Speaking to Flashscore after West Ham went down, losing out on the final day to Tottenham despite gaining 39 points in the 2025/26 season, the Croatian - who was part of the backroom staff under Slaven Bilic at Upton Park - feels it was their 'disastrous form' in the first half of the season that sealed their fate.
In an interview with Flashscore’s Kresimir Karacic, he explained: "This season, they had a disastrous first half of the league campaign and were in a pretty big points deficit. It doesn't matter that they picked up enough points from January until the end of the season for a mid-table finish; it just wasn't enough because the other teams fighting for survival were also picking up points.
"What characterises West Ham, even in the years I was there, is that they don't have a run of success, a period of consistency. There's always a dip in form, a season where West Ham are fighting for survival, and unfortunately, that's what happened this season…
"Something similar happened to us (Bilic and Jurcevic) when we were there; we had a season where we beat Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, finished fifth, but a year later we were in a relegation battle, which we ultimately managed to overcome. And that's that lack of continuity I was talking about, which still happens today."
Jurcevic was the assistant manager under Bilic between 2015 and 2017, someone he has worked closely with throughout his career, whether with their national side or with Besiktas.
From the squad that he oversaw a decade ago, none remain at West Ham. Unsurprisingly, given the time that has passed, but that is also symptomatic of a side with high turnover - using the transfer market to paper over cracks amidst the revolving doors of managers that dates back to Bilic.
Now, the 59-year-old believes West Ham’s best hope of promotion next season is to keep their core together by hanging onto the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek, especially after the recent announcement that manager Nuno Espirito Santo will lead the team into the Championship campaign.
Jurcevic added: "Both players have carried West Ham for years; you could say they're the symbol of this generation, and it would be a shame if they left. The important thing is for the club to hold talks with them as soon as possible.
"It's important to keep the core of the team together. I think if they keep these players, who are the backbone of the team, they can go straight back to the Premier League. To me, they're definitely favourites to do it in their first season in the Championship."
Croatia ‘very strong’ ahead of World Cup
Away from his time at West Ham, Jurcevic has been most connected with his country and the national side.
Croatia, ever since becoming an independent country in 1991 and a FIFA member since 1994, have outperformed their small status to reach a World Cup final in 2018.
Jurcevic made 16 appearances for his country between 1994 and 1996, before being involved with Bilic when he was the national team coach.
In 2026, he is looking at the next generation of Croatian superstars to follow in the footsteps of Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic and Ivan Rakitic, watching youth internationals, and building a database of those who are on ‘the Croatian Way’.
The men’s senior side head into this year’s World Cup as part of Group L, alongside England, Ghana and Panama.
Getting out of this tough-looking quartet will be their first task in the USA, before they look for another deep run at an international tournament.
Speaking about his compatriots, he said: "I think we need to take it step by step. We have a very tough group, but we aim to get through. And in the knockout stage, a lot of factors come into play; you have to be realistic: the opposition, player injuries, and you also need a bit of luck.
"The main thing is to get out of the group, which I'm convinced we have the quality to do, and then we'll see. We're well covered in some positions; we might lack pace in others, but overall we're very strong."
He saves special attention for Croatia’s lynchpin and talisman, Modric. After a stunning career, littered with team and individual achievements, he is entering the swansong of his playing time. Now 40, this could be the deep-lying playmaker’s final bow with a national side he has made 196 appearances for - number 200 is likely to come at the World Cup.
Speaking about 'the maestro', Jurcevic purred: "He is a phenomenon. I remember Luka in his younger days, when he was extremely talented but also a hard-working player, and you could see that he could reach great heights in world football. At the time he was with us, you could see Luka having that great talent, but also a great motivation, and, crucially, you could also see his special, winning character, which he has retained to this day.
"And what's very important is that he had a proper development, where he progressed year on year, and he chose his clubs accordingly. For instance, when he outgrew Dinamo and the Croatian league, he moved to Tottenham, and then to Real Madrid, the biggest club of all. What he has developed in the meantime is an incredible leadership quality; he is a great leader and has been the right-hand man for the Croatian manager for years in the national team.
"He also showed great leadership qualities at AC Milan, and the very fact that at the age of 40 he is still playing for Milan at the highest level speaks volumes about what a phenomenon he is."
In 2018, with their run to the final, eventually losing 4-2 to France, Croatia were the perennial underdogs, a tag they seem to have relished ever since their first tournament appearance in 1996.
But, does Jurcevic feel there could be another side who have a fairytale run this summer?
"I've seen a bit of Uzbekistan's development; they have quite fast, athletic players, which I've noticed even at the youth level," he mused.
"They remind me a little of the Japanese national team - for example, they have a player at Manchester City and a few other European clubs, so they stick out to me."