Marco Rose made his first public appearance as AFC Bournemouth's new head coach ahead of the training camp in Austria, giving an interview to the media.
He spoke about his feelings on taking over the team, expectations for European competitions, and transfer plans, among other topics. Rose first stated that he was thoroughly enjoying his initial time at AFC Bournemouth. "Honestly, I'm really enjoying it. I've settled in well, and everyone is very friendly. The working environment here is ideal, and everyone is fully supportive of me. The culture and atmosphere here are incredible, and I'm grateful and looking forward to more, as this is only my first week of coaching."
Speaking about inviting U9 academy players to watch training and interact in his first week of training, Rose said: "I think it's something coaches should value wherever they are. Children are our future, and seeing them so happy, with their eyes sparkling, it's a joy to have them here."
AFC Bournemouth finished sixth in the Premier League last season, qualifying for European competition for the first time. Rose admitted this brought pressure. "There is indeed pressure, but I must say, when we started talking, I knew it was a good choice. I watched many games, and the team performed exceptionally well. Now we're in the Europa League, which is a fantastic achievement for the club, and they fully deserve it. My job is to maintain the team's culture and proactive style of play. I'm excited and happy to be here."
Rose revealed that he had an in-depth conversation with former head coach Iraola. "It helped me a lot. We talked for about an hour, and if it weren't for other commitments, we might have talked for two or three hours. That's the consensus among high-level coaches."
Regarding the challenge of competing on multiple fronts, Rose said: "It's a huge challenge, but we will prepare in the best possible way. We're not going to Europe to enjoy ourselves; we want to remain competitive and go further in the Europa League. We're not just going sightseeing; we want to win."
Regarding the transfer window, Rose said the team needed to strengthen specific positions. "We lost Marcos Senesi, so we need to find a new left-sided centre-back. We've already signed striker Álvaro, who has huge potential. We'll also look at the right-back position. Other positions have sufficient personnel, so we're not in a hurry and can take it step by step."
Speaking about the retention of young players, especially Alex Scott, who has two years left on his contract, Rose said: "At the moment, I don't feel anyone wants to leave. I will have individual conversations with the players. Alex knows what he has at this club. For young players, choosing the right time to take the next step is important. If you move too fast, you might not get playing time, and the environment could become difficult."
Rose frankly stated that his coaching style would be similar to Iraola's but with slight differences. "I might be more aggressive, but that's actually very difficult to achieve. We'll only make small adjustments, such as having more players come into the central areas when in possession to build more connections. Defensively, we'll also find a balance between space and opponents based on the players' characteristics."
When asked about the use of academy players, Rose said: "I've already spoken to the U21 coach and watched their training and matches. Now we have five young players training with the first team, including 16-year-old Sak. Having them train with us gives them the opportunity to show they can break into the first team."
Regarding the right-back position, Rose said existing players all have a chance. "Adam Smith and Aarons, who has returned from loan, are among those in the squad. I will assess their performance after the training camp before deciding on the next steps."
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Born to be Amazing, Bournemouth 👌🏻