Claude Puel can get his pres season underway for real tonight as Saints take on Groningen in Holland.

Claude Puel will be feeling that he can finally start to manage his squad this evening when Saints take on Groningen in the last game of the Dutch tour.

He will still be missing Jose Fonte and Cedric Soares who have been given a little more time than the other participants in Euro 2016, but he will give first run outs to the other four who spent time with their countries in the tournament in France.

Alhough Fraser Forster, Shane Long, Steven Davis & Ryan Bertrand have all been with the squad in Holland it was felt by the coaching staff that they should not play in the early games to give them a little longer break from the physical aspects of an actual game.

But with the season only two weeks away they have to be blooded back into the team and it is likely that tonight's game against the Dutch side will see them all be given run outs of varying times.

This will please Puel who will perhaps feel that he has been treading water in the last fortnight, he has had games to play, teams to prepare, but he has been missing six players, all of whom would be considered first choices in the latter part of last season, in short he has not been able to plan tactics too much without key player.

Indeed in every game so far out of the goalkeeper and back four, Virgil Van Dijk has been the only player to have bee on the pitch in the friendlies.

This is why that extra friendly against Espanyol has been slotted in, it might seem strange to do so, but when they reflected on the players missing and the chances to get them into the team , the coaching staff realised that in the time scales they had, they did not have enough games to use.

The pre season was sparser than usual with the initial plans in place before Koeman left but is departure rather put things on hold with regards to slotting in another game into the schedule.

Perhaps is the Dutchman had stayed then a sparse pre season programme could have been enough, but with a new manager and new tactics and formations being tried, it does need a game or two more than originally scheduled.

So Saints fans considering attending the St Mary's friendlies in the coming week could consider that these may be a little more interesting than normal, against Espanyol it will be about formation and against Athletico Bilbao about finally putting together what Puel will see as his first choice side.

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