Andoni Iraola: Why are Premier League bosses struggling after reaching the ‘big-six’ clubs?

The reasons are not always immediately obvious, but they are constant.

There are more matches, including European competitions, and less time to prepare.

In the 2025-26 season, the traditional ‘big-six’ clubs have played an average of 55 matches in all competitions – eight more than any other Premier League side.

At other top-flight clubs, success can come from shrewd transfer business and over-performance in terms of resources.

In many cases, simply maintaining their Premier League status is the club’s main objective, and anything outside of that is considered a bonus – the opposite of what is expected to deliver trophies.

Expectations consistently exceed targets and meet them. Winning is not an incentive – it’s the minimum requirement.

Poor form that can be tolerated elsewhere can quickly become critical. The greater the pressure, the more powerful the inspection, and the smaller the margin of error.

Even managers with strong reputations and well-defined styles find adjustment difficult.

But this does not mean that the move will fail. Redknapp, Rodgers and Pochettino show he can work in different ways – and the Maresca Cups show success is possible.

Iraola came out Bournemouth After leading them to Europe for the first time, his next step will be even more significant.

There was a time in Europe Bournemouth Have you been useful to Iraola? Or can the Spaniard buck the trend and end the ‘big-six’ run of trophyless managers?