Puel

[volpeazzurro]

6 hours ago, AYLESBURY FOX 1961 said:

I am sad that we will probably never get back the exciting all out attacking gung ho style from the great escape last 9 games of 2014/5 and the first eighteen games of the following season - we were just balls out not giving a shit approach that got the crowd up for it and you couldnt fail to be an optimist - last night i was jut relieved we won when if we had the approach from 2015/16 we should have wiped the floor with them.

Possibly .... but perhaps not without Kante and Drinkwater. It was great whilst it lasted. When Sousa came as our manager for example, he admirably tried to play champagne and oysters football but unfortunately with beer and chips players. For any good recipe you need mostly the right ingredients and a good chef to bake a good cake. Unfortunately we'd lost a couple of those main ingredients and then put a school cook in the shape of Shakespeare in charge. Sadly things had to change and evolve. Thus far under Puell, the new shoots of success look promising bearing in mind he's reorganising what he has at his disposal. For all the criticism by some, it's a lot better than what was on offer under the hapless Shakespeare who was sadly completely out of his depth.

[Dan LCFC]

Puel's come in and done a lot of things that have made you wonder what on earth we've been doing for the last 18 months.

 

He's got Gray and Mahrez both starting regularly, interchanging within games and making themselves very hard to mark. They are both being played in a system that suits the way they're effective and what do you know, we look a far more threatening side for it. We have far better movement off the ball where there are nearly always options when the likes of Mahrez are on the ball. He's put in a system which is supplementing Mahrez and not one that's relying on him.

 

He's not been scared to play younger players. Gray has answered his critics since coming into the side. I think there's something in what people said about before where he always tried to overdo things just because he knew he'd probably be out the side if he didn't deliver something. He came straight in under Puel, had probably his best game for us in that and has started nearly every game since. He looks like he's got a big future now rather than going the way of so many nearly players. Chilwell is another who has come in and flourished under him. He's still got a way to go (he's a bit careless defensively for a full back) but I think we have a manager who will actually allow for these players to improve, and that's something we have lacked enormously.

 

He's not scared to rotate. He'll take tactical gambles. Gray's come in but who has really missed out? Albrighton's still featuring a lot, Okazaki's still featuring a lot, Mahrez is still featuring a lot. I'd imagine he's keeping them happy with their playing time (other than Slimani and Iheanacho but you can't put those on Puel).

 

It isn't the finished article by any stretch but to get us playing football like this, where we look a genuinely competent side at holding onto and using the ball, where we attack with pace and unpredictability, without any transfer window, given the garbage we were serving up at Huddersfield and Bournemouth is really impressive.

 

I wasn't too happy when we appointed him, struck me as a very underwhelming appointment, but a bit of research and I edged towards being in favour and the more it goes on the more I think we've played a blinder. Time will tell but I am genuinely encouraged by what I've seen from this bloke. Very good.

[kushiro]

All hail the new king of managerial charisma - 'The Quiet One' Claude Puel

 

Chris Bascombe,  Daily Telegraph

 

Step aside Pep, move over Jose and turn down that heavy metal Jurgen. Ladies and gentleman, a show of appreciation, please, for the new king of managerial charisma: ‘Whispering’ Claude Puel. Last summer, Puel became the first manager in Premier League history to be sacked for being boring. His Southampton team was perfectly fine. They finished eighth and reached a cup final. But they were not interesting enough, scoring just 41 goals, and his press conferences sounded like an audition for snooker commentary.

On covering Southampton last season, such was the need to keep edging the chair forward to hear Claude he found himself eyeball-to-eyeball with 20 journalists every week. They still couldn't hear him.

 

 

The Frenchman could point to mitigating factors, such as Southampton selling Sadio Mane, injuries to strikers, and the refusal of the Saints media team to arm their press room with a Spinal Tap amplifier that rose to 11. But enough was enough, Claude tip-toeing out of St Mary’s with as little fanfare as he arrived, no doubt feeling he wanted to shout from the rooftops about the gross injustice of it all, but instead opting to mutter inaudibly leaving everyone bewildered before moving seamlessly into a state of ambivalence.

Puel left Southampton with just as little fanfare as when he arrived Credit: Getty Images

Since Claude returned to management almost immediately at Leicester City, there are hints he might make Southampton look very silly indeed. Leicester have lost once – to Manchester City – in his seven games in charge. They were in the bottom three when Craig Shakespeare was sacked in mid-October. Saturday’s win at Newcastle took them eighth. Far from tedious, there is something captivating about having to turn the television to full blast to hear Puel’s soothing accent in post-match chats – (although disconcerting when the interviewer then returns to the studio and Jake Humphrey’s voice traumatises the neighbours). Puel may have learned from his mistakes on the south coast, but he can still do more to ensure he does not suffer the same fate. Rather than become a victim of his understated personality, he should employ the full resources of Leicester’s PR department and turn it to his advantage.

Leicester have lost just once in their seven games under Puel Credit: Getty Images

After their initial uncertainty, fans inside the King Power should now consider donning t-shirts hailing ‘The Quiet One’. Claude should then use his largely indecipherable press conferences as a gimmick, giving the impression his subdued vocal is part of a pre-meditated act. Embrace those hushed tones. Murmur the merits of minimalism. Always wear a grey suit with a matching tie. Get those cushioned-shoes branded with a ‘CP’ logo and make creeping into the interview chair and sneaking out without anyone noticing your party piece.  Give a few exclusive interviews where you list visiting every railway station in the UK as a childhood ambition, claim the greatest Kate in the music industry is Melua rather than Bush, and profess an unadulterated love of the DVD extras of every Peter Jackson movie.

 

Football fashions come and go, but Claude is a reassuring symbol of a modern game that should need no convincing that a tried and trusted 4-4-1-1 formation built around soaking up the opposition and utilising the pace of Jamie Vardy is the blueprint for mid-management in mid-table.

Given Puel’s record in England, his fate at Southampton suggests he was a victim of the cult of personality as much as results. Would a higher profile name with a more outspoken disposition have been treated so harshly? Does it tell us more about the ego of those who made the decision to sack him – the Napoleonic complexes of certain Directors of Football – than undervalued qualities of organisation and unpretentiousness?

When he was leading his side within a few minutes of victory over Manchester United in the League Cup final last season, Puel must have considered it is those who scream for attention that have their skills most appreciated.

As luck would have it, the French coach faces his old club in midweek. Should he be victorious, it is thrilling to imagine Claude tenderly delivering a scathing message to the Saints hierarchy as he boards the Leicester bus.

“Who is sleeping now?”

Edited 11 December 2017 by kushiro

[ZeGuy]

21 hours ago, AYLESBURY FOX 1961 said:

I am sad that we will probably never get back the exciting all out attacking gung ho style from the great escape last 9 games of 2014/5 and the first eighteen games of the following season - we were just balls out not giving a shit approach that got the crowd up for it and you couldnt fail to be an optimist - last night i was jut relieved we won when if we had the approach from 2015/16 we should have wiped the floor with them.

 

Take off the nostalgia glasses and remember that Kanté ain't here anymore. Oh and no team let you do as you please since the second half of 2015/16-

 

The first two goals, especially the second, with Albrighton's fabulous lay-off were a thing beauty. We're still a bit dodgy at the back due to the FBs pushing forward but it's bouind to happen as the players need to be drilled to fit into the new system. It will click at some point.

 

[foxy boxing]

What he has done so far here is amazing and in just a short space of time, he seems to have a vision of how we want to play and not just the counter attacking stuff that we are well known for but is trying to get us to be more possession based but also to do a lot more with the ball instead of over the top to Vardy to chase.. we have the creative players in Mahrez and Gray to do so much more on the pitch and these last few games have really been great to watch attacking wise.

[Al-aLondon-Foxile]

I love that he encourages the youth, the academy lads must be very heartened by his stance thus far. I also think (hope) most of us are willing to show some patients with 'one of our own' coming through the ranks, and will accept their mistakes as they progress with much more grace than someone we've spent millions on.  

[Guest CityFan 06]

Really pleased with how it's going under Puel. Happy with the points we have on board and the position we're in. Since he's come in, one of the biggest changes has been how much better we are on the ball. This has probably been our biggest detractor in recent seasons, we've haven't had the balance of our counter attacking style of play with being able to keep the ball when necessary. We now seem to have that balance and we're a better side for it. 

 

Puel has also introduced a new formation in 4-2-3-1, another key change. When he joined Puel recognised the need for a plan B, something we lacked under both Ranieri and Shakespeare. We now have another formation which works and it has given us a much needed alternative to 4-4-2. We have become more dynamic going forward, and Gray and Mahrez in particular have benefitted from playing behind Vardy, having more freedom to attack.  

 

Claude has realised a few changes which needed to be made here and he's been willing to do them. For us, ball retention and a change in formation have been two of the biggest talking points which needed looking at. These two changes seemed quite an undertaking because they didn't happen under Ranieri or Shakespeare, but in Puel we've got a manager in who has had the courage to make changes. For me, we're looking like a quality team under Puel.

Edited 11 December 2017 by CityFan 06

[KingsX]

Claude Puel and perception

How quickly a reputation can change, and proof that a manager is so often reliant on the proficiency of his players. Claude Puel is persona grata again.

 

At Southampton, Puel earned a reputation for dismal attacking football, critics pointing to a poor record of goals scored. Yet Puel suffered because of the underperformance of Southampton’s strikers. That is not to say that there were not issues with Puel’s style, nor that he should not share part of the blame, but those selected to take chances and score goals failed to do so.

 

In Leicester’s seven matches under Puel, they have scored at a rate of 1.6 per game. Last season under Puel, Southampton scored at a rate of 1.1 per game, a clear difference. Yet dig down a little more, and the results are surprising.

 

In 2016/17, Southampton created chances and took shots at a rate of 10.4 and 14.5 per game. Under Puel in the last seven games, Leicester have created chances and taken shots at a rate of 7.8 and 9.7 per game, a comfortably worse rate. The difference is that Leicester’s shot conversion rate over that period is 20.8%. Last season, Southampton’s shot conversion rate was 10.1%.

 

That can be sold in two ways. Either you say that Puel is not a better coach than at Southampton, more that he has got lucky with Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez (although it’s worth pointing that both are performing better than they were under Craig Shakespeare). It would be more accurate (particularly given the struggles of Mauricio Pellegrino) is to say that no manager could deal with the abysmal shooting that Southampton produced last season. Under Pellegrino the shot accuracy has improved only marginally, still under 11%.

 

Away from Southampton, Puel is flourishing again, albeit in a short sample size. Since arriving at the King Power, only Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Burnley have taken more points than Leicester.

 

http://www.football365.com/news/premier-league-winners-and-losers-83

[norwichfox]

He'll do for me, I just hope he sticks around for a few years.

[Leamington Fox]

I've been very pleasantly surprised.  The absolute key has been an evolution on our playing style.  We have not jettisoned the very effective, quick counter-attacking play, but somehow we have managed to combine it with more possession and neat short and mid-range passing.

 

I am not sure if Iborra's emergence is partly why we are playing so much better vice versa.

 

I'm a happy boy.  Top 8 looks totally achievable.

[brucey]

2 hours ago, KingsX said:

Either you say that Puel is not a better coach than at Southampton, more that he has got lucky with Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez (although it’s worth pointing that both are performing better than they were under Craig Shakespeare).

??

Mahrez has been better under Puel, but Vardy's clearly been worse.

[UPinCarolina]

2 minutes ago, brucey said:

??

Mahrez has been better under Puel, but Vardy's clearly been worse.

I don't know that he has been worse; I think he's not able to exploit his favorite trick.

[Bob Weasel Fox]

On 10/12/2017 at 11:33, lestajigs said:

I was gutted when he was appointed, but looks like there was no need

This

[Babylon]

3 minutes ago, brucey said:

??

Mahrez has been better under Puel, but Vardy's clearly been worse.

2 in 7 under Puel, compared to 3 in 7 the before Puel... two of which were penalties. 

 

Not sure it's that clear. 

[KingsX]

2 minutes ago, brucey said:

??

Mahrez has been better under Puel, but Vardy's clearly been worse.

I would tend to agree, though not worried as I think we are merely diversifying our attack ...

 

Note, my post was an article share (link at bottom), and I do think the author's point was dead on.  Puel's attack at So'ton was severely limited by a lack of quality options up front, and he has already proved that he will not waste those options here.

[foxinsocks]

2 hours ago, norwichfox said:

He'll do for me, I just hope he sticks around for a few years.

Me too.

For sonevyears epl clibs havr been the richest and sttracted great players yet poor in europe.  So why thus financial inefficiency?   Imo it has been down to manange turnover and the subsequnt squad turnover leading to speculative investment being let go and even more speculative investments taken on.   Thus year all our cl clubs have settled managers and all are progressing.

Our club will benefit from giving puel a reasonable run 

[brucey]

5 minutes ago, Babylon said:

2 in 7 under Puel, compared to 3 in 7 the before Puel... two of which were penalties. 

 

Not sure it's that clear. 

You're right, I forgot about the two penalties. Take those away and Vardy hasn't really changed but Mahrez definitely has.

[Spudulike]

On 10/12/2017 at 10:38, Chico1958 said:

I was 50/50 but he's winning me over

I think that you were in the majority eventhough the media want to build a story, a myth about how we didn't want him. I don't think that was mostly true.

 

Seemed to me the only disappointment was on the back of not getting the bookies favourites such as the likes of Pellegrini, Tuchel, Mancini or even Ancelloti

 

As a club, we're pretty good at giving new employees (players and managers) a chance before will lambast them.

 

So far, he seems to be a good fit for us. *Like

[Chester Dontlie]

 

Must've felt sweet

Edited 13 December 2017 by Chester Dontlie

[ZeGuy]

Karma. So happy for him.

[foxfanazer]

We just seem to be in much more control of games. We slow it down when we want and attack at pace at the drop of a hat. Our ball retention is definitely improving and we occasionally play it out from the back.

 

Very impressed Mr Puel

[oldbluefox]

I like his style.

Young blood being brought in.

Some lovely one touch football.

Hoofball gone.

Quick on the break when we want it.

Players playing for each other and creating space.

Mahrez invigorated since he came.

Morgan looks more assured playing alongside Maguire.

 

After some of the dullest, drab football I have witnessed over the past season or more I wondered if we would ever achieve anything again. I am really optimistic with this guy (and Appleton) in charge. They are again a pleasure to watch.

[GaelicFox]

“Rudkin Really batted hard for him and we got him ,the owners apparently wanted a bigger name Rudkin was spot on” 

 

that’s from the same man that told me lump on at 8/1 

[TheUltimateWinner]

The man is class

 

Im proud to have him as our manager 

[GloverFox]

Well I’ll totally admit to having to eat humble pie.... I was totally and underwhelming disappointed when we appointed him, but just goes to show that I know nothing of the man! What a transformation in the playing results, we once again look the threatening, point grabbing side so desired!  totally due respect ....