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Somewhere in a parallel universe, Andoni Iraola is in the midst of overseeing his first few matches in charge of Tottenham. The Bournemouth boss was heavily linked with the vacant manager’s post in north London following Ange Postecoglou’s departure, but Spurs instead went in Thomas Frank’s direction as they opted for a slightly more cautious approach following the ‘It’s just who we are, mate’ era.
Frank, of course, had made an excellent start to life at Tottenham after following up almost beating Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup by winning his opening two Premier League matches in charge, the second of which at the Etihad Stadium was mightily impressive. However, he and his team were brought back down to earth on Saturday as Iraola masterminded one of the most one-sided 1-0 wins in recent Premier League history.
Though Evanilson’s fifth-minute strike needed a deflection to find the back of the net, it was no more than the Cherries deserved from what was an utterly dominant performance on the road. Bournemouth mustered 20 shots in comparison to Spurs’ five as the hosts failed to even win a corner on a chastening day for Frank and his charges.
Iraola, it must be remembered, is managing a squad that lost its goalkeeper, three of its four first-choice defenders and a key forward in Dango Ouattara during the summer window, yet Bournemouth are two late Liverpool goals on the opening day away from having made an unbeaten start to the campaign. The Spaniard is undoubtedly one of the most impressive young coaches in European football, and it is surely only a matter of time before he follows Frank in stepping up to take charge of a Champions League-level club.
