Premier League strugglers Southampton have named former Roma coach Ivan Juric as Russell Martin's permanent successor.
The Saints parted ways with Martin In the immediate hours after suffering a humiliating 5-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur at St. Mary's last Sunday. Caretaker manager Simon Rask watched as Southampton narrowly trailed By defeating Liverpool 2-1 in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals midweek, but a new coach has now been revealed.
“I'm very happy,” Juric told Southampton's official website upon his appointment. “I think it's a really big challenge, but I'm very optimistic because I've seen a team that can do better.”
The 49-year-old Croatian has spent his entire coaching career in Italy. After two highly successful years at the helm of underfunded Hellas Verona, Juric has led Torino to a third successive mid-table finish. After parting ways with Torino over the summer, Juric made just eight league appearances Rome Before he was replaced by Claudio Ranieri in November.
Juric is passionate about heavy metal music and is trying to replicate that intensity in his players, and he will have a lot of work to do on the South Coast. “It is important that we communicate immediately with the fans,” he said. “I want a strong team and I think Southampton fans will like that.”
Speaking about his preferred style of play, Juric explained: “I want us to be more aggressive, apply more pressure, and we have to be quick to change the mentality because that is my idea of football.”
Interim President Rusk is expected to remain at the helm of the team for a period SouthamptonPremier League meeting with Fulham on Sunday lunchtime. Regardless of the weekend's outcome, Juric will inherit a team entrenched at the bottom of the league Premier League table.