chances."
Jaidon Anthony
Posted inDaily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Jaidon Anthony on assist for David Brooks against Swansea in League cup #AFCB

August 30, 2023
Anthony provided a fantastic assist for Brooks to equalise after Cherries trailed 1-0 in Wales thanks to Matt Grimes’ first-half penalty. The away side then took a lead through Hamed Traore, before the hosts again levelled scores via Jamie Patterson. In the end it was substitute Ryan Christie who had the last say, finding the bottom corner in the 90th minute to send Cherries through to the next round. Discussing his assist for Cherries’ first, Anthony insisted that Brooks deserved the credit for applying the finishing touch. He told the Daily Echo: “It was a good ball and to be fair it's not an easy finish either, on his weak foot. “I think he's had a really good pre-season and a start to the season in front of goal. “I'm happy he could put it away and help us to win.” Brooks’ goal came about after Cherries won the ball high up the pitch, with Anthony believing the strike to be representative of the way Andoni Iraola wants Cherries to play. “I think the manager wants us to be aggressive in every game,” explained the 23-year-old. “It's a perfect example of the high press and what that can do. “Win it back and then attacking pass, and we get the goal - happy days. “The most important thing was getting through to the next round. “The first half, we knew we weren't at the races and we knew we had to react in the second half. “I think obviously the second goal is probably a bit unfortunate, but I think we deserved what we got in the end.” The draw for the third round will be made on Wednesday evening, following the conclusion of second round ties. Teams will not be regionalised, meaning Cherries could be handed another lengthy trek. Sides competing in Europe enter at this stage of the competition, with third round ties being staged the week commencing Monday, September 25.
Andoni Iraola
Posted inDaily News

#PLStories- Andoni Iraola on first win as AFC Bournemouth boss in league cup #AFCB

August 30, 2023
Cherries had to come from behind to triumph 3-2 in south Wales, Ryan Christie netting a stoppage-time winner after earlier strikes from David Brooks and Hamed Traore. Matt Grimes had put the hosts ahead from the penalty spot in the eighth minute, a lead they held until half-time. It marks a first victory for the Spaniard since joining the club over the summer, after three Premier League games so far without a win. Ryan Christie fired home a late winner (Image: PA) Asked if the feeling was relief at eventually getting over the line against Championship opposition in Swansea, Iraola told the Daily Echo: “I think it was a game with two very different parts, two very different halves. “I think we started very bad. Probably the worst way to start, conceding a penalty and we were very slow to move the ball in the first half. “We only had to improve in the second half. I think the rhythm was different in the second half. “We moved the ball much quicker, the rhythm was much higher. And then we were in control of the game. “I think we should have probably won the game earlier, but in the end this is the cup and sometimes you have to suffer.” Iraola’s frustration with the first-half display was evident by his triple substitution at the break. “It was about not only the names and the subs, it was about the attitude, the willingness to attack the spaces, to be more direct, not receive the ball only facing our goal. “To be more aware of the situations, open the game and the pitch a little bit more. “I think especially with Milos (Kerkez) and Jaidon (Anthony), we were opening the left wing very well and then we could find Junior (Traore) and Philip (Billing) inside and from there we were much better.” Although Iraola made seven changes to the starting line-up which had faced Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, it was a strong selection full of players who have featured in the league this season, aside from debutant Andrei Radu in goal. Discussing the importance he places in staying in the cup competitions, Iraola said: “In the end it is not that you make changes or play a weaker team in the cup and they give you an extra (free) weekend. “No, they are not giving you anything. “At the end, it is also a way of very good training for us and in the next round also we will try to win the game, because at the end you never know when a good run can happen. “You have to try it every single year.”
Roberto De Zerbi
Posted inDaily News

#PLStories- Roberto De Zerbi reveals no surprise in defeat to West Ham #BHAFC

August 29, 2023
If this game wasn’t a reality check, then what followed from Roberto De Zerbi certainly was. At least that appeared the intention from the head coach after this first defeat of the season. One reality is Albion won’t change their way of playing. They just need to do it better. Another reality is that, ideally, they need to fill a gap or two which were visible to a degree in their two 4-1 wins and more obvious on this occasion. Having (understandably) cashed in their insurance policy, Albion cannot afford to leave the back door unlocked like they did on Saturday. They piled men forward, piled up passes and got into a whole pile of trouble on counter-attacks. Not just how they dealt with those counter-raids but that they were allowed to happen in the first place. This game felt a bit like a 5-1 reverse to Everton late in the last campaign (a game in which Moises Caicedo played, let’s not forget). West Ham had the right plan, the right personnel and, like the Toffees back on that rainy Bank Holiday, a goalkeeper in good form. Counter-attack goals from perennial Amex threat James Ward-Prowse, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio put them out of reach. But the home side, always capable of creating danger, might still have snatched some reward after Pascal Gross reduced arrears. In that Everton game, De Zerbi felt his side were too cavalier in how they chased the game after going behind in the first few seconds. Here, he again said they needed to be more aware of the time available. Defeat came at the end of a week when Albion had been showered with praise. But it was a reminder of the tests posed by the Premier League. De Zerbi said: “We are Brighton and maybe the people are confused when they think of Brighton. “Brighton can lose the game with West Ham. Why not? “They can lose the game against Everton. “Then we want to win against everyone. We are playing with courage, with pride and we want to make our fans happy, winning every game or winning the Europa League. “But we can’t forget we are Brighton. “YOU can’t forget we are Brighton. “YOU can’t forget we lost three big players because we are not honest otherwise and I want to be honest. “I will fight to win every game but for us, for our fans, for our club, we have to be clear and honest.” After losing Julio Enciso to injury, De Zerbi said he wants a No.10 as well as a Caicedo type in midfield and one other player in an unspecified position. The latter may well be a specialist right-back. Here, they had found some momentum after a slow start when poor execution of the right plan caught them out. Adam Webster tried to force a pass but saw the ball cut out by Ward-Prowse, who helped it forward. That was when Webster should have kept it simple as he got to the ball before Antonio, rather than trying a pass back to Bart Verbruggen which fell short. Billy Gilmour got back to block from Ward-Prowse but the ball bounced back for the Hammer to tap in. De Zerbi said: “When we concede the first goal, the mistake by Adam Webster wasn’t the last part with Antonio. “With the pass, he took a big risk. In another way we can play, we move the ball faster to move the opponent right and left but we have to keep the ball. “We can’t lose the ball in that way because we were attacking with a lot of players and the first thing is to keep the ball and don’t lose the ball. “But anyway there was the possibility to defend better after this mistake on the pass. “But Webster is still one of the most important players and it is not a problem.” Alphonse Areola denied Evan Ferguson soon after that goal and early in the second period before Bowen outpaced Pervis Estupinan to reach Said Benrahma’s cross and finish cleverly. Antonio left Webster standing to drive home the third and, after Gross shot into the bottom corner to re-ignite hope, Areola’s saves from Joel Veltman and Ferguson killed hopes of a comeback. There were also penalty shouts for handball and for a clip on Kauro Mitoma, plus a goal-saving clearance by Danny Ings from a Lewis Dunk header, as Albion swarmed towards the North Stand. If you are going to lose, then go down fighting, attacking, giving it your all. Albion certainly did all that. But they should not have dug themselves that hole in the first place. Albion: Verbruggen; Milner (Veltman 72), Dunk, Webster, Estupinan: Gross, Gilmour (Lallana 60); March (72), Welbeck (Joao Pedro 60), Mitoma: Ferguson. Subs: Steele, Igor, Dahoud, van Hecke, Buonanotte Goal: Gross 81. Yellow card: Mitoma West Ham: Areola: Coufal, Zouma, Ogbonna, Emerson: Soucek (Benrahma 39), Alvarez (Fornals 84), Ward-Prowse: Bowen, Antonio (Kehrer 79), Paqueta (Ings 85). Subs: Fabianski, Johnson, Cresswell, Cornet, Mubama. Goals: Ward-Prowse 19, Bowen 58, Antonio 63. Yellow card: Ward-Prowse 24 (foul), Alvarez 45+1 (foul), Kehrer 89 (foul). Referee: Anthony Taylor. Minimum stoppage time indicated: 4+6.
Roberto De Zerbi
Posted inDaily News

#PLStories- Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi explains Bart Verbruggen debut #BHAFC

August 29, 2023
The Albion boss handed Holland under-21 international Bart Verbruggen his debut in place of Jason Steele against West Ham. Having made crucial saves in the first two games, Steele remained on the bench against the Hammers. De Zerbi said: “They will play depending on the opponent, depending on the physical condition, but I believe in Bart the same way as Jason. “They will play 50% of the games this year. “We are lucky to have in our squad two great goalkeepers.” Verbruggen, who was blameless on the West Ham goals, said: “Jason was doing really well but the thing is that we have a team where in every position we have more players who can play and make an impact. “I think that’s the biggest strength about this team. “If a person gets replaced, nothing really changes. “Of course everyone has his own characteristics and qualities, but there’s no huge changes. “I know that’s a strength of the team and everybody needs to be ready every week and that’s what I try to do.”
Rob Edwards
Posted inDaily News

#PLStories- Rob Edwards saw signs of real improvement in his Luton side despite Chelsea defeat #LUTONTOWNFC

August 28, 2023
Town boss Rob Edwards insisted he saw signs of real improvement in his side despite their 3-0 defeat at Chelsea on Friday night.The Hatters were going up against a team that on paper, cost just under the princely sum of £450m to assemble, with two £100m-plus midfielders patrolling the central areas in British transfer record holder Moises Caicedo and Argentina World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez.They dominated possession early on as expected, having the quality to take the lead through a fine solo goal from England international Raheem Sterling, himself a £47.5m acquisition last summer.Luton boss Rob Edwards greets opposite number Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge - pic: Liam SmithTown weren’t without their spells of pressure though, particularly before and after the break, but crucially they couldn’t find the net, Ryan Giles’ deflected shot saved by Robert Sanchez the closest they came.Sterling then added a second with 68 minutes gone, while Senegalese forward Nicholas Jackson, who cost a mere £31.8m, still far more than Town’s entire squad was put together for, completed the scoring.Despite that, Edwards felt Luton had been better than their opening day 4-1 reverse at Brighton & Hove Albion, saying: “We don't like losing, I’ve got to stress that.“We know we want to win games, we know we want to get points, but I've seen improvement from 13 days ago.“I saw we can compete with a top, top team for massive spells of the game, so that's a huge thing to be proud of and to take positives from.“The lads have reacted so, so well from Brighton."We’re going to be able to take loads from this game and a lot of it are positives, but we know there are areas we need to keep working on and improving, but we were competitive with Chelsea Football Club.“I’m not going to go through the numbers, we all know, they're a huge club who have won the Champions League a couple of times in recent years, so lets be honest, should we be competing with them?“But we did, so loads of good stuff.“Where we've got to improve now, is continue to work really hard, and those moments, at both ends of the pitch are really, really key now.“We did create half opportunities, and one decent one.“You don't get many when you come here, so we've got to try and be a bit more ruthless and then at the bottom end, if we get a little bit stretched we've just got to make sure we close those gaps really, really quickly."They've got the quality to pick someone out, they’ve got the quality to then finish it, but lots to take, lots of positive things.”Town looked like they might be able to cause an upset in the early stages of the second period, as they began to have the better of proceedings, none more so than when Giles went close.Edwards knows it’s moments like that they need to really drive home their advantage at this level, as he continued: “I felt we started the second half really well, very positively."We had the territory, it was in their half, we weren’t able to create loads of chances, but I felt we’re looking strong in this game now, maybe they were ready to have a little bit of a wobble."We had moments to cross, we just lacked that little bit of quality, that little finesse, we didn’t pick someone out."Ryan Giles had a good opportunity that was half blocked, probably our cleanest one“It was a big moment for us, you’re not going to get many chances here at Stamford Bridge, but that was a really well-worked opportunity and really they defended it well as they got the block.“Then the game was going a bit more end-to-end, getting a bit stretched, and clearly then they become very dangerous as well, but because we’re in the game you can't change too much."You’ve got to hope that we can see any dangerous moments out, that second goal probably deflated us a little bit, we've got to make sure that we learn that third one doesn’t come, because even at 2-0 you’re still in the game.”After being breached by Sterling’s close-range finish for the crucial second goal, and then conceding again shortly afterwards, Jackson prodding home, with 15 minutes to go, there was a worry Town could go under and their goal difference take a hit.However, they didn’t and almost grabbed a consolation for the 3,054 away fans to celebrate, substitute Jacob Brown going close, lofting his effort off target when looking to capitalise on some defensive hesitancy.Edwards added: “I’m extremely proud of the group, as I saw full commitment to the gameplan, saw a group that stayed together right to the very, very end, didn't go under, and it competed with a brilliant football team.“I can see a real cohesion in the group, well organised, and a commitment there as well, so there’s a lot of good things, but we don’t like losing, none of us like losing and we want to pick up points.“We're a new group as well, I've got to stress that."There's a lot of new players there experiencing Premier League football for the first time and it doesn't get more difficult than Brighton away and Chelsea away.“Maybe one or two games, but we can take a lot from it, we'll learn and learn quickly, but I think we'll see more improvement in a week's time.”
Roberto De Zerbi
Posted inDaily News

#PLStories- Roberto De Zerbi reacts to Brighton’s 3-1 defeat against West Ham #WHUFC

August 27, 2023
But he said they lost balance in the 3-1 defeat. Albion had plenty of possession and territory but were hit a ruthless away side who also defended in depth. De Zerbi said: “I’m disappointed with the result. “It wasn’t the best game in my time but I think we didn’t play bad. “We didn’t play a great, great game but we played a good game - enough to get a point. “We conceded the first goal in a bad way, in a stupid way. “I don’t understand yet what happened in the part of the pitch in that situation between Webster and Antonio and we concede a goal. “And then West Ham defended in the last 20 minutes with very small spaces and it became very difficult to find the condition to score. “Anyway, we shot 27 times, we created ten, 11 chances to score. “And in the second half I am disappointed because we lost the balance. “The games are 90 minutes plus extra time and we have not to lose the balance. “But we are Brighton. We have to improve the team, improve the players, improve the understanding of the game.” West Ham keeper Alphonse Areola made stunning saves from Joel Veltman and Evan Ferguson to cut short hopes of a comeback after Pascal Gross made it 3-1. De Zerbi said: “Areola was, I think, the best player on the pitch but West Ham are still a very good team. “In the last transfer market you can understand how many very good players they brought.”
Andoni Iraola
Posted inDaily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola on loss to Tottenham Hotspur #AFCB

August 27, 2023
Cherries fell to a 2-0 defeat to Spurs, with goals from James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, either side of half-time. Shortly before Kulusevski’s goal, Iraola made a double change with Jaidon Anthony and Hamed Traore replacing Justin Kluivert and Christie, the latter having impressed in the first half particularly. Reflecting on the defeat, Iraola told the Daily Echo: “After the game you think and probably I shouldn’t have taken Ryan out from the game. “Especially without the ball, he was pressing really well. He was doing a good amount. “Probably I wanted to go a little bit more offensive, but we were worse I think from that point. “I don’t know if it’s after the subs or after the 2-0, because it was just one minute later. But probably until the 62nd minute, we were playing well against a very good team. “We were having our chances, I was quite happy with the performance. “From there, we couldn’t keep the intensity and they were controlling the game much easier.” He added: “I was disappointed with the end of the game, after 2-0. “I think until 2-0, the team was playing well. It looked like in this moment we had the chances to score for 1-1, but from there we lacked a little bit of intensity. “They were more comfortable on the ball and we didn’t finish the game well.” Cherries are still searching for their first win, with one point from their opening three fixtures. They head to Swansea City in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, before travelling to Brentford in the Premier League next weekend. “We knew from the beginning we had a really tough schedule to start,” said Iraola. “But now we also have some important players out with injuries. “But we have to keep competing and try and take points from every game.”
Tyler Adams Leeds
Posted inDaily News

#PLStories- Tyler Adams explains why he chose to join AFC Bournemouth after leaving Leeds United #AFCB

August 22, 2023
Adams over the weekend completed his switch to the south coast from Leeds United, for a reported £23million. The midfielder made 26 appearances for Leeds last season, but could not prevent them from suffering relegation into the Championship. However, he has quickly found himself back in the top tier, with Cherries. “I’m very excited to say the least,” the 24-year-old told afcbTV. “The excitement of the Premier League last year was amazing. It was a dream come true to have an opportunity to represent a team and obviously how the season ended wasn’t to my liking. “Now to have the opportunity to join another amazing club like Bournemouth, I’m very excited to get started.” Asked what he learnt about the Premier League from playing in it last season, the USA captain added: “That it’s the best league in the world. It definitely doesn’t lack quality. “Week in, week out you’re playing games against the highest calibre of players, highest calibre of managers and it throws something new at you every opportunity that you get. “Growing up, all I watched was the Premier League. So last year, having that opportunity to fulfil that dream was amazing.” Adams had previously been linked with a move away to Chelsea earlier this summer, but has now completed his switch to Cherries. “A lot of things attracted me to Bournemouth,” he explained. “The manager himself is one of the up and coming young managers in the world. “He was actually playing for NYCFC when I was playing at New York Red Bulls and coming through the system there, so having a little bit of familiarity there. “The amazing sporting director (Richard Hughes) and CEO (Neill Blake), through so many conversations about how I’ll be used in this amazing project that they’re building here was very exciting as well.” He added: “The club’s ambition is something that matches mine for sure. “They want to take their game to the top and they have people in and around the club now that are able to do that. “When they showed that ambition through the owner, the CEO and the sporting director, now having an ambitious coach as well, attracting players, which is very important obviously to the succession of the team, it excited me a lot.” During his time with New York Red Bulls and RB Leipzig, Adams has already racked up trophies including the MLS Supporters Shield and DFB-Pokal. Discussing those past experiences he can bring into the young squad at Cherries, the Wappingers Falls-born talent said: “I’ve been extremely fortunate for some of the clubs that I’ve played in and some of the situations that I’ve been involved in. “Winning a Supporters Shield in MLS at a very young age inside a very good team, going to Germany and playing in a couple of cup finals and having the opportunity to win one as well. “I’ve been very fortunate I would say. The teams that I’ve been on have been very, very good. “And taking those experiences and taking that hunger to want to win titles, hopefully I can bring that here and start to push the club forward.”
Roberto De Zerbi
Posted inDaily News

#PLStories- Roberto De Zerbi dedicates Brighton win to Italian coach Carlo Mazzone #BHAFC

August 20, 2023
A devastating start to the second half saw them secure a 4-1 success at Wolves. The head coach said the win was in memory of Carlo Mazzone, who had three years in charge of Brescia during a long coaching career and has died at the age of 86. De Zerbi said: "He was one of the best Italian coaches. He was a coach of my town. He was a big man, big person and big coach. “I’m really pleased with the performance and the result. We played really well. “I’m really pleased because we changed three players in the starting XI and they played like the last game against Luton." De Zerbi felt his side could have pushed on after Solly March (2) and Pervis Estupinan added to Kaoru Mitoma’s sensational first-half opener. He added: “We’ve started very well in the Premier League and we played very well until we it was 4-0. “Then we could play better but anyway, I’m happy. If we something to improve, we can do so in that part of the game. “But I’ve spoken to the players and I’ve spoken my opinion to them. “If we want to fix big targets, we can improve."
Jurgen Klopp Liverpool
Posted inDaily News

#PLStories- Jurgen Klopp unhappy with Alexis Mac Allister red card #LFC

August 20, 2023
The former Brighton & Hove Albion man was given his marching orders after catching Ryan Christie with a late tackle early in the second half at Anfield. Liverpool led 2-1 at the time, going on to secure a 3-1 victory, cancelling out Antoine Semenyo's early opener. Asked about Mac Allister's red card, Liverpool boss Klopp said: "I saw it back. The amount of times I got asked about it shows already it’s worth discussing it again, which we will probably be. "I asked Macca and he said ‘I touched him, but not really’. That was all he told me and then after the game I saw him back and if you are going to have a list of points we need to give a red card, I think the majority, besides contact, no other box is actually ticked at that moment. "It is a decision I think we all agree if he gives a yellow card, VAR will not overturn it and now they have given a red card VAR is not overturning it because the contact means there is no clear and obvious mistake. "But I think the punishment, 40 minutes with 10 men today, is already punishment enough. We have to talk to the authorities."