Bournemouth: Andoni Iraola backs European bid with unique management style and appreciation for fundamentals

How can the club with the smallest stadium in the Premier League defeat Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham and Newcastle in the same three-month period? It's simple: master the basics.

Bournemouth have been teaching opposition teams the art of the basics all season. They run harder and farther than most opponents. They chase and push harder. Most importantly, they all work in perfect harmony.

This is a team that thrives in sync, bound together by a perfect understanding of how risk and reward work on the football field. No gimmicks, no ridiculously paid famous stars stealing the show, just a team full of workers.

This is in no way meant to sound reductive, quite the opposite. Bournemouth don't have the fortunes, nor a particularly large squad, but they are led by a manager who knows how to maximize every inch of his team's strengths, and who has a refreshing appreciation for football with… and No statistics.

Andoni Iraola knows only one way. His transitional style, constantly looking for a high turnover, is fascinating to watch when it clicks, and Newcastle's toppling on Saturday was just the latest in a long line of mesmerizing examples.

Bournemouth have done what very few teams have done or will do with Eddie Howe's side at St James' Park. Having the guts to compete with a team that has won nine successive wins in all competitions is either bold or stupid.

In recent weeks Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal (in the Carabao Cup) have proven to be the latter. But not Bournemouth. The Cherries know themselves well and they all stick to the same 'vertical' game plan week in and week out. Airola method.

“If we're going to lose, we're going to lose doing what we've been doing all season,” the coach told reporters after a thrilling 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge two weeks ago. He added: “Be more aggressive in pressing, more vertical, and more rhythmic,” as if getting a point away to Chelsea was not satisfactory.

Recently against Newcastle, the Spaniard congratulated his players for a beautiful, “perfect” performance. They made their hosts look ordinary.

Man marking has occurred all over the field. It was the under-heralded Ryan Christie who embodied this approach, making nine tackles at the weekend (the most by any midfielder in the Premier League this season), with his pressing key to Bournemouth's ability to regain possession quickly. .

They also forced Newcastle to make a season-high 38 failed passes in their own half.

Jamie Carragher has examined Bournemouth's success Monday Night Football“You will face a Newcastle midfield which I think in recent months is the best in the Premier League with Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton.

“Bournemouth like to press 4-4-2 and they played Newcastle, they were combative, but it's not just about energy, it's about precise timing and organization.”

Bournemouth move like puppets on a string, with one player jumping to press and close, triggering a movement for the next player to fall in line, which sends a signal to the next player and ripples throughout the team.

They were ahead on the ball too, playing 80 passes behind the offside line – more than any other team during Matchday 22 – and completing 16 dribbles, also a league high.

All this from a team plagued by recurring injuries midway through the season.

For perspective, Iraola is in good form with nine first-team players missing. But this does not change his demand for fast-paced aggression. The identity is consistent from match to match, and has become the hallmark of each of their 10 Premier League victories, regardless of the combination of players playing.

That's the real reveal here. While Mikel Arteta and Ange Postecoglou (and they are not the only culprits) complain about their teams' injuries and send out distress signals in most press conferences, Iraola gets on with things.

However, Bournemouth look livelier than ever – having been edged just once in their last six matches (against Everton), and by just a fractional distance (0.6km).

In 16 of their 22 league games this season, Bournemouth have surpassed their opponents' expected goals total, including matches against Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea. 45 shot conversions is a number that even Premier League captains and journalism masters cannot match.

The impact of substitutions within the match also made a difference, with Bournemouth winning 17 points through goal contributions (13) from the bench. This may be the reason behind the growing buzz around Iraola's place among the elite of managers, who is said to be attracting the attention of struggling Tottenham and others.

Bournemouth's prosperity will, for many, be one of the unexpected stories of recent months, but its veracity cannot be denied. Work hard, work smart, and punching above your weight becomes much less demanding.

The hype is certainly building and will continue to do so if Iraola can orchestrate more of the same in this exciting quest for European football.