Andoni Iraola has made Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium an intimidating  place to go to, even for the top sides. Arsenal lost there last month…

…and this month, the Cherries beat  Man City on the south coast. Despite the win, Iraola complained that his team had played too defensively.

The Spaniard’s perfectionism comes from his time as a player at New York City, where coach Patrick Vieira changed his way of looking at soccer.

While in the US, Iraola also developed a passion for the NFL. With club-mate David Villa, he’d go to MetLife Stadium to watch Giants and Jets games.

Not only wowed by the experience of attending NFL games, he was also impressed by the tactical complexity of teams’ offensive and defensive play.

It prompted an eagerness to learn more about how NFL teams prepare behind the scenes; how they’re able to implement such a variety of set plays.

Iraola compares it to soccer teams’ preparations for dead-ball situations - an area in which he’s establishing himself as something of a maestro.

Of the 15 goals that Iraola’s Bournemouth team have scored in  the Premier League this season, four have come about from set pieces.

Against Arsenal, for example, the hosts opened the scoring from a corner, executing a slick practice-field routine worthy of the NFL.

Iraola has taken Bournemouth to the cusp of the European spots, having won more than twice as many points as the Cherries had this time last term.