The Bournemouth boss has earned praise for the club's excellent Premier League campaign so far but revealed that he was reluctant to become a coach because of the stress that comes with the job.

Iraola told the Independent: "I never had it very clear that I wanted to be a manager because I always said to my coaches, 'I don't envy your work'. They were always worried, with a lot on their minds."

The manager spends 24 hours reflecting on games but is keen to put defeats aside as it impacts the mood at the club for the entire week.

The Spaniard said: "Otherwise, you are still too dependent on the last result, and I don't want my life and our week to be like this."

Iraola also confessed that he "doesn't watch too much football outside the Premier League" as he prefers to spend time with his family.

He said: "I've learned a lot from my playing years. When you are playing, you think everyone is watching you. Then, when you finish playing, you realise you're not that important.

"In the end, it's a game, football. I think I've learned now to take things with less urgency or less dramatics. I think it's the only way to enjoy this profession, otherwise you go crazy."

Iraola explained that it was love rather than an obsession with the sport that convinced him to go into management.

He said: "I've said many times I wasn't afraid of failing because I wasn't really sure this was what I was going to do. I still feel like a player. If I could continue playing, I would.

"This is the best thing you can do, and I wanted to see if I enjoyed being a manager, or if I felt too much pressure and thought, 'This is not for me'. I wanted to take the decision early and I didn't care where I started."