Three reasons why Claude Puel is a better fit for Saints than Ronald Koeman was

Everything seemed to be falling apart in June when it was revealed that Dutch manager Ronald Koeman would swap Europa League side Southampton for struggling moneybags Everton for the season ahead.

Saints fans were largely concerned about who the next man at the helm would be, due to the fine job that Koeman had done over the prior two seasons.

However, Claude Puel has come in and despite a few early concerns over the Frenchman’s credentials to manage at this level with a club on the up such as Southampton, the majority of the support are taking to him.

Saints sit in ninth place in the Premier League table after six games and are in an excellent run of form, having won four out of four recent games in all competitions.

So, just what can Claude Puel offer that Ronald Koeman can’t? I’ve taken a look at three reasons why he’s a better fit for Saints than Koeman was.

The use of the youth academy

During his tenure at Saints, Ronald Koeman didn’t really seem to make the most out of the youth system that he had available to him. Sure, he gave debuts to the likes of Ryan Seager and Dominic Gape, but no-one really broke through and pushed on under him.

Claude Puel, however, has a reputation for bringing young players through and developing them. He’s nurtured the likes of Thierry Henry, Eden Hazard and many, many more in the past and he’ll look to do the same this season.

He’s already impressed many by giving Jake Hesketh a chance to shine, starting Matt Targett frequently, bringing Harrison Reed back into the mix and giving James Ward-Prowse plenty of opportunities.

A history of longevity

All Saints fans want is some loyalty and longevity at the club. We’ve seen both Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman respectively spend two years with Saints before moving on off their own back.

Puel, however, has a good record of spending many years at clubs. During his playing days, he never left Monaco and carried on as a coach there until 2001. He then spent six years at Lille, three years at Lyon and most recently four years with Nice.

This is a positive for Saints. Puel likes to build projects and likes to get the best out of clubs; let’s just hope he can continue this attitude and focus on longevity with Saints.

A more attractive, fluent style of play

Firstly, this isn’t to say that Saints didn’t play good football under Koeman. However, a lot of it was spearheaded by a tall, strong striker; this meant that the play simply had to be through long balls at times.

Koeman also reverted to a five-at-the-back formation when things got tough, grinding out results but restricting us from playing with freedom and confidence in some cases.

However, with Puel, a fluent and revolutionary diamond formation has been implemented and Saints are just starting to reap the rewards. The players are thriving, it’s easy on the eye and the results are starting to come.