Southampton Manager Ivan Juric Discusses Club Contact, Squad Potential, and Tactical Approach

Southampton manager Ivan Juric addressed the media today in advance of the Premier League fixture against West Ham, scheduled for a 15:00 GMT kick-off. The following are the principal points from his press conference: Juric disclosed that Southampton first approached him two years ago. He stated, “It was the first time I started to think about Southampton. I was the coach at Torino at the time and stayed there, but I always liked thinking about Southampton. I know lots of players because of that. It was my wish to come here.” He offered his perspective on the current squad, commenting, “I saw some good things and some bad things. The team has potential and can do much better than they are doing. I’m very optimistic we can do better and start to get points.” When questioned about the playing style he intends to introduce, he responded, “It’s a high-pressure style, and I want our team to be competitive and solid. With time, I want to get better in possession and attacking – but the first thing is that we are competitive in every game.” Juric further added, “”What I really like to do is improve players. I am obsessed. If you give me the player whose value is five, after one year it’s eight. I like to work and analyse. My satisfaction is individual players getting better and the team getting better.” Juric described the Premier League as the “best league in the world” and identified former Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa as one of his inspirations within the competition. He remarked, “I was watching a lot of games from him. His style of football is not the same [as mine], but I like the way he thinks about football.” Regarding potential activity in the January transfer window, he was asked and replied, “We have time to understand the team and what we need. If it’s possible to change something, then we will change.”