- Claude Puel says Leicester City have made a positive progression in 2018/19
- The Foxes next host Cardiff City at King Power Stadium on Saturday (3pm GMT kick-off)
- Puel talked of how his side managed their emotions the last time they faced Cardiff
- The match at Cardiff City Stadium in November was their first outing since the passing of Chairman Khun Vichai
The development of some of the Club’s Academy graduates, including Ben Chilwell and Hamza Choudhury, has particularly pleased Puel.
Midfielder Choudhury, as did all involved, excelled in the victories over Chelsea and Manchester City, while left-back Chilwell has made his senior debut for England this term.
Ahead of Saturday’s encounter with Cardiff City at King Power Stadium, Puel was asked to assess how his side has progressed so far throughout the 2018/19 campaign.
“I think we have different feelings,” said Puel. “We’ve performed at a good level in a lot of games without the right result at the end.
“We have had different things, difficulties to manage in the first part of the season, not just [Khun Vichai’s] accident, but also some sending offs and different decisions which were difficult for us.
“We conceded early in games and needed to manage to come back with strong character. I think all of the players in the team have learned a lot and I hope we can find more consistency in our play in the second part of the season.
“With the development of the players, we can have a high level in our performances. We will see, we are ambitious, but the Premier League is so close with teams together with a few points between teams.
“We cannot for the moment give an objective because in all the games there is fight and we need to perform all the time. We will see. We have a lot of teams around us who are fighting for the same thing, of course.”
City’s last fixture against Cardiff saw them record a 1-0 win in their first match since the tragic passing of Chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, as Demarai Gray sealed a special win for the Foxes.
Puel said: “When we played Cardiff away, it was a tough game because it was our first game after the accident.
“It was a lot of emotion and I didn’t know how we would manage this game but we succeeded to play at a good level with a lot of concentration and focus.
“It was difficult to play against this team with a lot of fight, duels for the second ball, intensity but we have had a fantastic response on the pitch.
“It was a fantastic feeling with our fans at the end of the game. We remained a long time together after the game. It was a fantastic connection.
“Altogether, it was important to have this communication after the accident. I would like to thank also the Cardiff fans because they were fantastic.”