Southampton boss hails Aribo, Onuachu

Southampton’s head coach, Ivan Juric, praised Nigerian duo, Joe Aribo and Paul Onuachu after their goals helped the Saints’ secure three points against Ipswich Town on Saturday.

Prior to the game at Portman Road, Southampton had secured just one win from 23 league outings this term, and their poor form has seen them rank 20th on the league table.

An opener from Aribo and a late-minute winner from Onuachu sealed the first win for Ivan Juric since he took over as Southampton’s head coach, and he lauded the Nigerians.

“It’s a great feeling. I think we did some even better games than this game, like Manchester United, and didn’t take points. We suffered in a few moments, but the guys were great and we deserved it,” the coach told Southampton’s official website.

“It’s character because we defended well. We had problems with [Harwood-] Bellis, with Jack [Stephens], we had to make some changes, but I said we have quality, and the second goal is the quality of Deeno (Kamaldeen) and the quality of Paul [Onuachu].

“It was a great moment. He [Onuachu] deserved it because he worked hard, it’s his second goal, I think he can score more, but he worked hard for the team.”

After heaping praise on Onuachu, the former Roma head coach also praised Aribo, who broke the deadlock against Ipswich Town.

 “Joe [Aribo] for me is a great guy; everything for the team. He doesn’t care if he is a forward, at the back or in the middle. Today he played left centre-back and I think he did a great second half. We worked hard, really well, and Joe today was great,” the 49-year-old concluded.

Despite their win, Southampton have just nine points from 24 English Premier League games, and stand the risk of relegating to the EFL Championship.