Claude Puel has acknowledged it will be difficult for Southampton to emulate last season's sixth-placed finish with the Premier League big hitters on form this term.
With Chelsea and Liverpool struggling, and Manchester United far from convincing, Southampton -- under then-coach Ronald Koeman -- claimed their highest-ever Premier League finish, setting a new club points record and qualifying for the Europa League.
This term, it was Southampton who made a shaky start, picking up just two points from their opening four Premier League matches under Puel. Though they have since pieced together a five-game unbeaten run to climb into eighth place, the Frenchman told L'Equipe a repeat of last season will be tough.
"Everton are also better equipped than us. We have fewer resources and have to regenerate every year, I knew that when I came here. We sold [Sadio] Mane, [Graziano] Pelle and [Victor] Wanyama, three of the key players from last season," Puel, whose Nice side took a surprise fourth place in Ligue 1 last term, said.
"During the last three seasons, we have finished eighth, seventh and sixth in the Premier League. Sixth is amazing! We benefitted from the poor form of Chelsea, Liverpool and United, who stayed out of the running and we finished strongly. This season, all the big clubs have started well, they're going to be in contention."
After succeeding the Everton-bound Koeman in the summer, Puel appeared to have graver problems than merely seeking to upset the Premier League's established order once again.
Home draws with Watford and Sunderland along with defeats at Manchester United and Arsenal were all Puel had to show from his opening quartet of games in charge.
He said he was a victim of Koeman's success at St. Mary's, which meant European football had to be squeezed into the club's fixture list and required a change of strategy that left some of the squad unconvinced.
"The team had played well under Koeman by defending deep and playing on the counter-attack. As we were going to play every three days and wouldn't be able to go up and down the pitch all game every game, I wanted to base our play on possession and control," Puel said.
"It was a cultural change. In training, it worked, but in matches, with the tension, the players quickly resorted to what they knew how to do. We have a lot of technical players whose game is suited to that style, others were sceptical. I wanted to persist with it, they wanted results, so that took some handling."