Southampton will face three London clubs before the end of the year, with Fulham, West Ham, and Crystal Palace up next.
Southampton are on the verge of appointing Ivan Juric as their next manager following Russell Martin’s dismissal this week. The Croat was most recently the manager of Roma, who fired him in November after only 12 games in charge and will make his Premier League debut.
Former West Ham manager David Moyes and current Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl were tipped as frontrunners for the job at St Mary’s, but the south coast club appears to have found their man in Juric. The 49-year-old is largely unknown to Premier League competition, yet he arrives with
pedigree. Juric, who is poised to sign an 18-month contract, is unlikely to lead the side against Fulham on Sunday, but he might be in charge on Boxing Day at West Ham and against Crystal Palace on December 29. LondonWorld examines what the Hammers and Eagles can already determine about the new-look Saints squad.
Southampton ready to appoint Ivan Juric
Juric’s coaching career began as an assistant to Gian Piero Gasperini at Inter and Palermo. Gasperini is well-known for his defensive organization and disciplined mentality, which have become hallmarks of Juric’s style.
The Croatian has managed Genoa, Hellas Verona, and Torino, earning a reputation for steadiness despite limited financial resources. Those stretches on his CV undoubtedly made him an appealing choice for the Saints, who are currently bottom of the Premier League league, four points from safety.
The Guardian’s in-depth look at the manager’s tactics at Torino praised the team’s ‘high press’ and the coach’s aim to have players partnered up one-on-one with opponents all over the field. It also detected the’sheer levels of hostility’ in a team whose forwards were encouraged to attack the ball carrier at all times. West Ham and Crystal Palace should expect’messy’ Saints.
What was the result? ‘Messy match’. Juric’s Torino team was noted for committing many more fouls than any other team in Serie A, but those fouls were frequently tactical rather than reckless. The outlet referred to those techniques as a ‘death metal’ approach, alluding to the manager’s fondness for the type of music. Juric once remarked about his love of music: “I started with Metallica and Megadeth when I was 14 years old, and then I moved on to more aggressive things. I love death metal bands like Napalm Death, Obituary, and Carcass.”
All of this bodes well for Southampton, which needs a boost ahead of upcoming games against London clubs. West Ham have drawn and won their past two games before facing Brighton this weekend.
The Hammers then go to Southampton on Boxing Day, where Julen Lopetegui is anticipated to win given the Saints’ form. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace faces a challenging journey to AFC Bournemouth before welcoming the Saints to Selhurst Park to close off the calendar year.
Leave a Reply