EXCLUSIVE: Fletcher tips Iraola for Liverpool success but admits expectations are different

[p]Despite losing half their squad, the Cherries finished sixth and qualified for Europe for the first time in their 127-year history, and they are seeking to become the third straight English team to win the UEFA Europa League.[/p][p]“[b]The most important thing for us, as always, is to stay in the Premier League. It's imperative we stay in the top flight, the most competitive, if not the best league in the world[/b],” stated [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bournemouth/OtpNdwrc/"]Bournemouth[/a]’s all-time appearance maker Steve Fletcher in an exclusive [i][b]Flashscore [/b][/i]interview.[/p][p]“We can't let other things get in the way of that, because that's our bread and butter, that's what's making the club grow and giving us the opportunity to play teams in Europe. If we can finish top half in the Premier League and have a good run in the Europa League, and maybe in one of the cups, that would be a phenomenal season.[/p][p]“[b]We'll see what's ahead; either way, it's a fairytale season. Obviously, we want a good run in Europe; that would be great to go along with it. If not, then we have a couple of cup competitions, but this is the first time ever in the club's history that I'm speaking to anyone and mentioning Europe[/b].[/p][p]"Usually it's just the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the League Cup, but to be talking about Europe is crazy. We've got a good squad, we're going to be competitive, and I hope we can go to these new countries for the first time, do ourselves justice, and represent the club and the Premier League in a great way.”[/p][image alt="Bournemouth pre-season results" id="e4ebcc89-dca6-438c-84f4-a3f36532e1ce" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="76df77b2-f514-4878-9188-2254c2e93edf" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p]Fletcher spent 15 years at Bournemouth before departing in 2007, but he soon returned to Dean Court and rescued them from the brink of relegation from the fourth tier, scoring the winner on the penultimate match of the 2008/09 season to secure safety.[/p][p]Had they fallen to non-league football, they would have folded as a club after accumulating debts of £4 million. Instead, they won two promotions in the next four years, ascending to the second tier for the first time in a quarter-century.[/p][p]Fletcher retired in 2013 with 122 goals in 726 appearances for Bournemouth, watching proudly as they reached the English top-flight for the first time ever in 2015 before dropping back down in 2020.[/p][p]Bournemouth bounced back two years later, with Gary O’Neil taking charge a month into the season and narrowly escaping relegation, but it wasn’t enough to prevent new American owner Bill Foley from replacing him with Spanish manager Andoni Iraola from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/rayo-vallecano/8bcjFy6O/"]Rayo Vallecano[/a].[/p][p]Iraola steered them to 12th, 9th, and 6th before eventually departing for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/liverpool/lId4TMwf/"]Liverpool[/a]. Marco Rose has been chosen to fill the void, with the German boasting 79 matches in the UEFA Europa League and Champions League - the highlight being a run to the 2017/18 Europa League semi-finals with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/salzburg/Olvehxrl/"]Red Bull Salzburg[/a].[/p][image alt="Bournemouth's new boss Marco Rose" id="57f8256c-9b0f-4a6f-8448-a05d346cc2ef" credit-line="ČTK / imago sportfotodienst / Paul Fritz" guid="d279368e-c76d-4e6a-af3a-6a5b216009f0" original-width="1400" original-height="933" /][p]“[b]Losing our manager Andoni was a blow for the football club[/b],” lamented Fletcher. “[b]He waited right until the end of the season because he loved the club so much; he hadn't made his mind up, but I think the Liverpool thing came quite quickly[/b].[/p][p]"I don't think it was something that was planned much in advance. I think the opportunity came along, and how could you turn it down, you know? It's one of the biggest clubs in the world. Andoni had three seasons, and every season he bettered the points tally; he got higher in the league, and he finished 6th on the highest points we've ever had, 57 points, and then got us into Europe.[/p][p]"[b]He can leave this football club as a legend or one of the most legendary managers we've ever had. Good luck to him; we wish him all the best at Liverpool, because he’s a good human being[/b].[/p][p]“[b]He won't change his style of play; I know what he's like. He'll play a certain way; he likes fast, attractive, aggressive football, and he'll press from the front. You could call it a little bit kamikaze football at times, but he likes a bit of the chaos in the middle of the park, and he trusts his players to be 1v1 in certain situations. He'll definitely entertain the crowds[/b].[/p][p]"Can he succeed? 100% he can. The players have got to buy into what he wants to do, and he needs to get off to a good start. If you get results, players believe in you, and when they believe in you, they play at their best.[/p][p]"[b]It doesn't matter if you're Andoni or you're a manager in League Two, you get off to a good start as a new manager, players buy into your philosophy, your way of playing, your ethos, and anything can happen from there[/b].[/p][p]"He will be expected to compete, that's for sure. They're Liverpool; they're used to winning trophies, they're used to competing year in, year out.”[/p][p]“[b]Liverpool is a global phenomenon, and they're going to expect big things. The only difference he will experience from being the manager at Bournemouth is that the expectation level at Liverpool Football Club is beyond belief[/b].[/p][p]"My two friends who are the coaches – Tommy Elphick and Sean Cooper – I speak to them on a regular basis. They've gone up with Andoni to Liverpool, and they just said the magnitude of this football club is beyond belief after touring America for two weeks.[/p][p]"[b]They said, ‘The levels of support out there – you get off the coach, and 400 people are waiting at the hotel.’ It's just on another scale…the expectation level will be very different to what it was at Bournemouth[/b].”[/p][image alt="Iraola during Liverpool training" id="309ab4dc-122b-436d-a77d-a364ea6d9f3d" credit-line="Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images" guid="b276c6a7-a7a5-4765-ba05-c6651ee44fae" original-width="4500" original-height="3001" /][p]When Bournemouth opened the 2025/26 season at Liverpool, they did so with a fairly new-look team: this time, they’ll be kicking off their season at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-city/Wtn9Stg0/"]Manchester City[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/bournemouth-OtpNdwrc/manchester-city-Wtn9Stg0/?mid=ILLvry8r"]on Sunday[/a] with what should be a recognisable unit.[/p][p]While [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kroupi-eli-junior/fHMXip22/"]Eli Junior Kroupi[/a] is sidelined with a metatarsal fracture, Bournemouth nevertheless have ample attacking options to fill his void in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/evanilson/lUqxFifa/"]Evanilson[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rayan/CSiH3dM4/"]Rayan[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tavernier-marcus/jFqXIRZj/"]Marcus Tavernier[/a], and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kluivert-justin/fq4lU5sI/"]Justin Kluivert[/a]. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/smith-adam/vewNL4A3/"]Adam Smith[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/truffert-adrien/WQprkBYj/"]Adrien Truffert[/a] have formed a dominant full-back pairing, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/scott-alex/boFdbMyt/"]Alex Scott[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cook-lewis/hlNJy0R1/"]Lewis Cook[/a] have excelled in midfield, whilst [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/petrovic-dorde/2F8I5Zyo/"]Djordje Petrovic[/a] has proved solid in goal.[/p][p]The one incognito could be in central defence, as summer arrival Antonio Silva looks to fill [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/senesi-marcos/tzX63L7E/"]Marcos Senesi[/a]’s void and beat out [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hill-james/l4mcNZuS/"]James Hill[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/diakite-bafode/YeGIfsnH/"]Bafode Diakite[/a] to a starting spot in the middle.[/p][p][b]“I'm looking forward to seeing [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/doak-ben/ldgTlLCC/"]Ben Gannon-Doak[/a], because he was injured a lot last season, so there's not too much expectation for him,”[/b] mentioned Fletcher. “[b]He came from Liverpool and got injured, but he thankfully recovered before the World Cup and played a big part in Scotland. I'd like him to stay fit so that we can see what he's got, because I know he's an exciting wide player.[/b][/p][p]"I’d like to see whether Alex Scott can carry on his form from last season, and whether Eli Junior Kroupi can get the goals.[/p][p]“[b]For me, it's not one person; it's whether those players who've done really well, like Rayan – he came in January, hit the ground running, and had a lot of publicity – can he then go again? I'd like to see how he's gonna be in his second season, because the limelight will be on him[/b].[/p][p]"James Hill got his opportunity at the back, and he took it with both hands and was one of our best players in his first-ever Premier League season… I can't wait to see if he can be the centre-half he was last season.”[/p][image alt="Bournemouth star Alex Scott is set to remain with the club" id="f84441d1-181c-42ac-9475-07691cc647b5" credit-line="ČTK / imago sportfotodienst / Paul Terry" guid="2f74ce93-e33d-45aa-94bb-8e87aa2990bc" original-width="1400" original-height="933" /][p]17 years after staring down the threat of liquidation, Bournemouth have consolidated their status as a comfortable top-half Premier League side, and now they have what it takes to mount a deep run in the Europa League.[/p][p]It remains to be seen whether they can achieve the ultimate prize in Frankfurt and become the latest English side to win European silverware after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/crystal-palace/AovF1Mia/"]Crystal Palace[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/aston-villa/W00wmLO0/"]Aston Villa[/a]. However, one thing’s for sure: they’ve already surpassed their wildest dreams by making it this far.[/p][p]“When Bill Foley took over, he said, ‘One day we will play in Europe', and as usual, he was right. Everything that he has predicted has come true so far.[/p][p]"[b]From our fans' perspective, they must be pinching themselves; for them, not even playing in the Premier League but the Championship would have been something that our fans could never have dreamt of in their wildest dreams, but to be playing in Europe is historic[/b].[/p][p]"Can we surpass what we did last season? I’m not sure. That’s a big ask: I won't be able to answer that until May. To surpass what we did last season is beyond anyone's expectations. I mean, to finish even in the top half is something that we would all dream of as a Bournemouth fan. To surpass last year's expectations, I think we've already done that once we play that first game in Europe.”[/p]