Koeman all out for UEFA Europa League

Ronald Koeman won the European Cup with two different clubs as a player, and the Southampton manager says his coaching colleagues should be putting their all into the UEFA Europa League.

Koeman continues his quest for a first UEFA honour as a coach when Southampton visit his old club Vitesse tonight holding a 3-0 lead in the third qualifying round. But although the Premier League starts this weekend, beginning a potentially testing programme of Thursday and Sunday fixtures should Southampton make progress in Europe, former Ajax and Barcelona defender Koeman is determined to take aim at reaching the final in Basel.

"It is a crazy thing to think about it, to throw everything away in the start of the Europa League legs," he said. "I am a person who likes to win always and I hate losing. I hate to lose and my players need that mentality as well."

Tonight Borussia Dortmund are set to attract a competition qualifying record crowd of over 60,000 for their tie with Wolfsberg and coach Thomas Tuchel concurs with Koeman. "Such a competition game has a special atmosphere, it doesn't matter that it is only Europa League qualification. You cannot simulate this in training or a friendly. It is anything but a necessity or a burden to have to play this."