Puel hopes Saints’ graft is rewarded
Southampton manager Claude Puel wants his side’s hard work to pay off with three points against Sunderland tomorrow.
The new Saints chief has picked up just one point from his first two matches in charge, a 1-1 draw with Watford and a 2-0 defeat at Manchester United.
Now the pointless Black Cats are in the firing line at St Mary’s (3pm kick-off ).
“It’s an important game just before the international break. It’s a shame for the moment that my players haven’t been rewarded,” Puel told saintsfc.co.uk.
“There were many good situations in the two games, but now it’s important to find the efficiency and to score to give confidence for all the players.
“I know that we have made good progress this week (in training), but after all of this it’s now important to show this on the pitch and to continue.
“We will not be perfect against Sunderland, but it’s important to compensate for this with good character and by being strong in defence and attack.
“It will be a difficult game, because it’s a team with character and a good defensive line.
“It will be tough to find space, but it’s our job and our work to find solutions. We have worked all week for this.”
After tomorrow’s match, the Premier League takes a break until September 10. Puel added: “I would like my players to be rewarded for all their work, and with the support of our fans, we can find success to leave the game happy.”
Summer signing Nathan Redmond is the only Saints player to have scored this season, having slammed in the opening-day equaliser against Watford.
Sunderland have recorded a 1-0 win, two 1-1 draws and an 8-0 defeat in their four trips to St Mary’s since Saints returned to the top flight for the 2012-13 season.