After Koeman followed Mauricio Pochettino out of St Mary’s, few could have expected Puel to help them challenge for Europe again this season
Southampton playmaker Dusan Tadic has revealed to WhoScored that manager Claude Puel is a more in-depth tactical thinker than previous incumbent Ronald Koeman.
After a slow start to the season under the former Nice manager, the Saints are sitting pretty on cloud nine after a seven game unbeaten run in league and cup, including an impressive 3-0 win away at West Ham and a thrashing of Sparta Prague in the Europa League.
Their current form once again flies in the face of pre-season expectations after Koeman’s departure to Everton (below) coincided, once again, with the loss of several key players such as midfield anchorman Victor Wanyama and first-choice centre-forward Graziano Pelle.
And Tadic, who has stepped up once again in a more central role this season, has praised Puel’s tactical understanding and ability to analyse games.
“Both of them [Puel and Koeman] are very good coaches,” the Serbian, who contributed seven goals and 12 assists last season, told WhoScored.
“Maybe Claude goes into more depth in the details and likes to analyse the game more. They are two different characters, of course.”
Tadic was dubbed ‘The Assist King’ while making his name in Holland with FC Twente and famously arrived in English football having carved out 133 chances for his team-mates the season prior.
Now, complemented by Nathan Redmond’s jinking runs and Charlie Austin’s predatory instincts, the 27-year-old (below) is fully established as the creative hub of a Southampton side who, beyond their wildest dreams, head into Thursday’s Europe League clash with Italian giants Inter Milan with a great deal of confidence.
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