da dobrowin： Southampton face Leicester City this evening in a fixture that will undoubtedly induce some self-contemplation amongst the home support. While few were disappointed to see Claude Puel leave the club during the summer, Saints have hardly progressed under the guidance of his successor Mauricio Pellegrino, while the Frenchman’s arrival in the east Midlands has lifted the Foxes to eighth in the Premier League table.
da dobrowin： One of the recurring themes of Puel’s single season at Southampton was his questionable use of highly-rated winger Sofiane Boufal. The five-cap Moroccan international arrived from Lille amid comparisons with Chelsea’s Eden Hazard but struggled to convince Puel of such status, making only twelve Premier League starts and lasting the full ninety minutes on just two of those occasions.
Whether Boufal should be a regular starter for the south coast outfit has been a subject of much debate this season too, not least because the 24-year-old had to force his way into Pellegrino’s first XI with a stunning goal from the bench against West Brom – leading to some controversial celebrations.
On the most-part, Boufal’s held down a starting berth since then – but found himself dropped on Sunday as Southampton recorded an impressive 1-1 draw with Arsenal. According to our poll though, a staggering 92% of Saints supporters want the 5 foot 9 winger to start against Leicester this evening.
So, Southampton fans, how would you line up tonight’s starting XI to get the best out of Boufal? Let us know by commenting below…