What does Dupraz need to turn Saint-Etienne's fortunes around?

Saint-Etienne finished 11th in Ligue 1 last term.

However, things have gone south for Claude Puel's men this season to the point where they have now hit rock-bottom in the league. For a club that has won the French first division title a record 10 times, this season has been a nightmare so far.

At the halfway stage, they are placed 20th in the rankings. The French club has picked up just two wins from 18 Ligue 1 outings and has racked up a meager tally of 12 points so far.

Inevitably, Puel lost his job.

The club has announced Pascal Dupraz as the manager at Saint-Etienne.

Finding a support for Wahbi Khazri

Wahbi Khazri has been fundamental to whatever little good Saint-Etienne has done this season. He has scored seven out of the 17 goals in the league for them and has been instrumental in picking up 12 points for the French outfit.

However, Khazri needs support. Dupraz will have to ensure that Saint-Etienne are active in the January transfer market to add depth to their squad.

They also need an experienced centre-back

Timothée Kolodziejczak needs a new partner in defense. Mikael Nade is only 22 years old and has only shown glimpses of his talent. However, his consistency has been an issue. The departure of Mathieu Debuchy seems to have left a big void at the club. It requires Dupraz's attention and they need to fix the situation in the winter transfer window itself.

Saint-Etienne need to switch their formation

Claude Puel employed a rather offensive 4-3-3 formation, and the club simply did not have the personnel to execute that style of play.

An over-ambitious attacking template coupled with limited quality has resulted in the club conceding an average of 2 goals per game. They lost both their games against Rennes and Strasburg by 5-goal margins.

In addition to that, only three out of their ten defeats have come by a solitary goal. They need to shift to a more defensive approach and shore up their backline in order to fight the relegation battle.

Dupraz is a veteran in fighting relegation battles

Saint-Etienne supporters will hope for a completely different second half to the season under Dupraz. The former Toulouse boss has safely guided Evian and Caen to Ligue 1 safety in the past and he is tasked with a similar job again.

However, Saint-Etienne has a long way to go. They are four points off safety and three off relegation play-offs. More importantly, their goal difference is the worst in the league.

There is no doubt that Dupraz will need some time to get the club moving but it has to be sooner rather than later.