The Saints have shown some promising form of late, but are in the early stages of the Claude Puel era.
Southampton midfielder Oriol Romeu rates manager Claude Puel highly, and says he has dealt with the recent hectic fixture schedule in a clever way, the Daily Echo reports.
The Saints have kept six successive clean sheets in all competitions which has helped them pick up seven points from their last three league games, go top of their Europa League group after two games, and make it to the fourth round of the EFL Cup.
Puel has managed to make changes and keep the side fresh while maintaining a degree of consistency from his team.
Romeu is quoted in the Daily Echo, saying: “I think that we are doing well because the coach is being clever. We make five or six changes from the last game and that’s what we have to do this year because we are in more competitions.
“He’s very good. I’ve been lucky to have had very good managers and have learned a lot from them, but with Claude we are still learning, we are still improving but so far it is very good.
“We like to play this style. We like to have the ball. We like the team managing the game and willing to be clever with the ball.”
Romeu’s initial impressions of Puel seem to be pretty high and it can mean a lot when it comes from a player that has worked with managers that have major European honours to boast about. It only seems to confirm the idea that Southampton made a shrewd appointment in the summer.
But as he says, there is still some work to be done. Though Southampton’s players seem to be enjoying the style of play that has been implemented by their manager, there are some improvements that can be made over the coming weeks and months.
Given their recent form, and the inevitable improvements to follow, they are going to be a tricky side to face for every kind of side in the division.
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