Ivan Juric has joined Atalanta weeks after his exit from Southampton, after the Saints were relegated back to the Championship.
The Croatian failed to turn the Saints’ fate around, the manager could only win one Premier League and one FA Cup game. Despite that, he will be managing in the Champions League next season.
In his first press conference as Atalanta boss Juric was asked about his wretched 2024/25 season at Southampton and Roma.
He seemed upbeat about it, despite the disappointment.
Juric said, via [Tuttomercatoweb](https://www.tuttomercatoweb.com/serie-a/atalanta-juric-ho-fatto-cinque-anni-alla-grande-uno-no-questo-e-un-jolly-2112286): _“A negative year on a sporting level, a fantastic year on a knowledge level, I feel much stronger than a year ago, I saw Roma, I learned a lot with great players. In Southampton I enjoyed a fabulous Premier League, I saw beautiful things, the Premier League remains for me also the level of the players.”_
The ex-Torino manager said the experiences at Roma and in England taught him a lot: _“They were two negative experiences, on one hand very positive for my growth.”_
Juric stated the chance to manage Atalanta is a great opportunity for him to prove detractors wrong_._
_“I think football is like that, we’ve had five great years, one is enough to lower yourself or to start at the beginning. This is a wild card, because I haven’t done well this season, now I have a great opportunity to do great things. It doesn’t happen often, usually the path is different.”_
The 2024/25 season alone doesn’t make him a bad manager.
Southampton’s squad wasn’t great across the campaign and when he took over, the situation was already a difficult one. At Roma, he found himself in a situation where the players were not accustomed to playing his style of play.
Atalanta are a better fit for the 49-year-old, considering how they are a more stable club and Juric’s approach is similar to that of Gian Piero Gasperini, who happens to be a key influence for the Croatian’s footballing ideas.