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It Wasn't Pretty ! But Saints Weren't There To Entertain At Be'er Sheva
Saturday, 1st Oct 2016 08:47

There has been much bleating about the poor quality of the match in Be'er Sheva, but Saints fans have to come to terms with the fact that it is now more about results than entertaining if we want to be successful.

It cannot be denied that Saints performance in Israel was dour to say the least, but Claude Puel was not taking Saints out there to showboat or entertain, he was going to get a result that will give us a good chance of qualifying for the next stage and he was also trying to ensure that he would not be having to put out a team at Leicester that was tired and jaded after a gruelling trip to another continent.

That will not please some, but we have to play in a certain style when away in Europe (or Asia) that is about killing the game off taking control and keeping ourselves in a position to win the game when the chances arise.

That means silencing the crowd and taking the sting out of the home side and making sure that we are not chasing the game, or as Sparta Prague found out at St Mary's, the game out of sight before the half hour mark.

This is not exactly rocket science, Liverpool dominated Europe for a decade using the same tactics and most sides who have done well in Europe tend to play in a similar style, if you are Barcelona or Real Madrid of course you can blitz the opposition home or away, but for most teams it is about managing games and that does not always mean entertaining.

Claude Puel is a very experienced manager in European competitions and what he showed on Thursday in Israel is that he is tactically aware and brave enough to use his squad not just to get a result in Europe but also to be in the best shape for the Premier League game afterwards.

Certainly we will got to Leicester with four of our players fresh from not having had to travel across Europe and into Asia, as well as some of those who did not play a full game in Be'er Sheva.

Puel will also feel that he has given some of the fringe players a game, that he is keeping them fresh and sharp should they be needed in the Premier League and indeed that they are part of a squad and not just names to make up the numbers.

There will be those who will complain that we should be playing our best team, but this is 2016 not 1976 and perhaps Puel is our first truly European manager in this respect, fans want excitement and entertainment, but the reality is that is not possible in every game if we want to be successful.

So although I had travelled to what will perhaps stand for all time as the longest distance that the club will ever have to go for a competitive game, I was not disappointed that Puel played the side that he did, of course I would have preferred to see us play our first XI and come back with a win, but the reality is that we cannot compete on all four fronts by doing that.

If Saints fans can understand that and realise that things are being done differently for good reason, then perhaps Puel will be cut some slack and given the chance to take Saints forward, he won't always get it right, no team wins every game, but in the last five games we have come on in leaps and bounds.

Photo: Action Images



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arfurdent added 08:53 - Oct 1
it is all about results particularly on away games. well done Puel
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SanMarco added 09:13 - Oct 1
Bit unfair to say 'bleating' - it was a very dull match. Yes, a good point gained, but exciting - no. Does it matter that it was so unentertaining? Only in the sense that our attacking frailties were one of the causes of the pain. That is a problem that may haunt us for a while yet, unless Boufal is as good as some say he is...
0

SanMarco added 09:13 - Oct 1
Bit unfair to say 'bleating' - it was a very dull match. Yes, a good point gained, but exciting - no. Does it matter that it was so unentertaining? Only in the sense that our attacking frailties were one of the causes of the pain. That is a problem that may haunt us for a while yet, unless Boufal is as good as some say he is...
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highfield49 added 10:36 - Oct 1
Late in the day it has finally dawned on me, so late it's almost sunset, the sense some of you were making weeks back about signing an experienced central attacker. I couldn't relate to the concept of buying a player like Crouch or Sir Rickie because they were well up to their "best before" date and had no future value. I think I was wrong because having that experience available to trot out every few weeks, without the expectation of starting every game, could well have been beneficial in the rotation system. Of course it isn't easy to find that quality of mature player who doesn't have Osvaldo mental health issues to bring to the training ground but, if we're still in the running for trophies come January, maybe worth a punt in the short term?
1

ChristchurchSaint added 14:11 - Oct 1
Have to agree with you highfield, if we had a natural striker in Israel, then we would probably have got 3 points. I am/was always against the idea of re signing SRL, but a striker of that ilk sat on the bench every week would definitely be useful and would probably repay fee/wages very quickly.
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