Why Ivan Juric was right to criticise Southampton fans at the weekend | OneFootball

Ivan Juric criticised the Southampton fans for their treatment of Will Smallbone. The Croatian manager was spot on.

I get it. As fans, we fall into the trap of thinking that we are right one hundred per cent of the time. Given that the decision-making onus is not on us, it's easy to mock those making the decisions when things go wrong.

Unfortunately, Ivan Juric has experienced this within his first few months in charge of a Premier League team. Coming from the Serie A, he would have known that the job of taking on relegation-bound Southampton would come with immense scrutiny.

The weekend looked to be one of those tune-out-early matches. The Saints went 2-0 down before the 20 minute mark and there was a growing feeling of "no, not again."

Lo and behold, Ivan Juric's side didn't concede again in the first half and late in the match, they pulled back to make it 1-2. Hope was in the air about a comeback but ultimately, Marcus Tavernier put the game to bed and made it 1-3.

Before the game kicked off, there was controversy surrounding Ivan Juric's lineup selection. The Croatian boss opted to start Will Smallbone in the midfield, despite the uprising of on-loan Lesley Ugochukwu since Juric took charge.

Smallbone was taken off in the 56th minute for Tyler Dibling, a change which was premature but necessary. Naturally, the home crowd greeted the crown with ironic cheers. This was not a compliment to Tyler Dibling but instead, an insult to Smallbone.

Ivan Juric was right to criticise Southampton fans at the weekend

Ivan Juric criticised the jeers from Southampton fans after the match. While admitting that Smallbone didn't have his best game, Juric said: "I expected more, it's obvious, but I'm really sorry for him because he doesn't deserve it. He's a good guy."

While some Southampton fans won't like to hear it, Juric is spot on. Yes, Smallbone didn't have a great game but it's not his fault he started. Indeed, the anger from the (rightfully) disgruntled home supporters was misplaced.

The truth is, the result would not have been different if Smallbone wasn't on the pitch. Even with the momentum of the match in the Saints' favour, the result of the game with Smallbone off the pitch was 1-1.

Smallbone can be criticised for many things as a player but his work rate and commitment to the badge are not reasons to criticise him. Players like Smallbone will pick their heads up and go again next week, despite poor treatment from the fans.