Enjoying a mixed bag of results since taking over from Ronald Koeman in the summer, Claude Puel and his Southampton side are slowly but steadily trying to build something exciting on the south coast.
Arriving from Nice, having led Nice to a Europa League spot thanks in part to a rejuvenated Hatem Ben Arfa, the French manager had to deal with replacing key players, a never ending story for the Saints.
Yet somehow they manage to always remain competitive, having finished 8th, 7th and 6th in their last three seasons despite losing the likes of Adam Lallana, Morgan Schneiderlin or even Dejan Lovren.
Discovering the Premier League for the first time, Puel agreed to sit down with France Football to talk about the differences with Ligue 1, as well as what it’s like to rub shoulders with the likes of Pep Guardiola, José Mourinho or Arsène Wenger on a weekly basis.
It was all very interesting, and full of praise for English football and everything around it, yet there are still downsides, especially when it comes to the standard of football being played.
He explained: “Collectively, it could be better, but when 15 players from your squad leave for 10 days for internationals and you have three games a week, and that’s the same for many clubs, you don’t always find the time to work and refine things. Even with video technology.
“I’d also add this: considering the amounts being spent, the amount of TV rights and the financial catastrophe that is relegation to the Championship, the expectations quickly put the managers under pressure.
“And because there are now a lot of foreign investors who, despite being passionate, don’t necessarily possess a footballing culture or club culture, this creates an additional type of impatience. The Premier League also has its downside…”
Who is to disagree with him?
How many times have we seen managers sacked following their first poor run of games, something which is always bound to happen as things can’t always be rosy?
Hopefully, the same won’t happen to Puel, who appears to genuinely be one of the nice guys, and whose team has already shown glimpses of what they are trying to achieve.
To be honest, if Southampton’s past managerial record is anything to go by, the likeliest thing to happen is him leaving at the end of two seasons in charge to a better club or one with more money.
