5 key decisions for Claude Puel to make as Leicester City manager

#3 The right formation

Puel with Mourinho ahead of the EFL Cup final clash

At Southampton, Puel mainly used a 4-2-3-1 system but Leicester’s famous 4-4-2 formation is similar depending on the players used but also very different.

Last season as Saints manager, Puel’s midfield usually consisted of a holding midfielder in Oriol Romeu, with James Ward-Prowse alongside him with Steven Davis playing ahead of the two.

Nathan Redmond lined up on the left and Dusan Tadic would cut inside from the right, while Manolo Gabbiadini played as the lone striker.

Should Puel want to mirror that system at Leicester, he would definitely struggle.

Vincente Iborra and Wilfried Ndidi are not similar to Romeu and Ward-Prowse, but with the addition of Adrien Silva in January, the two at the base of midfield could resemble that of Southampton’s.

Gray is similar to Redmond and could line up on the left which would also solve the problem of giving the former Birmingham City winger more minutes.

However, at Southampton, Puel used two playmakers in Tadic and Davis, while only Mahrez resembles that style of player at Leicester.