Claude Puel started as he meant to go on
Appointed manager at Saint-Étienne on October 4, two days before the derby against Lyon and with his new club bottom of the Ligue 1 table, he got to work quickly. In the brief time that he had to survey the players at his disposal in training, he and his staff pinpointed those who were in the best physical condition and constructed their starting XI accordingly. The emphasis would be on remaining disciplined and compact and when the opportunities arose, not being afraid to play football.
The team sheet he submitted at Stade Geoffroy Guichard raised eyebrows. Puel dropped Wahbi Khazri, Saint-Étienne’s most influential attacking player, recalled summer signing Ryad Boudebouz, switched winger Denis Bouanga to right wing-back, handed a first start of the season to striker Loïs Diony and offered a first start in professional football to 19-year-old forward Charles Abi. He set the team out in a 3-4-1-2 formation – wing-backs, playmaker, two centre-forwards – and primed his players to hit Lyon at pace on the counter-attack.
With 10 minutes remaining and the 119th Derby du Rhône drifting towards a forgettable 0-0 draw, Puel chanced his arm and threw on Slovenian striker Robert Berić in place of Abi. In the final minute of normal time, Boudebouz swung in a cross from Saint-Étienne’s right flank and Berić stole in behind Lyon centre-back Marcelo to plant a thumping header into the top-right corner.
➡️ ➡️ @Ryadbdz ‘s inch-perfect pass for Robert Berić in @ASSE_english ‘s big derby win is an easy choice for this week’s Goal From the Stand! pic.twitter.com/Pyi4T0rrmD
— Ligue1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) October 8, 2019
It was Saint-Étienne’s first win over their hated local rivals in two and a half years and it had the added merit of lifting Les Verts from 20th in the table to 13th. Even more deliciously, for the club’s supporters, it cost Lyon coach Sylvinho his job. Having arrived only two days previously and taken so many gambles with his team selection, Puel could scarcely have wished for a more pleasing start.
“Just because we were playing against Lyon didn’t mean we shouldn’t try things,” he said. “This first match is encouraging. It shows the way.”
Puel has continued to mix things up ever since. He has used 26 different players in his five Ligue 1 games at the helm so far, which is more than any other coach in the division over the same period. With his starting line-up often not announced until a matter of hours before kick-off, the rotation of players has kept everyone on their toes.
“We find out the XI that will start on the day of the game,” Boudebouz said following Saint-Étienne’s 3-2 win at Nantes prior to the international break. “Sometimes the day before. It’s a plus because it works. It maintains competition. Everyone has to work in training to win their place. Even though the coach relies more on certain players than others, his message stays the same and everyone feels involved.”
Along with Bouanga and promising 20-year-old central midfielder Zaydou Youssouf, Algeria international Boudebouz is one of only three players to have started all five league games of the fledgling Puel era. Were it not for injuries to William Saliba and Yann M’Vila, that figure would probably be slightly higher, but it remains a reflection of Puel’s desire to keep his squad fresh. And with Saint-Étienne still involved in the Europa League, everybody is being given opportunities to impress.
Algerian playmaker Ryad Boudebouz (AS Saint-Etienne) is in the #Ligue1 Team of the Week as chosen by fans, Boudebouz is the only Algerian in the TOTW #TeamDZ pic.twitter.com/vuNUnmAAoX
— DZfoot English (@DZfoot_EN) October 12, 2019
Although the club’s hopes of reaching the Europa League knockout phase are in the balance, the formula is working in Ligue 1, where a five-match unbeaten run (four wins, one draw) has propelled Saint-Étienne up to fourth place. Ahead of Sunday’s visit of Montpellier, Puel has made the best start of any coach in the club’s storied 100-year history.
In so doing, he has begun to restore a reputation that acquired a few dints during his time in England with Southampton and Leicester City. Respected in France for his previous managerial achievements at Monaco, Lille, Lyon and Nice, Puel never fully got the measure of the Premier League, complaining in an interview with L’Équipe earlier this year that too much was made of his “image” (and not enough of his coaching acumen) during his three years on the other side of the Channel.
Dismissed by Leicester last February, the softly spoken 58-year-old was first approached by Saint-Étienne during the summer but turned them down. Jean-Louis Gasset had led Les Verts to a remarkable fourth-place finish last season before stepping down and Puel felt his achievements had created unrealistic ambitions. Sure enough, Gasset’s former assistant Ghislain Printant struggled to recapture last season’s momentum and oversaw just two wins in 10 matches before being sacked at the beginning of October. Saint-Étienne co-president Roland Romeyer admitted that Printant had been “over-promoted” – a comment for which he later apologised.
St Etienne board target Southampton boss Puel #ASSE #SaintsFC https://t.co/diyk6Hm1DY
— Tribal Football (@tribalfootball) May 10, 2017
Puel was appointed as an English-style general manager, meaning his responsibilities extend beyond the training pitch to encompass matters of recruitment and sporting strategy. Renowned for his promotion of young players, he has spoken of his desire to leave a lasting legacy and has been critical of the club’s decision to sell talented centre-back Saliba to Arsenal at the beginning of the season. On the training pitch, he already appears to have created unanimity.
“There’s more competition and everyone is working,” said defender Timothée Kolodziejczak. “With the new coach, the level of concentration and application is higher.
It’s rigour, selflessness, performance. His ambition is all about playing football.”
Growing up in the southern French town of Castres, Puel became an admirer of Saint-Étienne while watching their European exploits on television in the 1960s and 70s. It has been decades since the 10-time French champions were a must-watch, but with Puel’s new script, they are advancing towards the spotlight once again.
