FANS REACT: Mourinho past it, same old Arsenal, Billic on point for West Ham - the best of this week’s YouTube football fan interviews
But he faces a tough decision over whether to drop captain John Terry following his poor showing in Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat to West Ham.
Although Terry might be out, Chelsea head for St Mary’s with Conte insisting it won’t be the system which changes.
Speaking at today’s press conference, he said: “A defeat can’t change my idea because I think this is the right way for the players. It’s a good fit for the team.
“I think we found a good balance and also we have a good offensive situation because in every game since we used the system we have scored a goal.
“For sure we must continue to work on it but I see a lot of positive things and I want to continue.”
Ahead of the visit of the Blues this weekend, a late assessment will be made on whether the full-back will return to the squad.
And Puel also provided an update on the squad as Saints look to continue an unbeaten run stretching nine Premier League home games, their best top-flight stretch since March 2015 against Antonio Conte’s men.
He explained: “Jay Rodriguez has stayed with the physio as he had dizziness so he has had a few days without football.
“There are other players with injuries like Matt Targett, Shane Long, Jake Hesketh, and also Alex McCarthy now.
"McCarthy has an injury to his hamstring and will be out for two or three weeks.
“We will see tomorrow whether Ryan Bertrand can come back into the squad for the weekend.”
Saints have a fairly lengthy list of absentees heading into Sunday’s meeting with Chelsea, while they also have some players who have not been able to get much rest in the last few weeks.
While Puel admits it is a tough situation, he is also pleased that he has so many players he can rely on.
"I think it was important at the beginning to prepare all the players,” he said. “We can see it is a good thing now, because we can keep good results.
“But it’s a problem to have all these injuries, because it means some players have to play all the time, in every game, like McQueen in the last game.
“I hope we can recover some players for the future, for all the games, but of course to turn and to change often the team is important.”
Puel may be able to rest McQueen, depending on whether Ryan Bertrand, who is close to returning from a hamstring injury, is declared fit.
However, he is definitely without Cédric, Matt Targett, Shane Long, Jay Rodriguez, Jake Hesketh and Alex McCarthy.
Claude Puel’s men will travel to London to face the Gunners on Wednesday 30th November, with a kick-off time of 7.45pm GMT.
Saints reached the last eight of the competition thanks to a 1-0 win against Sunderland, while Arsenal beat Reading 2-0 to seal their passage into the quarter-finals.
Ticket details for the EFL Cup Quarter-Final are as follows:
We have received an allocation of 5,806 tickets for the EFL Cup Quarter-Final, which will go on sale in the following order:
Season Ticket holders who have attended at least two domestic away games from the 2016/17 season: Tuesday 8th November (9am)
Season Ticket holders who have attended at least one domestic away game from the 2016/17 season: Wednesday 9th November (9am)
Season Ticket holders: Friday 11th November (9am)
Official Members: Monday 14th November (9am)
General sale: Tuesday 15th November
All sales dates are subject to remaining ticket availability.
Prices:
Upper Tier
£20.00 for Adults
£10.00 for Over-65s
£10.00 for Under-17s
Lower Tier
£10.00 for Adults
£5.00 for Over-65s
£5.00 for Under-17s
We have also received an allocation of 13 Wheelchair tickets, priced at £5, with the Enabler admitted free of charge. Ambulant Disabled tickets are also available, priced at £5 in the Lower Tier and £10 in the Upper Tier, with the Enabler admitted free of charge.
Please also note that for any concession tickets purchased, proof of age will be required on entry to the stadium.
Official Coach Travel
Official Coach Travel can be purchased for this game, priced at £19.00 per person. Coaches will depart St Mary’s at 14:30, Eastleigh at 14:45, Winchester at 15:00 and Fleet at 15:30.
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Claude Puel has claimed Virgil Van Dijk has the potential to be one of the top five defenders in the world.
Southampton gave the Dutch defender a new six-year contract in the summer after the former Celtic centre-back earned international recognition.
And Puel, who took over at St Mary’s in the summer, said the 25-year-old can go on to become a global superstar.
“Virgil Van Dijk has everything,” said the former Lyon and Nice coach. “He is a monster physically, he wins everything in the air, he is intelligent, technical. He can become one of the five best defenders in the world.
The best pictures from Southampton’s 1-0 win over Sunderland:
“I have a squad full of quality. Nathan Redmond is going to become a great centre-forward. Dusan Tadic is a very good passer who sees the play well. And then we have Oriol Romeu. He is very good at winning the ball back.”
Puel also revealed he “pushed” for the £21m signing of Sofiane Boufal after failing to sign former Newcastle playmaker Hatem Ben Arfa.
“They knew all about Boufal here - he was on the lists,” said the Saints boss. “We shared the same opinion on him and I pushed a bit. We lacked a dribbler to unlock certain situations. Like Hatem last season (at Nice).
“Of course I would have liked him here. I signed late (June 30) and Hatem was in talks with Paris and foreign clubs with astronomic proposals. Here, the salaries are not high.”
Southampton failed to win their first four Premier League matches and Puel revealed a pre-match rallying cry kickstarted their season.
“We had a talk before the Swansea match (September 18),” he revealed. “I made clear to them my concerns and my expectations. It wasn’t a conversation. I didn’t ask anything back.
“Afterwards, I felt that the players were behind me. It was not easy to get across the tone, the emotion and the nuances in English. I did it without a translator having prepared it the night before.”
Before hosting Chelsea on Sunday, Southampton sit in eighth place after only one defeat in ten despite another summer of upheaval with the departure of Ronald Koeman and three more top players.
But head coach Puel said the Saints system allowed continuity. “They did not roll out the red carpet so I could break everything,” he explained.
“My job is the first team. Arsene Wenger is the last of the Mohicans. He arrived at the time where the manager supervised everything.
"That no longer happens – the Klopps and the Guardiolas don’t have meetings with the youth teams. They concentrate on the first team, they ask for this or that player and they don’t negotiate the transfer. They have sporting directors.”
SAINTS’ EFL Cup quarter-final at Arsenal will take place on Wednesday, November 30 at 7.45pm.
Claude Puel’s side reached the last eight with a 1-0 victory over Sunderland, while the Gunners won 2-0 against Reading in their fourth round tie.
Saints haven’t been selected for television coverage that evening with West Ham’s visit to Manchester United chosen for broadcast.
Liverpool welcome Leeds United and Newcastle United travel to Hull City the night before Saints’ match on Tuesday, November 29.
“If you want to win a competition and a cup you’ve got to beat these teams, so it’s not going to be plain sailing all the way,” James Ward-Prowse said about the draw. “We’ll look forward to that one.
“We’ve got a good record against Arsenal in the cup competitions especially, so that’ll be a big positive to take there.”
Ryan Bertrand could return to the Saints squad to take on his former club Chelsea on Sunday.
The left back has been missing since picking up a hamstring injury in the last international break with England.
With Matt Targett still ruled out with a similar problem, it has left Sam McQueen as the only available left back.
And with Cedric Soares also injured in the right back slot, it leaves Saints short of full back cover.
Bertrand is touch and go to face Chelsea, but Jay Rodriguez is ruled out after being forced off against Sunderland with dizziness.
Second choice keeper Alex McCarthy is also now sidelined with a hamstring problem, while Shane Long also remains unavailable.
“There are some players with injuries,” said Puel with a rueful smile.
“Targett, Long, Hesketh, McCarthy now, Rodriguez stayed quiet because he has dizziness and he stay a few days without football and we will see with Bertrand if he can come back on the squad.”
Saints are in good form and Puel hopes to keep that going when Chelsea come to town.
“I think for the moment it’s interesting to see my players every time with different players,” he said. “For me it’s the most important with this capacity to play many games and keeping always the same intensity of play.
“It is important for the future and to have results and for the moment it is a good dynamic between players.
“It is important to continue this work because it is always difficult to put the result, good efficient, and to play a good game with great opponents.
“It’s hard but very interesting for my players, for my young players, and I think they learn every time the succession of many games, many opponents, and every three years it is important to take a good physical level, a good energy, and to think about our players every time.
“Against any opponent the most important is our play.”
It’s that time of year when the clocks go back - which means it’s time for the new winter Premier League ball!
The new Nike Ordem IV Hi-Vis will make its debut at the Stadium of Light on Saturday when Sunderland host Arsenal live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 11.30am.
Nike claims the pink, orange, lemon and purple ball is their most advanced ever, with graphics that allows players “to catch sight of the ball quickly, helping to enable rapid decision-making and immediate reaction”.
The ball, which will also be used in La Liga and Serie A, features a 12-panel design, a synthetic casing to enhance first touch and grooves in the texture to improve its flight.
So what do you think of the Nike Ordem 4 Hi-Vis? How does it compare to previous winter Premier League balls? Check out the last eight Premier League winter footballs below…
Watch Sunderland v Arsenal live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 11.30am on Saturday
Southampton manager Claude Puel says he will be patient with record signing Sofiane Boufal, despite the forward making an instant impact on his return from injury.
Boufal, who joined the Saints from Lille for a club record fee of £16m in August, made his belated full debut for the club in the EFL Cup fourth round tie against Sunderland on Wednesday having missed the opening two-and-a-half months of the season with a knee injury.
The 23-year-old stole the show at the St Mary’s, hitting a stunning winning goal to secure a 1-0 victory for his side and set-up a quarter-final clash away at Arsenal.
But Puel says he will continue to monitor Boufal’s comeback and insists the Morocco international will not be rushed into regular first-team football after spending such a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
“Boufal, of course, scored a fantastic goal. It was an important goal because it gave us a good result, it’s important for the squad, it’s important for him after five months out,” Puel said.
"It was important for his confidence to score this goal and to come back. All is not perfect because it’s just the start of his comeback, but we must be patient with him because he can come back step by step.
"For his first possibilities on the team, it’s very interesting to see him and now all the people can see his qualities.
“But it’s important to keep him at a good level and he can participate with moderation, he cannot play every time.”
Southampton will aim to stretch their unbeaten run in the Premier League to six matches when they host Chelsea on Super Sunday, live on Sky Sports 1 HD.
“I think for the moment it’s interesting to see my players every time with different players,” Puel added.
"For me it’s the most important with this capacity to play many games and keeping always the same intensity of play.
“It is important for the future and to have results and for the moment it is a good dynamic between players.”
Puel also revealed left-back Ryan Bertrand could return from a hamstring injury to face his former side at St Mary’s, while forward Jay Rodriguez misses out along with Matt Targett, Shane Long, Jake Hesketh and Alex McCarthy.
“Jay Rodriguez has stayed with the physio as he had dizziness so he has had a few days without football,” he said.
"There are other players with injuries like Matt Targett, Shane Long, Jake Hesketh, and also Alex McCarthy now.
“We will see tomorrow whether Ryan Bertrand can come back into the squad for the weekend.”
It is the same every year: Southampton exceed expectations, key players are poached in the summer, the manager looks for greener pastures, the predictions of their inevitable demise begin.
Surely they cannot sustain such an approach? Yet every season they have continued to achieve higher than the one before: it is the same every year. And this season looks to be no exception.
Former manager Mauricio Pochettino did so well Tottenham came in for him and he left. Ronald Koeman felt he had squeezed all he could out of them and was lured by Everton’s newfound riches. Now the relatively little known Frenchman Claude Puel has taken up the reins and has them galloping once again.
Some of the Premier League’s household names have been and gone in recent years — Adam Lallana, Nathaniel Clyne, Luke Shaw, Dejan Lovren, Sadio Mane, Victor Wanyama — but even without them they are maintaining an upward trajectory.
So just how has Puel made that possible? Sportsmail takes a look ahead of Saints’ clash with Antonio Conte’s Chelsea.
How has Puel got them mixing it with bigger clubs?
With a unique urgency to their play, similar to that Pochettino, or Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, or Eddie Howe at Bournemouth, yet with Puel’s own twist.
Southampton’s players swarm around the pitch with and without the ball. They must always give multiple options to the player in possession but have to pass forward quickly rather than labour sideways. It is thrilling to watch.
They are creating more chances than most opponents each match. Puel has even been complaining that they are not putting enough of them away.
Surely that is not easy to sustain?
When Puel quit playing football and went behind-the-scenes his first role was as a fitness coach, under Arsene Wenger at Monaco in the late ‘90s.
Now, he demands his players to be in peak physical shape to implement his style. In order to achieve that, Puel is insistent on rotating the side.
He dropped Charle Austin to the bench to face Inter Milan even after the striker had scored twice in their previous match and has been their stand-out goalscorer.
Oriol Romeu is virtually the only outfield player guaranteed to start every game.
Who have been their key players?
Several have emerged as integral under the Frenchman.
Virgil Van Dijk is proving to be one of the best centre-halves in the Premier League. Romeu, who was only a bit-part player under Koeman, has been described by Puel as the player who gives the team structure.
The Spaniard, who was given his Barcelona debut by Guardiola and was signed by Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, has come to the fore in the holding role and their defensive record this season is exceptional.
Free spirited Dusan Tadic has greatly improved, in a similar way to which Hatem Ben Arfa did at Nice under Puel last season. Austin has scored seven goals in 11 games and could have twice that amount.
Puel wants to turn Nathan Redmond into Thierry Henry, who he worked with at Monaco, and that outlandish call is turning out not to be as ridiculous as it at first seemed.
Who are the new kids?
Injury crisis at left-back — Matt Target and Ryan Bertrand have hamstring problems — has opened the door for Sam McQueen to enter the first team.
The 21-year-old was handed a first ever senior start against Inter Milan at San Siro and a second against City at the Etihad and does not look out of place amongst the older players.
Midfielder Jake Hesketh, 20, has made two first-team appearances this season, although he was hooked 35 minutes into their Europa League game against Hapoel Beer Sheva and has not played for them since.
Olufela Olomola, a 19-year-old forward, and 22-year-old Jack Stephens, a centre-back, have made it onto the bench in recent weeks. Puel is not afraid to try the youngsters, aligning to Southampton’s philosophy.
What is the aim this season?
Puel is keen on a cup run, be that domestically or in Europe. He would like to go as far as possible in the Europa League.
A third successive season qualifying for the Europa League would be seen as success. Champions League discussion is never dismissed around the club, although they appreciate that this could still be some way in the future.
Ahead of this weekend’s Premier League action, Sportsmail will be providing you with all you need to know about every fixture, with team news, provisional squads, betting odds and Opta stats. Here is all the information you need for Southampton’s home clash with Chelsea…
Southampton defender Ryan Bertrand could return from a hamstring injury for the visit of his former club Chelsea.
But Jay Rodriguez is a doubt after going off following a clash of heads during Wednesday’s EFL Cup win over Sunderland and fellow striker Shane Long is still out with a hamstring problem.
Fraser Forster, Virgil van Dijk, Steven Davis and Charlie Austin will be among the players who return after being rested against the Black Cats.
Captain John Terry could return to the substitutes’ bench when Chelsea play in the Premier League at Southampton on Sunday.
Terry made his first start in more than six weeks following an ankle injury as the Blues made seven changes for Wednesday’s EFL Cup loss at West Ham, but Antonio Conte is likely to recall many of the players involved in last Sunday’s comprehensive win over Manchester United.
Defender Branislav Ivanovic is available, but Kurt Zouma is nearing a return from his long-term knee injury, while playmaker Cesc Fabregas (thigh) remains out.
Southampton have won just two of their last 14 Premier League games against Chelsea, though did beat the Blues in October 2015 (D5 L7).
Chelsea have lost just one of their last eight visits to Southampton in the Premier League (W5 D2).
The West Londoners have scored in each of their last 11 Premier League away games at Southampton, last failing to find the net in December 1997.
Since a 2-1 defeat by Chelsea in February last season, the Saints are unbeaten in nine home Premier League games (W6 D3). It is their longest home unbeaten top-flight run since March 2005, when they went 12 games without defeat.
The Blues have won their last three Premier League games, last winning four in a row in April 2015 when they were on their way to winning the title.
Only Liverpool (59) have had more shots on target this season than Southampton (55), with Chelsea in third (54, level with Spurs).
Chelsea have taken eight more points from their first nine games than they did last season (11). This is the biggest improvement from all Premier League sides who were present in 2015-16.
Nathan Redmond has scored in back-to-back league games for Southampton – he’s never scored in three successive Premier League matches.
Eden Hazard has already equalled his goal tally from last season (four in 31 games) from just nine appearances this season.
Sofiane Boufal, who made his Premier League debut last weekend, scored 11 times in Ligue 1 last season. The only midfielder with more was Hatem Ben Arfa (17).
So far this season Mesut Ozil has benefitted from Alexis Sanchez’s work at Arsenal, with three Premier League goals to his name.
In addition, Dimitri Payet has created three for West Ham team-mate Michail Antonio and Romelu Lukaku has Yannick Bolasie to thank for three of his six Premier League goals.
Here, talkSPORT looks at who the best combinations for assists to goals are this calendar year.
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