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Claude Puel has been loving his job for the past week with a rare chance to work with his players on the training ground.
Saints have already played 38 competitive first team fixtures this season, meaning pretty much every week has included a midweek fixture, as well as extensive travelling.
It has left Puel with hardly any time to try and implement new ideas with his squad, and he has been desperate to try and spend more time with his players in a bid to try and stabilise Saints’ form.
He has had the luxury of week without a game to prepare for tomorrow’s trip to Sunderland, while he has a staggering 15 days to then get ready for the EFL Cup final against Manchester United.
It is so much time that Puel could be forgiven for wondering what he should be doing.
“It is too much now,” laughed the Saints boss.
“It is a pleasure to play every three days but it’s different competitions and all the good possibilities for all the players to play and have game time and to improve with young players also is a good thing.
“Sometimes one week to recover or work is very important.
“I think it was a good thing to recover, not just in the physical but also in the mental, in the thought.
“It is very important sometimes to stay calm, to recover with their families and come back with strength, with good character and good spirit. This is very important sometimes.”
The break came at a good time with Saints’ defeat to West Ham leaving them with six losses in seven Premier League games.
It gave Saints a chance to reflect and to focus on the future.
“Of course disappointed and I think angry also with the last result,” said Puel of the mood.
“We know it is not sufficient and it is important now to correct this and to give a good reaction and a good answer and to prepare after the important game.
“The best is to prepare this game and to take a good result away at Sunderland of course.
“I think all the players, the squad, with a good concnetration, a good focus.
“It is always difficult with this loss to have good confidence of the players and to score the last gesture, the good pass, but I saw all this week good work on the training session.
“For the first time it was a week just to prepare this game and it is the first time for a lot of weeks, a lot of months.
“For the staff this is a privilege because it is rare since the beginning of the season.
“It was good to recover at the start of the week and then good concentration.”
Sunderland might be bottom of the table but come into the match on the back of a stunning 4-0 win away at Crystal Palace and Puel admitted: “All the games are dangerous, all the teams with potential, with good players.
“This team come back in a good level, physical and in confidence with their last result, and also the same on the pitch with strong pressing, physical, good runs and quality also. Always it is Defoe for example.
“It is a team that comes back with a good level and it’s a difficult game for us but I prefer to stay concentrate and focussed about my team.
“The work was interesting this week and now it’s important to see this on the pitch with a strong character and I am sure we will make a strong game with Sunderland with confidence but we also have a lot of qualities.”
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