Moroccan midfielder Amine Adli earns praise from Bournemouth boss after full debut at Leeds

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola has backed Moroccan midfielder Amine Adli to grow stronger after making his full debut in the Cherries’ 2-2 Premier League draw with Leeds United at Elland Road on Saturday.

Adli, a summer signing from Bayer Leverkusen, was handed his first starting opportunity, and Iraola believes the outing will serve as a valuable learning experience despite the demands of the occasion.

“I’ve talked with him at halftime,” Iraola told the Daily Echo. “Sometimes he does a very good action, he wins a very good ball and after he wants to do even a better one and risk too much the ball.”

The Spaniard stressed that the match demanded greater patience and control, particularly given the size and openness of Elland Road.

“Sometimes we needed, especially in this pitch, it’s the first time I played at Elland Road, it looks bigger, the pitch, like there are spaces everywhere and I think it looks quite big,” he explained.

The Bournemouth boss admitted his side’s usual fast-paced attacking style was not always suited to the conditions.

“We have to value possession, just give continuity, have some patience on the ball, don’t go as direct as we normally go and we should have taken care of the ball a little bit more,” Iraola noted.

“Normally we are a team that attacks fast. Today I think it was a game to have a little bit more patience because it was difficult to recover balls, because I think there were spaces for both teams and it was not easy to press.”

Adli’s debut was closely observed by Bournemouth supporters keen to see how the midfielder adapts to the Premier League.