Ivan Juric says his Southampton team can defy history and stay in the Premier League, if they play a "death-metal" style of football.
The Croat succeeded Russell Martin as Saints boss last week and but was forced to watch his team grind out a 0-0 draw at Fulham on Sunday before he could get a work permit.
That result left them still bottom of the table. While four teams have escaped relegation after being in that position at Christmas, no club have been able to do it from a points tally as low as Southampton's current six.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 |
Leicester
LEI
|
17 | -16 | 14 |
| 18 |
Wolves
WOL
|
17 | -13 | 12 |
| 19 |
Ipswich
IPS
|
17 | -16 | 12 |
| 20 |
Southampton
SOU
|
17 | -25 | 6 |
But speaking to the media ahead of his first match in charge, at home to West Ham United on Boxing Day, Juric struck a positive tone.
"I know it will be a very tough job and I know that in history nobody has stayed in the Premier League from this situation (with six points)," he told Southampton’s official website.
"But, like I said, there is a lot of good players and we can be much better in some moments of the games. I’m optimistic, really optimistic.
"Even the other day (against Fulham) I saw the mentality. It was the first step to doing better and I think we can do something exceptional. The guys have to be very motivated to do something that nobody ever did."
As to what sort of football he wants his team to play, Juric said he likened it to "death metal", a sub-genre of heavy metal known for its aggressive sound.
He previously said he initially enjoyed the likes of Metallica and Megadeth before moving on to bands such as Napalm Death, Obituary and Carcass. The 49-year-old said: "Now (I'm) a little bit less (of a death metal fan), I’m a little bit soft now.
"When I was young I liked death metal music a lot and it’s something my style of football is a lot like. Work hard, press hard, play good, be intense, all this stuff. I think [my players] can do it. It is a high-pressing style.
"They are young, they are positive, they want to work hard. It's not easy to change the style immediately, but we have to be clever.
"It’s a high-pressure style, even with possession. But what I want from my team is to be very competitive, solid and, with time, getting better in the possession and attacking.
"Maybe people don’t know a lot about my way with Torino and Verona because we didn’t play in Europe, but the style is the Atalanta style.
"If you watch their game against Arsenal, or last year against Liverpool, we want to press high and play good – a little bit of everything."
Juric, who has signed an 18-month contract and says he is a fan of ex-Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa, was most recently manager of Serie A side Roma. He was replaced by former Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri in November, after just 12 matches in charge.
He began his managerial career at Mantova ten years ago, before moving on to manage Crotone and Hellas Verona before three spells in charge of Genoa inside two years.
Juric will welcome centre-back Jack Stephens from suspension for Southampton's home match against West Ham United on Boxing Day.