Is Claude Puel the right man to lead Southampton?

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Southampton have got very little wrong since their promotion back to the Premier League in 2012. They survived comfortably in their first campaign, largely thanks to the mid-season appointment of Mauricio Pochettino, who despite his lack of English, led the Saints away from relegation trouble to a comfortable mid-table finish.

Pochettino continued his fine work in the next campaign, transforming Southampton into a top-half team who finished eighth in the Premier League. However, the Argentine departed, with several big name players such as Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Luke Shaw following. With Jay Rodriguez out for the foreseeable future, the Saints looked in serious trouble.

That was until Ronald Koeman stepped in. Astute signings such as Dusan Tadic, Ryan Bertrand, Sadio Mane and Graziano Pelle ensured there was plenty of quality left at St. Mary’s, and the Dutchman led Southampton to year on year improvement that has culminated in Europa League qualification for next season.

Pochettino and Koeman are clearly two of the Premier League’s leading lights. Tottenham Hotspur have been transformed from perennial 5th-place finishers to potential title challengers in the two years since Pochettino arrived, whilst Koeman will now inherit an underachieving Everton squad with the backing of a new wealthy owner.

The consistent losses of players and managers have made these sterling appointments necessary for Southampton to continue their steady rise towards the top of the English game, and it was vital that they made another strong appointment to challenge for Europe again. In the end, after a few weeks of thinking time, they decided upon 54-year-old Frenchman Claude Puel.

For many, this appointment has come out of left-field. Puel has over 17 years of managerial experience, but is yet to manage outside his native France, and is therefore a relative unknown outside of the confines of Ligue 1. But his CV is one of the most impressive in the game, and his career thus far suggests that Southampton fans have a lot to be excited about with Puel at the helm.

Firstly, Puel is a manager who has competed (and won) at the highest level. In his first managerial job at Monaco, the club where he played for his entire career, the Castres-born coach secured the French Championship title in 2000. Remarkably, this was his first full season as a manager after being appointed in January 1999.

Puel followed his time at Monaco with a highly successful six year spell at Lille. The northern French club had been fairly unfashionable throughout the 90s, but with their new manager at the helm, they became regulars on the European scene, securing memorable victories over Manchester United and AC Milan during his tenure as coach.

The Ligue 1 title evaded Puel at Lille, and in 2008 he agreed a switch to Lyon, who had foiled Lille’s title challenge for season after season. Puel’s time at Lyon was partially successful, a Champions League semi-final represented the best European showing in the club’s history, defeating Real Madrid on the way before defeat by Louis van Gaal’s Bayern Munich.

In the league, however, Puel oversaw the beginning of the end of Lyon’s dominance, failing to claim the Ligue 1 trophy that had taken permanent residence at the Stade Gerland. With players at his disposal such as Hugo Lloris, Karim Benzema, Miralem Pjanic, Michel Bastos, Jeremy Toulalan and Kim Kallstrom, it remains a great disappointment that Puel was never able to win a major trophy in 3 years at Lyon. It remains the greatest blot on his copy book.

His next and most recent job was a four year stint at Nice. Arriving at a side that were distinctively mid-table, Puel managed to finish fourth in the French League on two separate occasions, including the last campaign which featured an inspired Hatem Ben Arfa.

With the exception of Lyon, everywhere Puel has gone he has been considered a success. This results largely from an intelligent management style, as well as a fiesty nature which can make him a prickly customer.

A defensive midfielder in his days at Monaco, Puel has an outstanding tactical knowledge of the game. He likes his teams to play with the ball, but is also pragmatic and appreciates the importance of keeping a strong shape going backwards. With this in mind, he could be the perfect man to follow on and improve the work of Ronald Koeman.

Koeman didn’t change a great deal from Pochettino’s reign, but his Southampton side conceded very few goals and attacked with great verve when their forward players were on song. Puel will love having this strong foundation with which to put his own spin on the team.

He will also be very pleased with the personnel at his disposal. Virgil van Dijk showed himself to be one of the finest defenders in the Premier League last campaign. Jordy Clasie was beginning to look like a beautifully talented but also tenacious central midfielder when he finally recovered from his injury woes. Dusan Tadic can assist goals for fun when he is on form and new signing Nathan Redmond has the potential to be an England regular if a bit of tactical nous could be added to his game – Puel could well provide that.

Furthermore, Puel’s time at Lille showed that he is excellent at bringing through young talent, fitting in perfectly with the club that has produced the likes of Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott and Adam Lallana to name but a few. A particular beneficiary of this could be James Ward-Prowse, who has been threatening to become a star for a number of years now. Just like Redmond, Puel’s insight could be the fuel that Ward-Prowse needs to make the step up into the England squad.

Once again, Southampton have not rushed and made a smart appointment. In Puel they have a sophisticated, solid and successful manager who neatly fits into the club’s ever-impressive ethos. With a good squad and the caveat of European football to enjoy, Puel has a challenging but exciting season ahead of him. If he settles quickly and imposes his style on the players, Southampton could once again be looking at another season of challenging for Europe, or maybe more. Exciting times lie ahead at St. Mary’s.

Featured image: All rights reserved by Ian Johnson.