Ivan Juric eyeing great escape as he brings ‘death metal’ style to lowly Saints

New Southampton leader Ivan Juric insists the Premier League’s bottommost broadside tin do “something exceptional” successful their relegation conflict arsenic he prepares to instrumentality his “death metal” style of play.

The Croatian was successful the stands for Sunday’s goalless tie pinch Fulham arsenic he awaited a activity permit, and will return complaint for the first clip erstwhile Saints big West Ham connected Boxing Day.

Juric revealed his caller employers initially reached retired 2 years agone erstwhile he was successful complaint of Torino, and while he remained astatine the Serie A broadside the Southampton task ever remained a “dream.”

The 49-year-old said: “It will beryllium a very reliable occupation and I cognize that successful the history cipher stayed successful the Premiership pinch this situation, but for illustration I said, I deliberation location are a batch of bully players, and we person overmuch amended successful immoderate moments of the game.

“I americium optimistic. I’m really optimistic. Even the different day, I saw their mentality, and it’s the first measurement to doing better.

“I deliberation we tin do thing exceptional. The guys person to beryllium very motivated to do thing that never, cipher did.

“They don’t cognize maine but I cognize them. I said that I judge successful them, they person quality, they tin do it. Be positive, activity hard, and everything is possible.”

Juric signed an 18-month statement astatine St Mary’s and succeeds the sacked Russell Martin, who was often questioned for his determination not to sway from the style of shot that saw Southampton triumph promotion backmost to the Premier League successful May.

Asked astir his rumoured penchant for decease metallic music, Juric replied: “When I was young I liked decease metallic euphony a lot, and that’s thing I deliberation my style of shot is for illustration metallic music.

“Now a small spot less, I’m a small spot soft now, but it’s ever successful my head, bully metallic music.”

More tactically speaking Juric said his style was “work hard, property hard, play good, beryllium intense, each this stuff.

“I deliberation (the players) tin do it. They are young, they are positive, they want to activity hard. It’s not easy to alteration the style immediately, but we person to beryllium clever, not throwing what they did successful the past, but trying to put successful immoderate different things of course.”

Southampton, pinch six points, are 8 points from information aft Sunday’s stalemate.

The erstwhile Croatia midfielder began his managerial profession astatine Mantova earlier moving connected to Crotone, Genoa and Hellas Verona.

He led Torino to 3 mid-table finishes successful Serie A, forging a estimation for being successful complaint of defensively coagulated teams, earlier leaving them astatine the extremity of past season.

Juric replaced Daniele De Rossi arsenic Roma leader successful mid-September but lasted little than 2 months successful the Italian superior aft claiming only 4 wins from 12 games.

While immoderate managers mightiness beryllium intimidated by the imaginable of inheriting a relegation-battling side, Juric is unfazed.

He added: “It was a small spot of a dream, the Southampton opportunity, and I was reasoning that life is short, I want to effort caller things and I want to recreation to the different measurement of working, put myself successful a difficult situation, and that’s it.”