Southampton Vs Leicester City: The Claude Puel myth has been busted

NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 09: Claude Puel, Manager of Leicester City arrives at the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Leicester City at St. James Park on December 9, 2017 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /

It has been some time since Leicester City last lost a game, and Claude Puel is the man responsible for such an upturn.

Since the Frenchman has taken over the reins at the King Power Stadium, the Foxes are second only to Manchester City and Chelsea with a points tally of 17, winning four games, drawing two and losing just one against the Citizens, a defeat that had more positives than negatives for the Foxes.

Despite the hot streak of results, it’s the way that Leicester City have gone about their job that has impressed and surprised everyone at the same time, after all of the talk about Claude Puel’s defensive preferences as far as the style of play is concerned.

At Southampton, his side managed just 17 league goals at home all season, and it was him who took all of the blame. However, at Leicester City, he has been able to prove that it’s not him who was necessarily the problem, and that he did considerably well to lead Southampton to an eighth-place finish and a first major final in 14 years.

Yes, a manager has to be held responsible for a team’s displays, but the injuries to Manolo Gabbiadini, Charlie Austin, Virgil Van Dijk, and Ryan Bertrand, plus the departure of Jose Fonte, Sadio Mane and Victor Wanyama was all a bit too much to take and fully recover from over the course of just one season. Even so, Southampton had a decent 2016/17.

If you look at Southampton now, they aren’t faring any better than they did last campaign. Placed 11th in the Premier League table with 18 points, the Saints have netted just 16 goals in as many games, which is one fewer than the tally they had at this stage last term. Compare that to Leicester City’s total of 11 goals in Puel’s seven games in charge, and you’ll know that he isn’t shy of sending out a team to take the game to the opponent, as he himself made clear recently.

"“Other people decided to make comments about our play, about results or other things,” he said.“It is a mistake because if you saw games at Southampton we played good football and created chances.“For me it’s always the same, to try and score more goals, to play football, to attack together and to always have good chances to score.“It’s important to keep the way and just to continue this work – after that, it’s for other people to criticise or be positive or negative.“I hope the fans remember our good times, like the journey in the cup and the final. It was great at Wembley, they are good memories.“It’s important for me to always give my best for the club and I gave my best for Southampton. But it’s in the past now, it’s finished.”"

For a manager who was one of the few in history to have been sacked for being too boring, Claude Puel’s current record at Leicester City speaks volumes of where he stands, and just how impetuous have the judgements passed about him been.

The 56-year old hasn’t just made the 2015/16 champions more effective, but a much more exciting and entertaining team to watch, a team that can adapt, play to the situation and is tactically flexible. In a way, Leicester City have everything that Puel was rather hastily deemed incapable of producing, whereas funnily, Southampton are still the same.

Next: Leicester City Vs Southampton: Opponent watch

As Claude Puel prepares for his home coming, he’d have a point or two to prove at a place where he was once doubted.