Following Ronald Koeman was never going to be an easy act to follow, but Claude Puel was making a good job of it until a few weeks ago, despite what some supporters might say, but now he needs to get back to basics.

It was always going to be difficult for Saints this season, expectations amongst supporters was high and another top six finish would be hard in any season let alone one with a change of playing style.

But Claude Puel seemed to be doing well as his team surged up the League and also looked good not just in the Europa League but in the League Cup as well.

But then the Frenchman seemed to get too clever for his own good, he seemed to think that his team always had to be rotated, instead of taking every game as it came and looking at who was fit and not fit enough to play multiple games over a period, he always seemed to want to be thinking ahead.

The warning sign was in Milan, he put out a weakened side that dominated the game but ultimately got caught out and lost, the warning signs were there but Puel ignored them.

For the trip to Prague, many urged Puel to prioritise this game and get the points in the bag and qualification virtually assured, but again the manager wanted to be clever, played a weakened side and saw it lose narrowly but in a poor manner suggesting that if a stronger side had been played then a better result could easily have been achieved.

That led to a do or die game at home the Happoel Be'er Sheva and although he put out a strong side, ultimately it wasn't quite his strongest and again Saints paid te price for a lack of concentration.

The effect that this had on the supporters has been catastrophic, I cannot remember the last time that so many Saints fans have been so disheartened by a single result, we expected more in the Europa League and it cannot be claimed anything other than we threw away qualification by continually putting out sides that were not our best.

I truth it was not that final game against the Israeli side that did us, but that trip to Prague were a weakened side went down with barely a whimper.

Puel will argue that with so many games in a short period rotation was necessary and for the most part he is right, but the problem was he tried to be too clever, he rotated in areas he needed to keep strong and in doing so he not only lost games, but also lost the momentum gained earlier in the season as his side seemed unable to cope with so many changes from game to game.

Coming into Xmas on the face of things Saints didn't look in bad shape, after beating Bournemouth they were still in 8th and with a League Cup semi to look forward to, a position that all but the big six teams were envious of, but agan Puel shot himself in the foot by constant change.

This left him in the position that he is in now with a side weakened by injury and suspension, but more worryingly short of confidence and momentum.

Now Puel is in a real dilemma, the indications are that he will have to play a weakened side at Norwich to preserve plaayers for the game against Liverpool, in my opinion this is the wrong thing to do.

Puel needs to get back to basics, he needs to use the Norwich game to get his strongest side out and hopefully get them to start playing together asa a team and a unit, if he puts in the youngsters, yes it will rest players for Wednesday but the reality is that our best line up needs to be out there, it needs to be remembering why they got into the Europa League in the first place and why even after three straight defeats they are still 10th.

That is because we are a decent squad with a very good starting XI, if we play that starting line up it is a match for any side, but at the moment it is a different team week in week out with no real consistency.

If Puel wants to rotate then he needs to realise and accept that our success has been based on a tight back four, the reality of that is that those that come in for Soares, Fonte, Van Dijk and Bertrand are in general either not good enough or experienced enough for a regular game, yes they are all ok individually to slot in, but when you make mass changes at the back there is only going to be one result.

This is a harsh judgement, but the final 20 minutes at Everton showed that Puel seems to have lost judgement on what is needed during bad runs, he needs to get back to basics and keep it tight.

Jack Stephens is a central defender who could not get into the Middlesbrough side on loan last season, there was a reason for that and it suggests that he is not going to suddenly become a Premier quality defender and not out of position at right back as he was at Everton, yes he was solid enough, but not spectacular.

Yoshida is a good servant, but he is not good enough for long runs in the side, if he was given his position in the squad over the past few seasons then why hasn't another Premier League team tried to sign hi.

Fonte looks disinterested and there are several theories as to why both for and against Fonte.

At left back Sam McQueen has looked solid earlier in the season, but he too is inexperienced and you cannot throw him into the back four and expect him to prosper unless it is solid around him.

Why has Bertrand sat out the last two games, Puel claimed he was too ill to come on against Everton, but if he was too ill what was the point of having him on the bench ?

That is what Puel has to realise, that he has to keep his back four intact from game to game, yes one change is permissible, but any more than that and you are inviting disaster.

But Puel has constantly changed it from game to game and this is the core of the problem, I am not surprised that we capitulated so easily n the last two matches, the back four is too disorientated, our spine has been tinkered with too much and too often.

Now Claude Puel sits on the edge at Saints, rumours circulate that he has lost the dressing room, too many players have sat out games not because they are tired but because the manager just has to make change for change sake.

But Puel's position is not unrecoverable if he has learned from his mistakes, if he puts out a strong side at Norwich, one that can win the game and in doing so find the form and confidence from earlier in the season, then we have a chance of beating Liverpool on Wednesday.

The next week will be crucial for Puel, if he tinkers again then he is gambling his future at the club, if he does that and fails then it is hard to see how he can stay much longer, he has lost the trust of the fans and it will be hard to get that back.

But if he goes to Norwich with a strong side and wins then he is well set up to go at a Liverpool side themselves weakened by the loss of players to the African nations cup, win that and the supporters will start to believe again, beat Burnley next Saturday as well and suddenly things will look a lot better and the season can be re booted.

But fail to win any of these three games and Puel is possibly at the point of no return with the supporters, even those that have stuck up for him like myself have found it hard to find any excuse for the last three games.

I hope Puel does realise the errors he has made, I hope that come the end of the season he is still at the club and that perhaps we have a trophy to show for the season, that is not beyond expectations, after all we are bette rplaced to do that than at any other time in the last 14 years and that one season aside in the past three decades.

But if the Frenchamn continues to try and follow the path he has taken so far with rotation in the next week then he is ultimately throwing all his cards on the table for one last gamble, if tat happens then by the end of this month Claude Puel will either be back on course to be perhaps one of the best managers we have had or he will be a dead man walking with the only question being when he goes and not if.

Photo: Action Images

SaintBrock added 10:27 - Jan 5 Don't hold your breath, Puel will field a team of kids against Norwich and we will lose 3-0 but then who will care after recent events.
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corkcitysaint added 10:33 - Jan 5 We need to keep to as consistent an 11 as possible for the next run of games. 1 or 2 changes are fair enough but not 6! Also, not only is it the team selection but it is the attitude and mentality on the pitch. The players need to know what they are doing and show some fight, spirit and creativity. Even if they did that it would help our morale. The displays recently have been limp to say the least. Time to stand up and be counted!

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vanmans added 10:46 - Jan 5 He should go now before its to late. If he stays its only a matter of time before we are in the bottom three. He doesn,t even know his best eleven. Its time to unlock the purse and buy a couple of strikers.
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steve73 added 10:51 - Jan 5 I think he'd be a good manager in the right situation but he's felt like a bad fit for us since day one. He's been harshly judged but has brought a lot, not all, of it upon himself. I can't see it ending well and if that's the case it'd probably be better to wield the axe sooner rather than later. The appointment of Black as his assistant was far, far worse than taking a chance on Puel. He seems to keep landing decent jobs because of his linguistic skills. Better to get a bloody good coach and an interpreter. He's a footballing halfwit and I think he deserves more of the fans wrath than the manager himself. We've all read/heard the stories of players calling him an idiot. Don't know how much truth there is to them of course but it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. My biggest fear if we do go for a change is that we'd end up with Tim Sherwood. Now that really would be a wrist slitter. Utterly incompetent and hugely arrogant. Getting ahead of myself a bit. Hopefully we'll go on a nice long unbeaten run and this will all blow over. Riiiight....

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zonehead added 11:06 - Jan 5 He doesn't seem the most inspiring when he talks to the press I hope that's not the case with the players and he finds the solution he's always banging on about!
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highfield49 added 11:25 - Jan 5 And once again it raises the question about who can be brought in as a manager with the right experience at this level and ability to motivate the players. Thankfully Fat Sam has been seen as the saviour of another club and Swansea and Hull are playing Russian roulette together so we can think ourselves fortunate that we don't support those teams. I have no idea who else was in the frame before Puel was appointed and whether any of those candidates is available at present but it would seem obvious that one of those would be the clear candidate this month should Puel depart. So, maybe three choices, keep Puel and fire his useless assistant getting someone in with management skills, fire Puel and Black and get in someone already known to the club or gamble on a wildcard. Well we know we don't want 'Arry, Howe isn't good enough yet and has his own probs at Bmth, Pullis is an unlikely choice and the list goes on and on depending on likes and dislikes. The benefit of hindsight leads me to believe that the board got it seriously wrong in their negotiations with RK and made a bad decision, but that's history. They are now in a very difficult corner and it's time for the board to act positively instead of hiding from the supporters. Personally I'm not a gambling person but there's no point in writing this and sitting on the fence so I'd keep Puel, sack Black and hire someone like Ryan Giggs as his assistant. That way Puel doesn't lose too much face and we have the opportunity to bring a respected and ambitious young motivator in to the fold. If Giggs isn't everyones favourite choice I'm sure I'll know soon enough but that's why we give opinions on here, to create discussion and comment.

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legod7 added 11:35 - Jan 5 Jack Stephens was signed from Plymouth as a right back. He was converted to a centre back while playing for the Academy. His natural position is therefore at right back.
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SaintNick added 11:39 - Jan 5 Stephens hasnt actually played as a full back since about 2012, he has been groomed as a central defender which is why we signed him initially to play in that position
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saintmark1976 added 11:59 - Jan 5 Some very good points steve73 although I do not think that now is the time for Mr Puel to be sacked. His team selection and rotation tactic is beyond my comprehension but then again look at the forwards he inherited. J Rod and Austin were (and still are) injury prone. Redmond could not hold down a place in a poor Norwich team and Long played most of the summer in the Euros and looked shattered from the start of the season. Hardly what any manager would have wished for surely? Let's give him a chance at least until the end of the transfer window. If there is no activity by the club during the window then I suggest it reasonable to say that the problem is not Mr Puel's but rests much higher up the management structure,probably with the owner herself.

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the_saint added 12:01 - Jan 5 Spot on with the article you don't see the top 6 rotating as much as us, oh yes thats why there top 6, totally agree with sacking black villa fans were laughing there heads off when we appointed him. We we monsure ( does that make me qualified enough for the assistant manager job)
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LordDZLucan added 12:13 - Jan 5 I'm pretty sure he'll prioritise the Liverpool game and rest players against Norwich. In my book that's the right thing to do as we won't get another opportunity like we've got now to get to Wembley for a while. What is the wrong thing to do is to stick rigidly with a system of playing which clearly doesn't fit the players we've got. As I've said before you need a top class centre forward who has got everything in his locker to get the most out of the system we're currently playing.

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aceofthebase added 12:27 - Jan 5 I thought the most tired looking player before his red card was Van Dyck. Perhaps Puel should have rotated all his players and not just a few. Forster looks like he needs a rest perhaps he could put his feet up after coming off his line last game.
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NigD added 12:29 - Jan 5 I feel many of the points are valid. However losing Pelle, Mane and Vic and not replacing them with players of that standard has hurt this team (Rom has stepped up to the plate), especially in a season where most teams have learned how to defend better than last. The last three games have been horrendous. It seems every shot against us goes in and every deflection goes into the path of an opposing attacker. A combination of a necessary (Fixture list nightmare of 3 games in 117 hours) but ultimately failing rotation policy, some real bad luck and a powder puff attack is now showing up and morale is naturally low. I am not certain many managers would have done much better this season? I think the club and fans need to hold firm and get us to the the end of the season. Only a few weeks ago, we were doing fine. Our first 11 is still more than capable of giving anyone a game. Against Bournemouth, I had hoped we had seen a turn around. But, back to earth with a huge bump since! It is clear that we need two or three quality signings. But that never happens in January. The board must surely see this and must react in the summer. This of course could also mean a new manager if Claude does not work out. But I for one, hope he succeeds. (Why did he adopt his diamond. See it working, then change it?) However we are still currently in a healthy position and together we can get through this horrendous period. Enjoy your football. Remember despite what Bill Shankly once said, it is not a matter of life or death! It s only a game! Haha!

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NigD added 12:29 - Jan 5 I feel many of the points are valid. However losing Pelle, Mane and Vic and not replacing them with players of that standard has hurt this team (Rom has stepped up to the plate), especially in a season where most teams have learned how to defend better than last. The last three games have been horrendous. It seems every shot against us goes in and every deflection goes into the path of an opposing attacker. A combination of a necessary (Fixture list nightmare of 3 games in 117 hours) but ultimately failing rotation policy, some real bad luck and a powder puff attack is now showing up and morale is naturally low. I am not certain many managers would have done much better this season? I think the club and fans need to hold firm and get us to the the end of the season. Only a few weeks ago, we were doing fine. Our first 11 is still more than capable of giving anyone a game. Against Bournemouth, I had hoped we had seen a turn around. But, back to earth with a huge bump since! It is clear that we need two or three quality signings. But that never happens in January. The board must surely see this and must react in the summer. This of course could also mean a new manager if Claude does not work out. But I for one, hope he succeeds. (Why did he adopt his diamond. See it working, then change it?) However we are still currently in a healthy position and together we can get through this horrendous period. Enjoy your football. Remember despite what Bill Shankly once said, it is not a matter of life or death! It s only a game! Haha!

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Bettwsresident added 13:17 - Jan 5 Our weak side, is now our most tired side given the number of games they have played! I hope Cedric is fit, and after a full weeks rest we really need to go with something like Forster (still got my faith) Cedric VVD Fonte Bertrand Davis Romeu Holberg Redmond J Rod Tadic On both Saturday and Wednesday. Over xmas we played 3 games in 4.5days so I do give Puel some slack for rotating, Saints were dealt an appalling schedule by League.

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DPeps added 13:18 - Jan 5 Surely if squad rotation isn't working then there are some issues with the quality of the squad? I'm not saying Puel is blameless but it's naive to think he's the only problem
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the_saint added 16:28 - Jan 5 And now fonte has handed in a transfer request it just gets worse
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WanderingSaint added 17:11 - Jan 5 Well if Fonte goes, and the rumoured reason for his departure was correct, then we can get Pardew back!
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wibbersda added 17:55 - Jan 5 Stubborn Frenchman changes his mind...not likely. Expect multiple changes again. Also did the man not do any research by watching games from last season. Even a fool could have worked out we kept the same back 4 with the 2 full backs flying down the wing and getting the ball to the forwards. Now it seems the forwards have to create their own delivery with no one in the box. There is tinkering and then there is downright stupidity!

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SanMarco added 18:37 - Jan 5 "Diamond" was the early season word but it has been "rotation" ever since - as long as the other "R" word (the one that rhymes with delegation) doesn't take over. Has "rotation" worked? It was mainly for the Europa League and did we qualify? Also it was for a run of league games like over Christmas/New Year - how many points did we get? Even the league cup run, which I suppose could be claimed as its one success, was surely more law of averages - we were bound to win a quarter final eventually and Wenger co-operated nicely. So Puel's rotation isn't working, the football is not entertaining and our captain wants to leave. I would humbly suggest that Puel tries to win on Saturday. If we lose at Norwich and then to Liverpool our season will be over (always assuming second "R" above isn't an issue) and I suspect most fans will be in the mood to blame Puel and I am thinking more and more that they may be right....

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undertoomers added 18:44 - Jan 5 As each game goes by Puel is proving that he's not up to the job. Apart from a handful,every player is going backwards. He's here to improve them!. It's not good football to watch and the next few games will dictate his future here. I've had a gutful of it, I want him gone. The way we're playing now we will lose the next three games & that will see him gone ( it had better do). Then who to bring in ?, who would want to come ?. I reckon the best realistic option at the moment is Gary Monk.

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aceofthebase added 22:19 - Jan 5 For those that say rotation hasn't worked, and that maybe correct, the opposite, of staying with the same team has not been proved. Who knows what terrible results might have happened with a stable team barely able to run and hiding injuries. I don't think it is Puel who is to blame it is a squad that is quite good but not very good. I know that many would drop Redmond instantly but who else would be dropped from our first eleven? Well at the moment apart from VD I wouldn't mind any change but there is no super duper goal scoring centre forward coming our way. Nor is there a top rate centre back or right back knocking on the door. Who would want to come to Southampton? We are not going to splash out on a Gareth Bale or a big star. There is no easy answers for Saints, a few wins will silence the more critical fans, I want those wins. I suspect the back room boys are trying to identify replacements but whoever they turn up Saints will be struggling for a win for the remainder of the season. So win or lose I will support our chaps and that includes the owner and all management

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perazi added 02:13 - Jan 6 If only it was as simple as rotating less and playing our best back four Nick. No doubt it hasn't helped, but leaving aside the unsettled Fonte and the question marks hanging over Puel's Management, the real problem this season has been a lack of quality - particularly in mid-field and up front. Many thought that Wanyama, Mane and Pelle would not be missed and would be adequately replaced. Redmond was going to be a re-modelled striker; J-Rod was going to bounce back; Austin was going to cover Pelle and Long was going to build on the success he had around the departed players. In midfield Romeu was expected to cover for Wanyama and in large part he has. He has though been forced to hold such a weak midfield together. Hojbjerg after a promising start has stalled dramatically; Clasie though improved has yet to establish himself; Davis continues to be our most effective running mid-fielder but at 31 is starting to struggle to maintain a strong 90 minutes. And then there's Ward-Prowse who to my eye is the greatest liability in our mid-field; dead ball delivery aside, there is so little to his game - he can't handle a defensive role, can't make driving or dribbling runs into attack and has one open field goal from 151 appearances. I think this is where our real problem lies.

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IanRC added 11:38 - Jan 6 On a side issue, why did we not appeal Van Dijk's red card, the striker clearly had him in an arm lock on the tv so he could appear to be pulled down. A constant frustration for me is that for example Vertonghan can get away with hitting Rodriguez in the face in the penalty area but Redmond can be sent off for a foul outside the penalty area. I thought tv evidence could be used against Vertonghan where the referee does not see the incident. Just part of the deep rooted corruption in British football I guess.

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