Bournemouth 'need to earn the right to play in Europe', says head coach Andoni Iraola

Head coach Andoni Iraola believes his club has to earn the right to play in Europe for the first time in the club's history.

"I think it's very difficult, honestly. I think we are there fighting with the teams that are going to be in the challenge in the end, but we have been very good; we've performed very well. We've been on the verge every time, so if you have a small dip, it's going to be impossible.

"We have to keep this level until the end and it's going to be very close. I hope we can talk about this when we have three or four games remaining, but we still have to earn the right to be in this challenge until the end," Iraola said to BBC Radio 5 Live.

In his first season at the club, Iraola led Bournemouith to a 12th place finish but has transformed the side in his second season, which also includes reaching the quarterfinals of the FA Cup, where they will face Manchester City.

The Spaniard believes time has helped him to understand his players and helped him bring the best out of his players.

"I think to be in the second season is very important. We have been much better, they know me much better, I know them much better. I know where they can perform better, the positions they can cover.

"It took some time at the beginning, but I think people talked up that we were bad at the start but we still had 25 points in the first half of last season. They took it quite fast, but we have been solid since then," he added.