| Claude Puel discusses his time at Southampton | Leicester City manager Claude Puel has been discussing his time at Southampton last season, the Daily Mail reports. … 27-10-2017 |
Following on from a successful inaugural edition, ‘A Game of Two Halves’ is back with new Saints stars and legends!
Original presenting duo Kelvin Davis and Kenzie Benali will oversee proceedings, due to take place at St Mary’s on Wednesday 22nd November.
Charlie Austin’s Superstars team will feature four of Southampton’s current first-team crop, while opposition captain Matt Le Tissier’s Legends side will be made up of four ex-Saints players - including celebrated striker Rickie Lambert. The teams will go head-to-head in a range of challenges and question rounds.
Everyone that buys a ticket prior to Sunday 12th November (those that have already purchased will be included) will get entered into a draw to win a meet and greet pre-show with the teams.
We’ll be picking 20 lucky individuals, and they’ll be drawn per transaction. All you need to do, is buy a ticket before November 12th!
To purchase tickets for A Game of Two Halves, click here.
| Brighton vs Southampton: Match Preview | Southampton travel to newly-promoted Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, in their first away trip across the south … 27-10-2017 |
| Southampton Predicted XI: Brighton (A) | Southampton will be hoping to make it two wins on the bounce when they travel to Brighton on Sunday. The Saints head … 27-10-2017 |
Saints are waiting to discover the full extent of the ankle injury suffered by Mario Lemina which will keep him out of Sunday’s trip to Brighton.
The midfielder powerhouse, who has been superb since joining Saints from Juventus in the summer, suffered the problem in training this week.
Saints are still uncertain of how bad it is, but there is no chance he will be fit for the game at the Amex Stadium.
Mauricio Pellegrino said: “I don’t know (how long he is out for). We have to wait for the next week and hopefully he can come back as soon as possible.”
Lemina’s loss is a significant blow for Saints and leaves Pellegrino with a taxing selection dilemma.
He could opt to draft in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, or potentially drop back Steven Davis and bring in either Sofiane Boufal or Nathan Redmond in the wide left attacking role.
“He’s (Lemina) the profile of players I told before we didn’t have in the squad so we brought him,” added Pellegrino.
“I think we have the players to replace him.
“We have players with quality and most of them are ready to play, maybe in a different way because Mario is a guy who can cover a lot of distance.
“In this moment when we lose the ball and in the final third attacking our transition improves a lot with Mario on the pitch.
“Every single player has different qualities and can be different in some moments.”
Hojbjerg will be desperate for a chance in the team having failed to make a single appearance this season under Pellegrino.
If he doesn’t he may also feel that is a telling sign.
Mauricio Pellegrino has challenged Sofiane Boufal to learn from his overzealous reaction to the wonder goal he scored against West Brom.
The Moroccan international let his frustration spill over after netting a dramatic winner against the Baggies, storming up the touchline to confront a manager who hasn’t given him too many chances this season.
Boufal appeared to fire some words in Pellegrino’s direction, which the manager took with great calm.
Pellegrino confirmed he has since spoken with Boufal about the incident, and has urged him to use it as a learning experience.
He said: “I have spoken with him about that.
“It is obviously something private but the only thing I can say is that I am happy with his action, his reaction on the pitch how he was playing in the last few games and not just the other day.
“If you make a change and want to make an impact on the game and Sofiane did it. That’s it.
“It is something Sofiane has to learn as a young lad to manage this type of reaction.
“It is something that can happen and we have to learn in this type of situation.”
Boufal’s mood is unlikely to improve if the goal doesn’t get him a recall for tomorrow’s south coast derby against Brighton at the Amex Stadium, but Pellegrino wasn’t giving much away about his team selection.
“It’s one possibility,” he said of starting £16m man Boufal. “I am happy with that because Sofiane I think in the last two or three games is playing well even when he came from the bench against Stoke or Newcastle.
“The other day obviously I am really happy with that because I want to improve the competition in the squad and Sofiane is a young lad and this action can give him more confidence to be better.”
Part of the problem for Boufal at Saints is that it hasn’t been entirely clear what position he is challenging for.
Pellegrino has a clear idea of where he believes the attacking talent is most effective, but admitted that it puts him into direct competition with Nathan Redmond.
“In my point of view Sofiane can play in the three different positions behind the striker,” he reflected. “In my opinion he is better on the left, but also I think that Nathan is better on the left to be honest.
“These are two players that when they go inside it’s really comfortable for them to shoot or to pass and to assist and be big players.
“They are also players that can go outside because they have the pace to do that and can cross, and are players with quality.
“For this reason sometimes I move them on the right, for example against Watford and changes position with Nathan. Nathan in the past has also played as a striker.
Mauricio Pellegrino says Sofiane Boufal could start for Southampton after his heroics against West Bromwich Albion.
Boufal came off the bench to score a late solo goal that sealed a 1-0 win on Saturday and Pellegrino says it might have earned the Moroccan a starting berth at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday.
“Sofiane is one possibility from the start, in the last two or three games he is playing well, even from the bench,” Pellegrino told Southampton’s official website.
“Sofiane is a young lad and this action can give him more confidence to be better.”
| Boufal could start against Brighton | Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino has admitted that Sofiane Boufal could be handed a start against Brighton … 27-10-2017 |
| Chris Hughton lauds “wonderfully-gifted” Southampton | Brighton manager Chris Hughton has been full of praise for Sunday’s counterparts Southampton. Speaking to the … 27-10-2017 |
Mario Lemina has sustained an ankle injury and will miss Southampton’s match away to Brighton on Sunday, according to his manager Mauricio Pellegrino.
Lemina has impressed since joining from Juventus in the summer, but Southampton will have to manage without him when they travel to the Amex Stadium, live on Sky Sports Premier League from 12.30pm.
Pellegrino said that Lemina suffered the injury this week, and he was unable to confirm when the Gabon international would return.
Pellegrino said: "I don’t know how long he is injured for. He has an ankle injury.
"It’s a profile of player that we didn’t have in the squad. For this reason, we brought him, but we have players to replace him, maybe in a different way.
"When we lose the ball attacking in the final third, we improve a lot in the transition with Mario on the pitch. But every player has different qualities.
“He came from Juventus, playing Champions League. It’s easier when you bring this sort of player.”
One player that Pellegrino will be able to call upon is Sofiane Boufal, who scored a stunning goal to secure three points for the Saints against West Brom last weekend.
However, Boufal followed that up by deliberately celebrating in-front of his manager, apparently in a protest about his lack of game-time.
Pellegrino said he has spoken to Boufal about his celebration, but had praise for his player.
He said: "I have spoken with him. It’s obviously something private.
"The only thing I can say is I am happy with his reaction on the pitch, how he was playing in the last few games.
“It’s something Sofiane has to learn as a young lad - to manage this kind of reaction.”
Claude Puel has defended his reputation against Matt Le Tissier’s withering assessment but insisted results matter more than style.
Le Tissier criticised Puel for a ‘boring’ approach at Southampton, where the Frenchman was sacked after one season despite finishing eighth and reaching the League Cup final.
Sportsmail understands the new Leicester manager faced a task to win round a sceptical dressing room but delivered an impressive first session.
Puel talked to his squad in detail about his plans for the team and individual players, and is said to have not minced words. He was also bold when defending his record at St Mary’s.
‘It is not important about this,’ Puel said when asked about Le Tissier’s comments. 'Last season for example we developed good football without the clinical edge. We were seventh place for creating chances but 20th for converting.
'But that is finished. It is important to stay with good focus about Leicester. I am glad to be a Fox. It is not a priority just to play good football or nice football. The priority is to win, whether at Leicester, Southampton, or Arsenal – all.
'It is about how can we have good results. Not just for one month, or six months, or one season, but different seasons. My dream is to give the possibility of the club to have style of game for all the teams, youth teams, under-23s, and the first team.
‘It is not just short term, it is long term, to give this club good consistency of results and quality. To finish in the best position in the table is the most important.’
Leicester’s hierarchy were not in attendance at Puel’s unveiling at the King Power Stadium, but it is understood the 56-year-old persuaded the club’s decision-makers with detailed analysis of the squad and his ambitions.
He said his record at Southampton stood up to scrutiny. ‘The biggest challenge we faced up to having two games a week with the Europa League,’ he said. 'It was a young squad and that was tough. To finish eighth was pretty decent.
'We brought on and developed some excellent young talent. Nathan Redmond and James Ward-Prowse made their mark internationally, if you like. I was pleased how things went.
'We beat good teams to reach the League Cup final and deserved more from that game, although Jose Mourinho might not agree.
‘I managed to develop my English, although I am still trying my best to perfect it.’
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