Official: Juric new Southampton coach and calls for ‘aggressive’ football | OneFootball

Former Torino and Roma coach Ivan Juric is officially the new manager of Premier League side Southampton and started with some familiar phrases. ‘I want us to be more aggressive.’

The Croatian has spent most of his career in Italy, both as a player and then a coach, where he started out as an assistant manager to current Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini.

Juric shares Gasperini’s approach, including a three-man defence and focus on very aggressive high press tactics that require a lot of organisation and determination.

Southampton announced today that Juric has signed an 18-month contract with the Premier League side.

“I want us to be more aggressive, to do much more pressing and we have to be quick to change mentality because this is my idea of football,” Juric told the official Southampton website.

“I’m very pleased. I think it’s a really big challenge but I’m very optimistic because I saw a team that can do better.

“It’s important to immediately be connected with the fans. I want an aggressive team and I think that fans of Southampton will like that.”

Juric starts new career path at Southampton

epa11680700 AS Roma’s coach Ivan Juric looks on during the UEFA Europa League soccer match AS Roma vs Dynamo Kyiv at Olimpico stadium in Rome, Italy, 24 October 2024. EPA-EFE/ALESSANDRO DI MEO

Juric had left Torino over the summer, then was drafted in by Roma to replace Daniele De Rossi on September 18 on a short-term contract.

It was shorter than he expected, lasting only four wins, three draws and five defeats until he was sacked on November 10 to make way for Claudio Ranieri.

Some of his comments to the Saints fans are very similar to the ones he made during his first few press conferences at Roma.

“What I saw last season in the first phase of the De Rossi era was a very aggressive Roma, and that seemed like something the players relished.

“More that about physical intensity, it’s about knowing your position and making it a balanced team. Many of the players I had at Torino were not suited to my football, but in the end they managed to adapt.

“My idea is to continue being very aggressive and with a high press.”

Juric is a very fiery character indeed, who has been sent off several times from the touchline and famously got into a physical fight with his then Torino director Davide Vagnati.