Southampton

Tyrese King
BBC Sport journalist

Southampton boss Ivan Juric has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Wolves at St Mary's (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On Jan Bednarek after the defender was forced off in the defeat at Liverpool following a clash of heads: "He hasn't recovered as quickly as I hoped because you have to follow protocol. He still felt pain on Tuesday. In England, it's a lot more strict."

• Juric revealed Saints will also be without midfielder Will Smallbone, who has a groin injury.

• On goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale: "He's a great goalkeeper and he's really positive in the bad moments. I like him as a goalkeeper and as a person."

• Juric said he and Southampton are in a "really tough moment", the like of which he has not experienced during his career before, but he added: "What is important is to work with the guys to improve and get better."

• On the importance of fan support: "Like I always say, they are the best fans in the world. They are incredible. They are the best part of the club because they are always there supporting us, even in Liverpool before and after the game. For me, they are really special."

• On Wolves: "They have a lot of good players who play at a high level. They have done well these past couple of months, and I know that it will be tough because they are good in attack, fast in defence and technical in the middle. We are preparing well and we want a good game."

• On whether Wolves are safe from relegation: "No, I don't think so. I think there are six points between Wolves, Ipswich and Leicester so they're not still safe. And I think they will be a little bit more unsafe after this match."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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Wolves have won each of their past six Premier League games against Southampton. It is their longest winning run against an opponent in the competition and their longest in top-flight games overall since between 1974 and 2018 against Burnley (seven).

Southampton have lost each of their past eight home games in the Premier League by an aggregate score of 29-5. In English top-flight history, only three sides have ever lost nine or more in a row at home within a single season: Birmingham in 1985-86 (10), Wolves in 2011-12 (nine) and Watford in 2021-22 (11).

The latest episode of BBC Radio Solent's Saints and Sinners podcast has landed.

Host Tom Deacon is joined by former Saints goalkeeper Paul Jones, comedian Paul McCaffrey and reporter Adam Blackmore to comb over all the news at Southampton.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Adam Blackmore
BBC Radio Solent sports editor

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When Johannes Spors was finally appointed in February, the indications from the club were that there had been a long notice period to work through before announcing him. So I wonder whether Spors quite envisaged the freefall back to the Championship that he has now taken on.

When I asked him about why he had taken the job with Saints owners Sport Republic, he talked about the Premier League being an attraction. Well, he has got some work to do now to enjoy that attraction beyond May!

The 42-year-old German was engaging and his poise left me with a sense of trust - my first impressions are that he has faith in his own ability, built up from the successes he has enjoyed with Red Bull and 777 Sports. He also exuded a quiet confidence.

If I were owner Dragan Solak, I would give him clear leadership on recruitment because Spors did confirm that he is happy to take full responsibility for recruitment at the club.

There will be a sizeable number of Southampton fans though, who will be concerned that co-owner Rasmus Ankersen could still cut across Spors' brief and make transfer decisions. I do not think Spors needs any help on that front - and I hope Dragan gives him autonomy to make decisions alongside himself and Ivan Juric.

Talking of managers, Spors' business is knowing who is who in football and keeping across players and coaches. He was well aware of Ivan Juric's successes in Italy and he stayed as neutral as you would expect about his future at the club.

And although he could have totally ignored my question about possibly linking back up with Danny Rohl in the summer, Spors was quick to talk about how he has been tracking Rohl's progress since they went their separate ways after RB Leipzig.

I like that he did not deny any interest in Rohl or just point-blank refuse to say anything.

That poise and quiet confidence came out as he made sure we knew that he is in possession of all the information he needs to make the right decision.

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

Listen to live commentary of every Saints game on BBC Radio Solent, and download and subscribe to Goin' Home With Adam and Jo on BBC Sounds to get all the post-match thoughts that matter

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Southampton technical director Johannes Spors is committed to "taking responsibility and taking decisions" in his new role overseeing football at St Mary's Stadium.

Spors is experienced in European football, having held similar leadership roles at RB Leipzig, Vitesse Arnhem and Genoa and succeeds Jason Wilcox who left for Manchester United in April 2024.

"There is a great vision behind this project and the football club," he told BBC Radio Solent's Adam Blackmore. "I am here to execute and make sure we have a good structure in communication from one department to another and have a clear structure of who is doing what with clear responsibilities.

"That is the priority in the beginning - to make sure we have a setup that has a punch for the future.

"I'm here to help with every decision in the football [side of the club] and ultimately they are my responsibility. Scouting and recruitment of course are very relevant and they are some of my very first priorities."

Spors was keen to stress the importance of synergy across departments within the club but acknowledged key decisions on the football side of the club will fall to him.

"I am here to take responsibility and take decisions," he said. "The way I work and lead is in a very integrated model.

"I have been fortunate to work in many different cultures and every culture has a different way to come to decision-making. My experience is that we need a clear responsibility under my umbrella.

"I make sure that every internal stakeholder is very close to me, is heard, and can have an opinion. That includes the manager, the scouting, the recruitment, our CEO and the ownership.

"I include everyone who has a say in this football club and then ultimately it's my responsibility."

Listen now on BBC Sounds

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New Southampton technical director Johannes Spors has sat down with BBC Radio Solent's Adam Blackmore for his first interview since arriving at St Mary's Stadium.

In it, he discusses his new role, Saints' manager situation, recruitment and the future of the club.

Listen to the full chat on BBC Sounds

Ray Hunt
Fan writer

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The records will show another defeat, and another three goals leaked, but it does not tell the whole story.

It started as mission impossible, but at half-time, it was very much possible. We took a shock but deserved 1-0 lead over the champions-elect in their own back yard.

It was a very spirited performance, albeit with the outcome remaining the same but that first-half display alone made the 12-hour round trip worth it. Then reality hit. But still, it was a performance we did not expect. It made a nice change to applaud the players off the field.

There is a familiar pattern emerging. And I don't just mean the defeats. It is the fourth time this season, we have led at the half-time break and we have only come away with one point from those.

In the home game against Ipswich, we led 1-0 and were pegged back for the point in the 95th minute. The 2-0 half-time lead against Leicester ended in a 2-3 defeat in the 98th minute. We held a 1-0 lead at Old Trafford until 81 minutes, only for Manchester United to shift up through the gears for the 3-1 win. And most recently the same outcome at Anfield.

In total, that's 23 points dropped from winning positions. If only all games were 45 minutes long.

We are yet to see that total 90-minute performance. We have snippets from games but we just cannot sustain it. Boss Ivan Juric admitted the team is young and need to keep concentration.

He said afterwards: "Here is a moment that you have to be more focused, [have] more concentration. I think we can use what happened in the future for these young guys."

It is a very harsh learning curve, but it is the same mistakes we keep making.

Another tough game up next at St. Mary's against a Wolves side looking to pull away further from the relegation zone. If we can maintain that first 45-minute showing at Anfield, then there is no reason why we cannot get the result.

Find more from Ray Hunt at the In that Number podcast, external

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We asked for your views on Liverpool's Premier League match against Southampton.

Here are some of your comments:

Liverpool fans

Jason: First half we seemed flat and unimaginative. Arne Slot again being ruthless and those substitutions breathed in some flair and energy to break down Southampton. Diaz had a complete turnaround performance in the second half with his direct dribbling which I would love to see this more from him.

Thilani: At this point Liverpool are doing what champions do; grinding results and getting the points!

Karen: Thank you Southampton for the kick up the backside the reds needed. They thought the goals would just mount up very easily. If you hadn't scored first this match could well have finished a goalless draw. Second half, Liverpool were more Champions elect.

Southampton:

Shearsy: Decent performance. Harsh penalties, but the players gave everything today. We march on.

Matthew: Crumbled under pressure again at the start of the second half, but we had more dodgy VAR decisions. It's looking OK to get at least one more win to get that record gone.

Shawn: Battling but you can't beat the referee as well. Equaliser scored by player who should have been sent off if the ref had guts. Oh well, it was never going to go our way.

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Southampton's defeat at Anfield means that they once again have fewer points than 'worst Premier League side ever' Derby County had at the same stage in 2007-08, with just nine points after 28 games to Derby's 10.

The good news for Saints fans is that Derby only took one point more from their final 10 games that season to finish with a record-low 11 points, so Southampton need 'just' three points from the remaining 30 available to avoid joining the Rams in Premier League infamy.

Former Premier League striker Clinton Morrison, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast about the battle to avoid relegation from the top flight:

"I did think Wolves might struggle without Matheus Cunha but they got a good draw against Everton.

"Ipswich are losing matches - I covered the game against Palace, they had chances and they were probably just not ruthless enough. They rely a lot on Liam Delap to score goals.

"It's not a good look on the Championship because it's the three teams that have come up that are going down. That's the gap between the Championship and the Premier League now.

"I still give Ipswich a fighting chance but it looks like it might stay like that."

Listen on BBC Sounds

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Albert Gronbaek spoke to BBC Radio Solent after Saturday's defeat against Liverpool: "I feel like we didn't come out in the second half- it was like we had to restart everything but it was too late. If we approached the second half a bit better, maybe we could have had another result.

"It has been very difficult [since he arrived in January] - I was hoping that I would be playing more but it was nice to start against Liverpool. I feel good and hopefully I will be able to play some more minutes"

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Has Tyler Dibling's "head been turned," or is he still finding his rhythm after suffering an ankle injury?

That is the debate on BBC Radio Solent's Goin' Home With Adam And Jo podcast, as the midfielder was again substituted by Ivan Juric in the 64th minute against Liverpool.

"He is certainly not the messiah everyone thought he was going to be when he came into the team," said Adam Blackmore.

"He was injured in January, but Ivan Juric has treated him quite carefully in terms of his minutes since.

"And some fans now speculate that he has had his head turned a little bit as he is yet to sign a new deal."

Former Saints player Jo Tessem, added: "I don't think his head has been turned, but I do think the injury he suffered has perhaps impacted his rhythm.

"When you fall out of rhythm, especially when you are young, it is hard to get back to your fitness and routine.

"There are times when you can see his technique and talent, but then he has given the ball away too many times and not worked hard enough to recover it. I think his work rate is one thing he needs to improve on and be braver with.

"He needs to use his power to be stronger while he's still developing."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Highlights and analysis from Saturday's six Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Liverpool 3-1 Southampton

• Brentford 0-1 Aston Villa

The latest episode of the Goin' Home With Adam And Jo podcast has landed.

Adam Blackmore and former Saints player Jo Tessem discuss Saturday's defeat against Liverpool.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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Ivan Juric spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Southampton's defeat against Liverpool: "They reacted really well. We had really good moments of the first half. I think the [first] penalty was not a penalty and that changed the match. I am satisfied with how we played today.

"This cannot be a penalty ever. I'm sorry it happened because it was 1-1 and it changed the match a little bit. We have lots of young players who want to grow up and improve.

"We can lose but we have to fight like we fight today."

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Ivan Juric has lost 10 of his 11 Premier League games (W1), only Mick McCarthy has reached 10 losses in the competition in fewer games (10).

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Liverpool's performance

What did you make of Southampton's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Six matches make up Saturday's Premier League action and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

• Nottingham Forest v Manchester City (12:30)

• Liverpool v Southampton - full commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Crystal Palace v Ipswich Town

• Brighton v Fulham

• Brentford v Aston Villa (17:30) full commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Wolves v Everton (20:00)

All kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

I am at this game for BBC Radio 5 Live and I would not be surprised if Liverpool make quite a few changes.

They have got a big lead at the top of the Premier League but they still have work to do in the Champions League against Paris St-Germain next week. They got a great win in the first leg in Paris, but that tie certainly isn't over.

If Reds boss Arne Slot had a third team, he might think about using it here - but he can probably get away with playing his second team and still being too strong for Saints.

It is around 230 miles from Southampton to Liverpool, and fair play to any Saints fans who make the trip - they are absolute die-hards because they are not getting anything at Anfield.

I would be saving my petrol money, because they know they are getting beaten, same as they know they are getting relegated this season.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here