Saints boss Puel prefers a game every three days

REUTERS - Southampton manager Claude Puel is enjoying their busy fixture schedule and will draw on his past experience of playing every three days to steer the club through the festive period.

Southampton have played four games in three competitions across 11 days, starting with their 0-0 draw at home Liverpool in the Premier League on Nov. 19.

They lost 1-0 at Sparta Prague in the Europa League, beat Everton 1-0 in the Premier League on Sunday and upset Arsenal 2-0 away to reach the League Cup semi-finals on Wednesday.

"I have the habits of many seasons to train or to play every three days with all my clubs, except Nice," said Puel, who has also managed Monaco, Lille and Olympique Lyonnais.

"It was all the time - possibilities and opportunities to play every three days and for me it's a good thing," he added on the Saints' website quoted

"I prefer to play every three days and to prepare one week for the next game."

Southampton travel to Crystal Palace on Saturday and host Israeli side Hapoel Be'er Sheva five days later in a crunch Europa League group stage tie before welcoming Middlesbrough for another Premier league game at St. Mary's on Dec. 11.

"It is important to continue playing at the high level with this ability and with the same performance and the same quality," the 55-year-old Puel said.

Tenth-placed Southampton have 17 points from 13 Premier League games.

(Reporting by Debanjan Bose in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)