Southampton FC’s new manager says he wants the UK club to play “death metal football”.
Ivan Jurić was announced as joining the team on Saturday (December 21), after signing an 18-month contract to replace the outgoing Russell Martin.
A lifelong metalhead, he said at a press conference yesterday (December 23) that he hopes to bring an intense style of play in line with his favourite subgenre.
“When I was young I liked death metal music a lot and it’s something my style of football is a lot like,” he said according to The Guardian.
“I’m not a golf man, it’s not the game for me… I’m a little more aggressive,” he added. “Now it’s important to work hard and understand everything that has happened.”
Jurić spoke in-depth about his love for metal in a 2010 interview with the Italian Rolling Stone. “I started at 14 years old with Metallica and Megadeth,” he said, “then I moved on to more aggressive things. Death metal is my passion, bands like Napalm Death, Obituary and Carcass.”
Jurić was born in Croatia and played as a midfielder in his home country but has spent much of his management career in Italy. He was sacked by Roma last month after just 12 matches, following the club’s 3–2 loss to Bologna on home turf.
However, the manager’s technique has been praised. In 2022, The Guardian wrote that Jurić’s “death metal approach” made then-club Torino “a devilish team to face”. The team soared up the Serie A table during his first year as head coach, climbing from 17th place in 2021 to ninth in 2022.
Jurić will hope to pull off a similar reversal of fortune at Southampton. “Saints FC” have won just one of their 17 matches in this year’s Premier League and are at high risk of relegation. They’ll play their first game with their new manager at their home stadium of St Mary’s against West Ham on Boxing Day.
