23 December – Premier League Southampton confirm Croatian Ivan Jurich as their first team manager.
Zurich watched from the stands at the weekend as Saints drew 0-0 with Fulham, their sixth point in a miserable season that has seen them bottom of the table and eight points adrift of safety with 17 games played. This is the third worst start by any team in the Premier League.
Zurich took over from Russell Martin who refused to accept his playing philosophy for the holy grail of Premier League survival, something the club had mastered in previous years before being taken over by new owners two seasons ago. Saints were relegated from the Premier League in the first season under new ownership, were promoted again in their second season but are now in a very lonely last place.
“I want us to be more aggressive, press a lot more and be quick to change our mentality because that’s my idea of football,” Juric said of his appointment.
Ultimately Juric has nothing to lose as the club lag far behind the rest of the league – a seemingly impossible task – not least as they have managed just 11 goals in league play.
“Despite the club’s current position in the Premier League, we are focused on fighting for survival this season and believe this appointment will give us the necessary grit and determination to improve our results on the pitch,” a club press release said.
Juric has been handed an 18-month deal which will see him through to the end of the 2025-26 season which looks set to see Saints play in the Championship.
The 49-year-old’s management career was largely in Italy where he managed Mantova, Crotone, Genoa, Hellas Verona and Torino.
His previous stint was with Roma which lasted just 12 matches before he was sacked after the club dropped to 20m Serie A.
Saints spent £103 million in the last transfer window. They are unlikely to spend in January unless Juric can make an immediate change of fortune in the Christmas match schedule.
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