Simon Rusk reveals biggest focus during interim Southampton spell

Rusk has been placed in charge until the end of the season, following Ivan Juric's departure, and will prioritise reinvigorating belief in the dressing room.

He wants his team to be hard to beat, and confessed the 0-0 draw at Fulham during his previous interim spell in December will be the blueprint for the final seven games.

Southampton sat deep and frustrated Fulham at Craven Cottage, and the 43 year old wants to ensure the focus remains on keeping clean sheets.

"It's natural when you're not picking up the results that confidence can become an issue. For me, it's less about identity and style and more about our confidence," said Rusk.

Simon Rusk following 0-0 draw at Fulham. (Image: Southampton FC/Matt Watson)

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"We've had some positive conversations over the last couple of days as a group, and we've got to pull together. I think we have to find the balance.

"I mentioned last time that I think good teams have a good balance. You're always weighing things up tactically and technically.

"You have to find the blend of personnel for the next fixture, alongside your key principles. There has to be an element of our team which is extremely difficult to beat.

"One thing is for certain, if you deliver a clean sheet, you're going to get something out of the game. That's always a priority for me as a coach."

Rusk will have more time to work with the players than he did in December, and he hopes he can help rebuild a connection with supporters.

Working alongside Adam Lallana, 36, Rusk must first gauge the mood in the squad before attacking the remaining games with the aim of avoiding a record-low points total.

Southampton interim manager Simon Rusk. (Image: Stuart Martin)

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"I had a feeling that last time around that it would be far more of a temporary situation in terms of the immediacy, days rather than weeks," he explained.

"We're talking more weeks than days this time, which, in spite of the difficult circumstances, I'm super proud and honoured to do that.

"I am very conscious of the fact that there's a job to be done to re-establish the group's identity moving forward and to get that feel-good factor back.

"There's a reality that we have been relegated now, but we've still got seven games to go, so it's a very different situation to where I was at Christmas.

"My outlook is slightly different in that I'm going to have a longer period of time to work with the guys. My natural processes will kick in.

"I will be using my intuition to sense where the mood's at, where they are emotionally and try and do my very best with them to finish the season as well as we can."