Saints are set to go from fixture feast to famine as Claude Puel battles to keep momentum in his side’s season.

Puel has had to deal with a chaotic situation for much of this campaign, with Saints playing every few days and having to travel across Europe.

However, he now has the opposite problem as his side are left kicking their heels and trying to keep the season alive after the EFL Cup final defeat to Manchester United at Wembley.

Saints are in a run of playing just four games in the space of 49 days. That started with the 4-0 win over Sunderland on February 11, took in the final, and encompasses the trip to Watford on Saturday and a game away at Tottenham on March 19.

There is then an international break meaning Saints won’t play again until April 1 – their first St Mary’s match following the EFL Cup final.

Put into context, Saints’ 49 days before the Sunderland game saw them play 12 times, including a club record breaking nine fixtures in January alone.

Puel is in what is likely to be a defining period of his management, as he has the chance to try and prove what he can do when the club are not playing every few days.

However, with the cups done and dusted and the way the Premier League table currently looks with Saints mired in midtable and unlikely to challenge for European football, plus the sense of drift from not playing regularly, it is a tricky time.

Saints will still have a few busy bursts of fixtures before the end of the campaign.

There are three games in a week when they return to action after the international break on April 1.

There are also rearranged games against Arsenal and Manchester United at St Mary’s to be slotted into the schedule.

Saints were due to play Arsenal last Saturday, but that game was postponed due to the EFL Cup final.

The United game was due to take place a week on Sunday but has been canned for the time being due to the Red Devils making it to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

Neither of those games are likely to be rearranged before the international break at the back end of March.

There are no clear midweeks to take on United as Jose Mourinho’s side have a two-legged Europa League last 16 tie to navigate.

Arsenal could potentially have a clear midweek on March 14 and 15, but at such short notice due to having to wait for their Champions League exit it would likely be considered too soon to slot in now.

That would likely mean both games having to be played in the final six weeks of the season.