Dismissed by http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Olympique-Lyonnais-c40130 last summer, Claude Puel has held his head high despite a complicated period. The former AS Monaco coach now wants to return to footballing management
It has been several months since French football has seen Claude Puel in the dugout. Since getting sacked by Jean-Michel Aulas last summer, Puel has not been involved in football management. The former Les Gones coach still remains a sensitive issue in the
corridors of Tola Vologe.
Often criticised by OL as someone who completed three seasons at the Rhone club without winning a single title, Puel had become a persona non grata for the seven-time Ligue 1 champions.
However, in an interview with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/France-c2899 football, Puel admits that he feels no bitterness towards Lyon.
“No. Maybe because I stayed right in my boots and I am proud. I left the club in the Champions League under very difficult circumstances. I know I achieved this in a very tough environment.”
Proud of not denying Lyon a place in the Champions League, Puel now follows that evolution of a club that is now struggling to qualify for the Champions League. Puel feels that his image has been greatly tarnished by his three-year spell at Stade de Gerland.
“On this subject, I was pretty down-to-earth. I felt that I had to prove myself on the field, first as a player and then as a coach. The environment and what the people say has never interested me until I started noticing that it was having an impact on
me, my players and the results. This was especially true during my last season in Lyon.”
If he has often been criticised by Lyon, Puel still remains a man courted by many clubs. The likes of Bruges, Seville and even Auxerre were hot in his heels. And the Castres-born Frenchman is still dreaming of a return to football management.
Though Puel’s reputation has been tarnished a bit during his time at Lyon, the former Lille coach should be given a chance considering how well he did during his time at AS Monaco where he won the Championelle at such a young age.
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