'Iraola more than justified his hiring'
Bournemouth learned before kick-off on Saturday that they were mathematically safe from relegation with seven league games still to play (courtesy of Luton’s defeat by Manchester City) – a feat worth mentioning in a campaign where many pundits tipped the Cherries for relegation while questioning the appointment of Andoni Iraola as boss.
Having already surpassed last season’s totals (37 goals and 39 points) with room to spare (47 goals and 42 points, with six games left), added to Iraola’s exciting brand of attacking football, the Spaniard has more than justified his hiring.
While the club record of 46 points from 2016-17 remains firmly in Bournemouth’s sights, an unfathomable European tilt looks out of reach now.
Fans of any team can reel off a list of “if only” moments from every season, and the Cherries are no different. Take away 90th-minute equalisers or winners conceded to Brentford, Aston Villa, Newcastle and Luton, and an extra seven points would have made a world of difference to their league placing.
However, to take the opposite view, Iraola’s side have not been averse to late shows of their own – scoring stoppage-time winners against Nottingham Forest and Everton, scraping a point against Sheffield United in the 91st minute, and having to mount a comeback for the ages to beat Luton 4-3 having trailed 3-0.
Looking at the season in context, then, helps to defuse the raw emotion in evidence on Saturday when a dominant performance against Manchester United brought only a 2-2 draw following controversial – and much-debated – penalty decisions at both ends.
If the Cherries felt harshly treated by the officials, it also should be recognised that they had the chances to have buried United before half-time if a more clinical edge could be found.
And taking four points from six – with an aggregate 5-2 scoreline – against a would-be European Super League founder member is an outcome for which everyone at the Dorset club would have settled before the season.
