Puel respects Baggies

The Baggies proved a tough test for Arsenal in their last outing, denied a point at Emirates Stadium by an 87th-minute goal from the Gunners on Boxing Day.

Now Tony Pulis’s side head to St Mary’s on Saturday, with both teams looking to end 2016 on a high.

“It’s a strong team, it’s different play to Tottenham. A different team, with different players,” Puel said.

“It’s also very difficult to play against them because they like to get a strong block, good organisation and it’s always difficult to play against this team.

“Their last game against Arsenal it was very difficult to find a solution for Arsenal, who scored just at the end of the game.

“If we want to have any ambition it’s important to have a good result to win this game and to have the ability of adaptation against any opponent.”

Puel also highlighted the difficulty of the Premier League, coming up against a range of different styles and qualities throughout the season.

“The Premier League is very difficult, because you have different teams, profiles and systems, but it’s very interesting for the players and staff to play against strong teams,” he added.

“They stay always on the first part of the table with good consistency and it’s very interesting to watch this team. I have a lot of respect for them.”