Claude Puel calls for a Leicester City reality check

[urban.spaceman]

Claude Puel calls for a Leicester City reality check

The City boss discusses the criticism he has received and the speculation over his future, as well as his public image

Claude Puel has called for a reality check at Leicester City as he hit back at his critics.

City are seventh in the Premier League, but that hasn’t stopped the Frenchman coming under fire from a section of supporters who have become disillusioned with his style of play and the inconsistencies of his young side.

Puel has also been the subject of media reports that his job was in doubt on several occasions, and the criticism intensified after he made seven changes for the FA Cup third-round tie at Newport County, and paid the price as Citysuffered a shock giant-killing.

Puel admits it has been difficult to manage the negativity that is around his team, but he believes considering the problems his side has faced in the first half of the season and the fact they are competing against clubs with more resources, his side have done a good job to sit seventh in the table.

  

Puel accepts City’s title triumph of 2016 has raised expectations, but he said it wasn’t realistic to think they should be competing in the top six again and called for his emerging young players to be given more time and patience.

“I think it’s a shame because for a club to continue to improve we need stability,” Puel said of the criticism and negativity around City.

“Stability is not about the speculation around the club, inside, outside the club. It is important to support these young players who continue to improve and put in a good structure in the club, good basics to perform in the future.

“We know the normal difficulties to improve young players and get results. Normally it is not possible to improve young players and have the result at the same time. Normally when we improve the young players they perform later.

“There is a lot of pressure around the club, but we try to maintain good results and good improvement of lots of players.

Leicester City manager Claude Puel leaves the touchline after the Emirates FA Cup, third round match at Rodney Parade(Image: Nick Potts/PA Wire)

“Since the beginning of the season I think we have done some fantastic work. I am happy about the work we can do, the hard work my players have given in training and in games.

“To finish seventh in the first half season with all problems we have had, it’s a very good performance. If people believe we have to be sixth, that it should be our place, it is not the truth. It’s not possible.

“And if they think eighth is not good enough, it’s crazy.

“Of course we have difficulties to get a good atmosphere around the club. We need to be clever.”

 

City made seven signings last summer but after the sales of Riyad Mahrez and Ahmed Musa, they had an estimated net spend of just £25million.

Puel said the truth was they couldn’t go out and compete with the top clubs in the Premier League for ready-made players, but instead were invested in youth they feel they can develop themselves.

“The question is how can we perform at this club? Do we have the same possibilities and money as Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea, or Everton, West Ham or Wolves? Do we have same possibilities? No,” said Puel.

“How can we compete against these teams? We can’t buy the same players, experienced and consistent with a fantastic level.

“We can perform if we can take some talented players, younger and develop them.

Harvey Barnes trains with Leicester City for the first time after returning from his loan spell at West Brom(Image: Plumb Images/Getty Images)

“Perhaps we have success. Then we keep them and in three to four years we can compete with the great teams. For me it is the only project we can have.

“It was exceptional that Leicester won the title. If not it would be easy all the time to win the title. It was exceptional. If people think that was normal in the Premier League it is not the truth.

“This club won the title and the expectation from all around the club, from fans sometimes and from people and journalists, the expectation is more advanced. It’s a higher level.

“There’s a difference in the possibilities for Leicester and what people want to achieve and dream of, and what they are expect from us.

“I accept this but all the time after a bad result there is pressure, and other teams with more money and more possibilities are behind us don’t have noise, speculation or other things. They can work with calm, without a problem.

 

“We know the difficulties and the atmosphere around the club, for me and the players, for the club.

“We have to manage this atmosphere and to try to keep all the time our calm and continue this project.”

It was a similar story when Puel was manager of Southampton, who he faces tomorrow at King Power Stadium.

He was sacked after one season despite finishing eighth in the table and taking the Saints to a cup final, but Puel was unpopular with sections of the supporters who didn’t like the football they witnessed.

“Yes, perhaps (it’s the same), because before they finished sixth and the believed after sixth it would be fifth, fourth and so on,” said Puel.

“Perhaps it was the same thing, I don’t know, but if we forget who we are it will be difficult afterwards. It is always important to be clever with ambition.

“We need to have ambition but ambition to follow a project because the way is different because we cannot pay, we cannot buy.

Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City warms up ahead of his side's clash with Leicester City(Image: Plumb Images/Getty Images)

“For example, when we lost Riyad Mahrez how can we replace him with the same level? It’s not possible.

“We need to find different possibilities with different talented players and with a different profile to give strength to the team.

“It costs a lot of money. A good example is Riyad became a great player but he was not a great player when he arrived in the club.

“He made progress and I hope other players in our team have the ability to become great players with passion and hard work on the pitch and in training sessions.

“To keep the right mentality is the most important thing and some teams can have an interest in our players because they show the world what we can do and the quality we can put into recruitment of young players and developing them - sometimes to buy young players and sometimes to come from the academy and develop.

  

“It’s the way for us.”

Puel also addressed his public persona and how that has affected perceptions of him. As he is asked, he shrugs and offers a weary smile.

“Ah, the image! I saw in the past a lot of images with different managers,” he sighed.

“They had a fantastic image, but now their teams play in the Championship.

“The most important thing is not to be spectacular on the bench, it’s to try to perform on the pitch and develop a club and to have good consistency to compete and to make progress and keep ambition, just this.”

It seemed Puel was in fighting mode after weeks of speculation and criticism, but he vowed to continue to soak up any negativity aimed at his young squad and vowed he would not waver from his plan.

“My job is to take all this pressure without giving pressure to my team and the club. I take this pressure,” he said.

“It’s not a problem for me, but I want my players to play without pressure, with freshness and freedom and this is the most important thing to continue their development.

“I can take the pressure. I am solid, I have the habits, it’s not a problem.”

[urban.spaceman]

 

[car1os]

Im pleased we’re starting to clear some deadwood and promote youth. Puel’s right that the club needs stability, but can we also have stable first team selection until the end of the season?  Only the 7th place to fight for now.  

[Gwyn]

Let's flipping back him.

#becarefulwhatyouwish4

 

[Dames]

He really does talk a good game i’ll give him that. 

 

I’m concerned about the messages about lack of money though are we really that broke that we cant compete against any club in the top 10 in the market? Concerning if true.

[dormelcfc]

I like this from Claude. It's clear he has a long-term plan for the club and he's been trying to implement it from the off but has been frustrated. 

 

Of course, he has made mistakes but I like the long-term planning. It's also refreshing not to just get the bog-standard, PR-friendly answers.

[matty98]

I've been critical in the past of him but he's right, it's about the bigger picture. Our net spend since he's been here has been low yet he's managed to turn us into the youngest team in the league with some great players coming through. Yes, we've had some awful performances but that comes with a young side. 

 

I'm 100% behind him now.

[StriderHiryu]

Thanks for sharing @urban.spaceman!

 

To be honest I'm really glad he's come out and said this, because he's completely correct. It confirms everything we've all speculated on, which is that the club is looking to achieve success by developing players at the club over time instead of spending a sh*t ton of money. Personally this makes me pleased because I think clubs who spend vast fortunes on players lose the soul of their club. I have nothing against a marquee signing or two every summer, but I think fees spent by many clubs, including some of the "surprise" comparisons he gave like Everton and Wolves are both dangerous and have the mercenary feel to them. Our Premier League title was THE definitive title because it captured the quintessential essence of what football is, and captivated the world because of it.

 

We have so many British players, have just got Hamza in and around the first team and recalled Barnes. Throw Chilwell into the mix and that's three local lads (Chilwell for me counts given he's been in the city for over 10 years) who are likely to be first team players quite soon. That is in-****ing-credible job especially when you consider that at the time of writing we are 7th.

 

The one criticism that I think is fair from our fans is that the football is boring to watch. Essentially we all watch football for entertainment so I think it's perfectly fair to crticise a team for not having a go. When we won the title we often had games of less than 40% possession but our counter attacks were breathtaking and got you on the edge of your seat. BUT I do believe we will improve our attacking play over time. The quote about Mahrez is totally true, he was clearly talented but essentially a bit of a fancy dan when he arrived. It took a few seasons for him to blossom into a truly elite player. Bringing Barnes back is a great start as he has that "wow" factor, and we all need to remember to be patient and get behind the lads and club. If Ricardo and Maddison are indicative of the type of player we want to bring in, then we should continue to improve again in the summer. Puel has worked with players like Henry, Hazard, Trezeguet, etc and gave many of them their first chance. In the game against Chelsea, you could clearly see Hazard talking to Puel at the end of the game, which shows you how deep that respect goes. If you could pick one coach to develop your young players, Puel would be right up there alongside Wenger.

 

Another thing about the King Power group... their success has largely come down from being smart and patient enough to have a long term plan and sticking to it. That's how they grew the King Power brand and how they've approached their other business interests. If you look at the job they have done with our own club then they've done an incredible job, and that's ignoring the Premier League title. They have taken a Championship team that has spent most of their time in the Championship into a steady Premier League club, full of British talent with several players at the World Cup. And they are only getting started!

 

Some of my favourite quotes are below, and I think many on here would do well to pay specific attention to these:

 

“We know the normal difficulties to improve young players and get results. Normally it is not possible to improve young players and have the result at the same time. Normally when we improve the young players they perform later.

“There is a lot of pressure around the club, but we try to maintain good results and good improvement of lots of players.

 

“It costs a lot of money. A good example is Riyad became a great player but he was not a great player when he arrived in the club.

 

 

[Deeg67]

“They had a fantastic image, but now their teams play in the Championship."

 

???????

[StriderHiryu]

2 minutes ago, Deeg67 said:

“They had a fantastic image, but now their teams play in the Championship."

 

???????

LOL this cracked me up. Puel be like:

 

 

 

 

 

[bovril]

It is crazy really that he has to 'come out fighting' when we're top half of the Premier League. 

[Hanan96]

22 minutes ago, car1os said:

Im pleased we’re starting to clear some deadwood and promote youth. Puel’s right that the club needs stability, but can we also have stable first team selection until the end of the season?  Only the 7th place to fight for now.  

It seems we have it already. 

Kasper, Ricardo, Morgan, Maguire, Chilwell, Mendy, Ndidi, Albrighton, Madisson, Gray, Vardy

The changeable one are morgan, which evans keep come close but then stopped by injury 

We made few tweak so far according to the opponent, but that's the main plan already 

[womp]

13 minutes ago, StriderHiryu said:

Thanks for sharing @urban.spaceman!

 

To be honest I'm really glad he's come out and said this, because he's completely correct. It confirms everything we've all speculated on, which is that the club is looking to achieve success by developing players at the club over time instead of spending a sh*t ton of money. Personally this makes me pleased because I think clubs who spend vast fortunes on players lose the soul of their club. I have nothing against a marquee signing or two every summer, but I think fees spent by many clubs, including some of the "surprise" comparisons he gave like Everton and Wolves are both dangerous and have the mercenary feel to them. Our Premier League title was THE definitive title because it captured the quintessential essence of what football is, and captivated the world because of it.

 

We have so many British players, have just got Hamza in and around the first team and recalled Barnes. Throw Chilwell into the mix and that's three local lads (Chilwell for me counts given he's been in the city for over 10 years) who are likely to be first team players quite soon. That is in-****ing-credible job especially when you consider that at the time of writing we are 7th.

 

The one criticism that I think is fair from our fans is that the football is boring to watch. Essentially we all watch football for entertainment so I think it's perfectly fair to crticise a team for not having a go. When we won the title we often had games of less than 40% possession but our counter attacks were breathtaking and got you on the edge of your seat. BUT I do believe we will improve our attacking play over time. The quote about Mahrez is totally true, he was clearly talented but essentially a bit of a fancy dan when he arrived. It took a few seasons for him to blossom into a truly elite player. Bringing Barnes back is a great start as he has that "wow" factor, and we all need to remember to be patient and get behind the lads and club. If Ricardo and Maddison are indicative of the type of player we want to bring in, then we should continue to improve again in the summer. Puel has worked with players like Henry, Hazard, Trezeguet, etc and gave many of them their first chance. In the game against Chelsea, you could clearly see Hazard talking to Puel at the end of the game, which shows you how deep that respect goes. If you could pick one coach to develop your young players, Puel would be right up there alongside Wenger.

 

Another thing about the King Power group... their success has largely come down from being smart and patient enough to have a long term plan and sticking to it. That's how they grew the King Power brand and how they've approached their other business interests. If you look at the job they have done with our own club then they've done an incredible job, and that's ignoring the Premier League title. They have taken a Championship team that has spent most of their time in the Championship into a steady Premier League club, full of British talent with several players at the World Cup. And they are only getting started!

 

Some of my favourite quotes are below, and I think many on here would do well to pay specific attention to these:

 

“We know the normal difficulties to improve young players and get results. Normally it is not possible to improve young players and have the result at the same time. Normally when we improve the young players they perform later.

“There is a lot of pressure around the club, but we try to maintain good results and good improvement of lots of players.

 

“It costs a lot of money. A good example is Riyad became a great player but he was not a great player when he arrived in the club.

 

 

on the boring to watch.

I dont think its helping that all the attacking mids are struggling.

grays lost form,ghezel still trying to get to a level and maddison is up and down too.he has said on a few occasions that the players are struggling to find avenues to attack.

[coolhandfox]

It about time some of our support understood this is a project and we have'nt got as much money as some think. 

 

For the first time in a while it seems like we have a plan.

[StriderHiryu]

7 minutes ago, womp said:

on the boring to watch.

I dont think its helping that all the attacking mids are struggling.

grays lost form,ghezel still trying to get to a level and maddison is up and down too.he has said on a few occasions that the players are struggling to find avenues to attack.

Definitely and you can also criticise the double pivot for being too defensively orientated and not progressive enough. But the thing is that these are not overnight problems that can be solved. Finding a high quality winger / forward is difficult, which is why Man City spent 60m in Mahrez even though he's just an option to rotate with Sane and Sterling. It would have been great if we could have signed Felipe Anderson, but he was something like 40m and clearly we prioritised this season other positions (Right Back, 10, Centre Backs). Ghezzal was and is clearly just a squad player. As Puel says, you have to either go out and spend a fortune to get a player who is proven in that position, or you have to pick up players with potential and develop them. I know it's often like watching a broken record with Leicester at the moment, but unless we suddenly signed a world class attacking player, why are we expecting anything different? And there has been progress this season, our defence is much improved and our full backs are brilliant. And building from the back is ALWAYS a good idea, you might remember a famous Italian ex-manager of ours who promised to buy the players a Pizza if we kept a clean sheet. It turned out that fixing the defence that year had positive results .

 

So with all that said, having Barnes back is great, he can have a free swing to get up to speed so he can provide more of an impact next season. I would also be shocked if at least one more forward doesn't come in next season and possibly a more creative central midfield option once Slimani, Silva, Iborra, etc are all off the wage bill.

[StanSP]

Not much wrong said there at all!

Glad he's come out with a bit of fight against all the haters. 

 

That 'they now play in the Championship' line was superb.

[chapero82]

So he’s telling us that we shouldn’t have ambitions to go higher? He would never had won the league with us that’s for sure! 

 

I am not saying for one second we could do it btw I’m just saying it would never had happened with that mindset!

 

also my annoyance is the way we play and how he has messed up on the chance for 2 cup finals in the exact same way in two years running!

 

And those Claude were very possible! 

[Deeg67]

I love that Claude finally gave a glorious F/U to all the ignorant and Francophobic "fans" who scream for his hide non-stop.  But I hate the fact that he had to do it in the first place.  Frankly, I respect that he held off for as long as he did, but one of the consistencies of his style is not wanting to make everything about himself.  Some managers demand to be the center of attention; some don't.

[StanSP]

Just now, chapero82 said:

So he’s telling us that we shouldn’t have ambitions to go higher?

Have the ambition but don't be all knee-jerk and butthurt when it expectedly doesn't happen because of the huge gulf in (financial) strength and quality between top 6 and the rest of the division. Hence the 'reality check'...

[lgfualol]

Gwon Puel. When most of the team consist of his signings then I think we will really do the business.

[urban.spaceman]

3 minutes ago, chapero82 said:

So he’s telling us that we shouldn’t have ambitions to go higher? He would never had won the league with us that’s for sure! 

 

I am not saying for one second we could do it btw I’m just saying it would never had happened with that mindset!

 

also my annoyance is the way we play and how he has messed up on the chance for 2 cup finals in the exact same way in two years running!

 

And those Claude were very possible! 

I think he’s basically just trying to say be patient.

 

It’s great to have ambitions but it’s not acheivable tomorrow.

 

The title win was amazing but wasn’t sustainable long term because we couldn’t compete with the big teams off the pitch.

 

Claude’s building something, and that takes time. 

[chapero82]

7 minutes ago, StanSP said:

Have the ambition but don't be all knee-jerk and butthurt when it expectedly doesn't happen because of the huge gulf in (financial) strength and quality between top 6 and the rest of the division. Hence the 'reality check'...

Personally I think he’s just making excuses, 

 

The problem fans have with him is nothing to do with that place in the league, maybe he should take a leaf out of his own advice and be more consistent with the team selection ??‍♂️

 

It’ssame thing over and over again give it time.. maybe just play to the players strength instead? Give it time to start using his own methods when he has the players that can actually pull it off? 

[kingfox]

He's stated exactly the same things I've stated all season 

 

We're a young developing side going through a transition stage, he's mentioned many times in that article about youth, the youth we have need time to develop. A key point he made is that in 3-4 years time these players will be better, these players might be able to compete against the big teams on a more regular basis, we might even break into the top six. 

 

He has a clear vision and his vision is a positive one, this season he's stuck to that vision and so far it's been hit and miss but players like Chilwell are developing, players like Choudhury and Barnes will be getting chances. He's made some terrific signings in Ricardo and Maddison, in Soyuncu and Benkovic we have two players there who could well be key players within a season or two.

 

Many sit and moan and on some occasions I don't blame them; however right now we're 7th, the teams around us like Wolves, Watford, West Ham, Bournemouth have all experienced similar this season in terms of up and down moments, we've had that ourselves and we'll continue to have that this season. 

 

Anywhere 7th-10th shouldn't be looked upon as a failed position, it should be looked upon as a realistic position.

 

Finally a shout out to @StriderHiryu your posts keep getting better and better, you should have a thread dedicated to you like Babs 

[chapero82]

He’s also saying we can’t compete with Wolves and West Ham ffs It’s reminding me the Peter Taylor era 

 

 

he question is how can we perform at this club? Do we have the same possibilities and money as Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea, or Everton, West Ham or Wolves? Do we have same possibilities? No,” said Puel

[lifted*fox]

Yep, yep. 

 

Anyone with a little bit of foresight already knows this and we've been telling people here for months, blue in the face. It's good that it's been made clear by Puel too. 

 

Long term project, sustainable, takes time. Either back the project, get behind the young players and the manager or get off the ****ing bus.