Tavernier, Truffert and Iraola Speak on a Rollercoaster Week at Bournemouth

After another weekend to remember, the reaction from Marcus Tavernier, Adrien Truffert and head coach Andoni Iraola all seemed to underline that AFC Bournemouth’s unity and momentum is strong than ever following their impressive 2-1 victory over Newcastle United.

Indeed, any concerns that Iraola’s announcement that he will leave the club at the end of the season might disrupt performances were quickly dismissed on the pitch.

Cherries winger Tavernier made it clear the squad had instead rallied behind their departing boss, telling BBC Match of the Day: "If anything, it has made us want us to run harder for him and finish the season off with something special.

"He has done a lot for this club and players, so it is only right we show him this reaction to finish off with something we can remember for a long time."

Iraola himself admitted there had been some uncertainty over how the news might land within the dressing room, adding: "You are always worried because when you give this kind of news, you don't know how everyone is going to react. I trust my players a lot and I know they want to push until the end."

That trust has been rewarded, with Bournemouth extending their unbeaten Premier League run to 13 matches and strengthening their push towards European qualification.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the win, Iraola praised both the performance and his players’ mentality, saying: "Very pleased, I think we played really well. We enjoyed playing it. At 1-1, the game changes which was expected, but we showed composure to keep playing and 2-1 is a lovely goal, and we deserved it".

"This is a very difficult place to come as an away team. They are so fast in the last line that you can lose those races, but overall we have defended really well."

On the bigger picture, he added: "We are in a good place and arriving at an important part of the season. We are trying to keep this unbeaten run [going] as long as we can because the players have shown me they will take no days off. We tried to continue playing, keep the ball and I think that's the way the second goal has arrived."

In a separate interview, goalscorer Tavernier, who also played a key part in Cherries' winner, echoed that confidence when speaking to Premier League Productions, highlighting the work behind Bournemouth’s form: "We're in great form, 13 unbeaten now. That's not lucky from us, we've worked hard and earned it on the training pitch."

Reflecting on his own contribution, he said: "The manager is always getting on to me about arriving at the back post."

He also praised Truffert after the defender netted his first goal for the club: "Nothing better when the ball goes in the back of the net, he deserves it and I think that was his first goal."

"We're performing consecutively for games and keeping our performances high and that's why we are doing well."

And on Iraola’s impending departure, he added: "Football changes thick and fast and it has made us want to compete more for the rest of the season. We want to achieve getting into Europe, it's tight in and around us at the moment."

Truffert himself, was glowing with joy, when speaking to AFCBTV's Neil Perrett, but despite his heroics in netting the winner, he was quick to emphasise that Bournemouth's run needs to keep going:

"We played well. It was a tough game. It's every time tough, but I'm very proud of everyone. Everybody's happy. And we have another game at home. We need to continue like this, continuing this great, ambitious run to continue winning.

Away, it's every time tough. But we show character. And I think when we play like this, it's going to be difficult to win against us.

On his very first Cherries goal, he said: "I'm very proud to help the team today. I want every time to help the team to play at 100% and if I can score, of course, I want to score every game, but sometimes it's not possible, but I'm very happy and very proud to help the team today".

Finally, on Iraola's departure, the French left-back was quick to express his gratitude for Iraola's tenure at AFC Bournemouth: "We can only thank him. But we will do it at the end of the season because we have still games. But everybody likes him. I think he's a top, top manager. And I hope he will continue this way to do a good career as a manager".

Iraola later reinforced his belief that his squad would not lose focus despite the circumstances, particularly as they chase a historic European place. He said: “For me, it would be massive. I want the players to feel and to have these chances. And it would be for me amazing because it would mean a lot for the players, for the supporters".

“It would be the first time in club history. But we are still very far. We cannot get ahead of ourselves because we still need a lot of points, a lot of wins, because there are a lot of teams in that fight.”

“Sometimes you don't play well, sometimes you play better, but they are competing every day. And I hope we can keep this momentum and this feeling, these good sensations we have until the very end of the season. We still have five games. We still have to get more points because we have some teams ahead of us, but we have the opportunity.”