The Claude Puel era starts at St Mary's and the Frenchman's first job is to start Saints off with a rare opening day win against Watford.

In truth the pre season games have suggested much about the way that Claude Puel will set up his Saints side this season, but they have confirmed little with many of those who will be regulars missing due to extended rest after the Euros.

However now we will see the real Claude Puel and how he sets out sides, however with Ryan Bertrand missing and Cedric not 100%, it could be that Puel has to modify his tactics a little given that in France he tended to play a narrow team going forward relying on the full backs to push into the spaces created wide.

That may not be so much an option for a few weeks so it will be interesting to see if he tries to play this way or changes tact till he has his armoury firing on all cylinders.

The two players Saints fans will be watching though are the new guys Nathan Redmond and Pierre Emile Hojbjerg, both have looked good in pre season.

Puel is looking to use Redmond as a more attacking player rather than just a winger and in this respect it will draw comparisons with the departed Sadio Mane and hopefully Redmond will show the home fans that he can make them forget the now Liverpool player.

Hojbjerg will naturally draw comparisons to Wanyama, but he is not a direct replacement, Puel's game is all about possession and in that respect Hojbjerg is more Schneiderlin, I would suspect that Romeu s going to be more the man to step into Wanyama's boots.

Another issue is the attacking options, some feel we are short here, but I don't, but the issue is can Rodriguez stay injury free and recapture his old form and the same applies to Charlie Austin, if they both can then Saints have no problems in the attacking department, but at the moment it is a big but.

Traditionally Saints start badly on the opening day, indeed they have only won once at home in the first game of the season in 28 years and only three tmes in total in the same period, this is a record that has to be put to bed.

With respect to Watford this is a game that we should win if it goes to form, the Hornets started well last season and it is worth noting that of their 45 points they gained 29 of them in the first half of the season with only 16 in the second half, without that early run of form they would have been in the relegation fight.

Last season they were a difficult team to beat as the kept it tight at the back, but their problem was scoring goals, few teams scored less than them.

It will be an expectant crowd at St Mary's, the jubilation of three months ago seems an age away and again it has been a summer of turmoil, but we still have the heart of the squad intact and we should be able to continue where we left off.

So I think it is a win for Saints 3-1.

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