Puel wins this duel but faces uncertain future
CLAUDE PUELwon the showdown between Premier League managers with uncertain futures.
With Southampton playing a third match in seven days, Puel made seven changes, his side good enough to maintain the pursuit of a fourth consecutive top-10 finish with a comfortable victory.
Middlesbrough displayed little to suggest a run of one win in 10 games under Steve Agnew was on course for an upgrade. Yet, despite the result, secured by moments of quality from Jay Rodriguez and Nathan Redmond, doubts linger whether Puel will remain in charge.
‘I prefer no answer,’ Puel said when asked directly about his future. ‘It’s my work, my job to develop all the team and the project. I can’t say anything about speculation.’
Southampton’s twogoal lead allowed wriggle room for Shane Long’s penalty miss and Patrick Bamford’s first goal for two years in the final third of the contest.
Rodriguez swept in a half-volley from Long’s cross to culminate a fine move. Then Rodriguez preyed on Boro’s misshapen defence to pick out an unmarked Redmond, the whip into the top corner leaving Brad Guzan helpless.
The boos of the home crowd were still cascading around the stands when Long went down under Guzan’s challenge. Having won the penalty, however, the Irish international blazed it over the bar.
It was the moment that galvanised the home team and when £6 million January signing Bamford, on his second full debut for the club, nodded in a Viktor Fischer corner, a Boro comeback appeared on. Typically of their season, though, it did not materialise.
Sections of the home support chanted sacked head coach Aitor Karanka’s name at the end-of-season lap of honour by the players and Agnew, the man who replaced Karanka in March, shrugged off discussion of his own dugout shelf-life.
‘It’s about the club. It’s about how we can bounce back. The most important thing is the future of Middlesbrough Football Club,’ Agnew said. Middlesbrough (4-5-1): Guzan 6; Fabio 5.5, Chambers 6.5, Gibson 7, Friend 6; Clayton 6, Bamford 6, Forshaw 5.5 (Leadbitter 60min, 6), De Roon 5.5, Downing 5.5 (Fischer 60, 6); Negredo 6. subs (not used): Konstantopoulos, Bernardo, Barragan, Stuani, Traore. booked: Clayton, Gibson, De Roon. southaMpton (4-2-3-1): Forster 6.5; Pied 7, Caceres 6, Yoshida 6, Bertrand 6.5; Clasie 7 Romeu 7; Long 7 (Austin 87), Hojbjerg 6 (Davis 74, 6), Boufal 6 (Redmond 46mins, 7.5); Rodriguez 7.5. subs (not used): Hassen, Ward-Prowse, Stephens, Targett. referee: A Taylor 7.