Saturday 13 May 2017 18:34, UK
Claude Puel hailed the strength of his squad after his much-changed Southampton side earned a 2-1 win at Middlesbrough on Saturday.
Puel made seven changes to the Saints starting XI that were beaten by Arsenal in midweek, with Manolo Gabbiadini and Dusan Tadic left out of the squad altogether for the trip to the north east.
However, the changes didn't have any detrimental effect, as goals from Jay Rodriguez and Nathan Redmond gave Saints the platform to go on to earn three points.
"I said before the game that I have faith in the players," Puel told Sky Sports. "Perhaps it is a risk to make seven changes, but if we want to win the last three games then it was important for me to make sure we keep good energy for every game.
"I am happy for the squad. There were many players who had not had much game time in the last few weeks, but they showed they can do good things and have quality. It was important to make sure we kept this result. We showed that Southampton is not just eleven players, it is a squad.
"It as great to see Charlie [Austin] back, have Jeremy [Pied] back at this level - more players that we could give game time too."
The margin of victory could have been more comfortable, but Shane Long blazed a second-half penalty over the bar before Patrick Bamford gave the home side hope with a late header.
"In the second half, it was a good opportunity to finish the game with the penalty," Puel added. "But without scoring, it gave Middlesbrough the belief that they could come back.
"In the second half we could have managed the game a little better, but I think that, in general, we did some really fantastic work and we are happy to get some players back."
