Jurić: We have to want the win more
Ivan Jurić urged his Southampton team to be tougher to play against after seeing an encouraging performance fizzle out into defeat at Old Trafford.
Saints were good value for a lead they held as late as the 82nd minute, with Manuel Ugarte’s first-half own goal the least they deserved for their efforts.
But Manchester United equalised through Amad Diallo, who went on to complete a hat-trick as Saints were overpowered in the closing stages.
“I think we did really well for 75 minutes, and I think we really badly managed the game in the last 15 minutes,” Jurić concluded after the game.
“You have to be more ‘dark arts’, taking the foul, small things that we didn’t do. We lost a game that we didn’t deserve to lose, absolutely.
“The boys have to be conscious that they are competitive when they are playing like this. I’m sorry for them, because they did really good things, but we have to change. In this situation you have to want the win more. We are missing that, I think.
The manager also paid tribute to the travelling Saints fans, who sold out the club’s 2,400 allocation on a Thursday night in Manchester.
“They are incredible,” he said. “We are last with six points and I never saw things like this: St Mary’s always full; today they arrive, lots of them, and we heard them. I’m sorry for them, but I think they have to be a little bit proud of the game we had tonight.”
Another away game awaits Saints on Sunday in the form of a trip to high-flying Nottingham Forest.
“We have to play like we did tonight, nothing less, and grow up in the mentality,” Jurić added.
