“December and January is brutal” – Iraola’s press conference before Bournemouth face Brighton on Monday night

Andoni Iraola gives his thoughts on injuries, poor away form and the harshness of football in December and January ahead of Bournemouth’s game away at Brighton.

 

Alex Toth

 

Iraola was asked about whether the club is progressing in their pursuit of Hungarian talent Alex Toth. In response, the Bournemouth manager said the club is working to sign players, but he cannot speak on players that are not at the club.

 

Squad Depth

 

When asked about Bournemouth’s current squad depth, Iraola responded saying it is “quite thin”.

 

He explained that Enes Unal has an abductor injury that will rule him out for two or three weeks.

 

David Brooks twisted his ankle against Newcastle on Saturday with a decision still to be made on whether he can play on Monday.

 

Ryan Christie is “feeling better”.” But with the loss of Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City, Justin Kluivert’s injury and Brooks being a doubt, it’s not surprising that Iraola describes his squad depth as ‘quite thin’.

 

“December and January is brutal”, the Spaniard stated.

 

Away form

 

Iraola was also asked about Bournemouth’s poor form away from home. The Cherries have won just one game away from home this season.

 

“It concerns me”, Iraola stated in response to the question. He explained that his team score a lot, but they also concede too many goals.

 

Alex Jimenez

 

Iraola ended the press conference by talking about Alex Jimenez, who signed in the summer. The Cherries’ manager said: “Alex is playing very well. He is improving a lot, and that is important for a young player.”