Carlos Alcaraz

[sotonjoe]

1 hour ago, hotsaint said:

Jones really starting to shape a new team now. I may be the only one on here to support but I think he has done well to persuade these two new signings to come here. Hopefully a decent result tonight as well

You posting from the dugout or was it half time?

[davefizzy14]

3 hours ago, Yorkshire Saint said:

Confirmed 

 

I hope it does not include a cooling off period. 

Announcing 15 minutes before kick off though?

Another exciting addition, welcome onboard Carlos

[Chez]

Excited. I'm imaging skills of Lavia but breaking forward and creating problems for opponents.

[S-Clarke]

Just now, Chez said:

Excited. I'm imaging skills of Lavia but breaking forward and creating problems for opponents.

Let Lavia sit deep, break the ball up and pass it onto Alcaraz who can then make the pass into the wide area's. I think this is how we will play from now on - 3 through the middle, somewhat fitness dependant though.

[skintsaint]

Someone run down Sports Direct and get him a mega pack of socks for ten quid.

[Rut]

Can imagine Carlos sat at the game tonight nudging the bloke next to him.

Southampton - they're the team in yellow right? I thought as the home team they'd be the ones in red.

[Saint86]

Feel a tiny bit sorry for him... they were clearly going to use his signing announcement to distract from a man city loss, and instead he's been partially lost in the bemused happiness over that city win! 😅🤣

Either way, looks like he could be class, and i hope he is for many years to come (for us).

A midfield unit of Lavia, JWP, and Alcaraz does sound tasty to me!

[tajjuk]

Hopefully the missing link we've needed in midfield for years, that goalscoring attacking mid. Should in theory provide good balance in a midfield 3 with JWP and Lavia. 

[Saint86]

Quite a lot of praise for Ward Prowse in his joining interview. That's another young player we've signed that's looking forward to playing with him - Interesting to say the least.

Edited 12 January, 2023 by Saint86

[SuperSAINT]

 

[saintant]

Speaks very well for a youngster. Let's hope he can hit the ground running to give us more options in midfield.

[santolijador]

Liked his answer to 'players you look up to'. Spoke well, looking forward to seeing him play. 

[revolution saint]

As far as I can see Alacaraz hasn't played since 6th November so I guess it'll take some time for him to get back to match fitness.  

[The Kraken]

2 minutes ago, revolution saint said:

As far as I can see Alacaraz hasn't played since 6th November so I guess it'll take some time for him to get back to match fitness.  

I looked at this the other day, but it seems like the Argentinian league starts on 27 January, so it’s hopeful he’s well through a good dose of pre season training.

[revolution saint]

Just now, The Kraken said:

I looked at this the other day, but it seems like the Argentinian league starts on 27 January, so it’s hopeful he’s well through a good dose of pre season training.

Ah, cheers, didn't know that. 

[Convict Colony]

1 hour ago, revolution saint said:

As far as I can see Alacaraz hasn't played since 6th November so I guess it'll take some time for him to get back to match fitness.  

He was about to go and play for Racing v Boca in the international cup in UAE so he is pretty much at peak fitness as well.

For some reason they booked both teams on the same flight there and back and there was a very big worry about it since the last game they played 10 players got sent off and it would of been warfare in this upcoming match as well.

Edited 12 January, 2023 by Convict Colony

[SaintTex]

7 hours ago, SuperSAINT said:

 

Willy Caballero is 41. Could literally be his father. (well not literally, but you get the gist).

Hopefully, they can develop a father-son type relationship.

[Saint NL]

Hopefully this guy can take a free kick, because it seems the world has realised that you need to put men on the posts for JWPs.

That should keep the opponents guessing.. 

[Saint_clark]

4 minutes ago, Saint NL said:

Hopefully this guy can take a free kick, because it seems the world has realised that you need to put men on the posts for JWPs.

That should keep the opponents guessing.. 

If they start doing that then we need to work on some routines that take advantage of them having one man less in the mix. Little disguised pass down the sides and then a cutback to the edge of the box should do it.

[Chez]

It's complete folly to judge a player on his first outing, especially a relatively young player (20), but equally I've been only too happy to say "You could see from the very first game/touch that X is...", so I'm going to give my first impressions, although I will stay well away from making any conclusions, other than he's going to be a star, isn't he? 😉

Truth be told, he had a pretty poor debut and Jones pretty much said as such. He mis-controlled the ball two or three times, misplaced a couple of simple passes, one that then put us in big trouble (Diallo had to take a yellow to stop the resulting Everton break). He both slipped, and got his feet stuck and when on a great break he dawdled, stuttered and delayed allowing the defender to get back and snub out the opportunity. This might have been down to nerves, rust or he just hadn't got up to the speed of the game. Whatever it was, it prevented him from having a `dream' debut. To be fair to him, the conditions were tricky and he may just have got the wrong studs on. 

The one extra thing that didn't impress me was that he didn't track his runner, who got behind us unopposed and the resulting cross could have created a goal. It didn't, so that lack of effort was lost in the ether, but I saw it. I hope that is not a sign of what is to come, as even attacking midfielders can't shirk their responsibilities.

The positives. During his first involvement he looked extremely confident, dynamic and laid a lovely ball square to JWP who shot from long range and he was right there following in should Pickford have spilled it. That's a good trait and I suspect we will see him scoring the odd goal from that circumstance in the future. He is clearly someone that wants to get on the ball, plays with his head up and will try to make things happen. That's the kind of player we need to bolster our attacking midfield options.

As you can tell, I was a little disappointed with his debut, but I'm very much looking forward to seeing what he can do next time.

Edited 15 January, 2023 by Chez

[Badger]

Potted snapshop of yesteday:

 

 

[skintsaint]

Better do something next game otherwise this forum will want him OUT!

[saintant]

23 minutes ago, Badger said:

Potted snapshop of yesteday:

 

 

Some decent moments there for a cameo debut following a long flight from Argentina and few minutes training with the squad. I think he'll get much better and be a quality addition to the squad. Only the real top quality players go to a new club and make an instant impact so I reckon he showed enough to give us hope he'll come good.

Edited 15 January, 2023 by saintant

[SuperSAINT]

7 minutes ago, saintant said:

Some decent moments there for a cameo debut following a long flight from Argentina and few minutes training with the squad. I think he'll get much better and be a quality addition to the squad. Only the real top quality players go to a new club and make an instant impact so I reckon he showed enough to give us hope he'll come good.

Indeed.  I can’t imagine going to Argentina to live at 20 years old.

[S-Clarke]

It's a pretty good sign of his character that he was trusted to be thrown in there like that, in a place like Goodison.

Technically he needs to be better as Chez alluded to above, but he showed some balls. Some of those blocks he made were crucial and that for me shows up his character, and if that's right then technically he will come to the fore shortly.

[Bad Wolf]

I didn't think he was too bad! He looked very positive and okay it didn't come off for him but at least he was trying some new ideas with forward passes and the clever layoff to JWP.

[rooney]

34 minutes ago, SuperSAINT said:

Indeed.  I can’t imagine going to Argentina to live at 20 years old.

Or to be put into that cauldron at Goodison Park just a few hours after arriving here.

[LuckyNumber7]

He was a bit clumsy in possession a few times but other than that I thought he looked bright and alert and has something about him. What I liked were the two important defensive interventions he made which were acknowledged by his team mates.

For a 20 year old kid who's only just flown in to a new continent and culture I think it would be harsh to judge him too much on yesterday's game, but I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do once he's properly settled.

[tajjuk]

The guy is probably jet lagged, he's been in the country what 3 days before that game, new country, new culture, new language, different weather (It's summer in Argentina pretty much, high 20s sort of weather, dropping to Liverpool in Jan where it must be single figures).  So bearing all that in mind for him to even play shows he's got some character about him even if he was a bit ropey. 

[qwertyell]

Thought he did all right in the circumstances. Was a fish out of water with the pace of the game and had no real understanding with his teammates, but he didn't hide. On the contrary, he looked brave, self confident and committed to the cause. Got into a couple of promising positions too.

Give him a bit of time to settle in and I think we'll find a decent player in there.

[Pickles]

Give the kid a break. I thought he did pretty well considering all the factors.

[Holmes_and_Watson]

The good blocks and some good positions he took up, not all in the highlights bit above outweighed some rustiness, over strong passing and other bits and pieces.

With our manager doing his usual biting his nails to the quick, no league win since he took over, their manager looking like a dead man walking in a brittle atmosphere of protest with both sets of fans desperate to get some points... he did okay. 🙂

[AlexLaw76]

There surely cannot be an ounce of criticism for the lad.  He has literally just arrived in the country from 1000's of miles away.

Edited 15 January, 2023 by AlexLaw76

[wild-saint]

7 hours ago, saintant said:

Some decent moments there for a cameo debut following a long flight from Argentina and few minutes training with the squad. I think he'll get much better and be a quality addition to the squad. Only the real top quality players go to a new club and make an instant impact so I reckon he showed enough to give us hope he'll come good.

A bit like Gakpo did in his full debut against Brighton this weekend 😂

[Matty's Caddy]

Loved him joining in the celebrations for the winner and the acknowledgement from the defenders for the blocks. Don’t think he speaks a word of English, how hard must that have been to come straight into the team. 

[verlaine1979]

Watching those few highlights, it's noticeable that in most cases he start sprinting into space immediately after playing the pass. We've needed more movement in the final third for ages, so hopefully he can bring that to the team and encourage more early return passes from the rest of them.

[woodsaint1]

Not only was he just off the plane, barely had any training with his new team and thrown into the middle of a tough game in tough conditions.....his last competitive game was the cup final on 6 November. Im surprised Jones threw him on, but glad he did as the kid will learn alot from it.

Honestly, I'll give my views on him this time next year.

Hes 20, moved to a new country mid-season, will take time to get up to speed with Jones' tactics/shape and understand his team mates. Crucially, it will take him a while to get used to the pace/demands of the PL which will be different to the Argentinian league.

I did say when we signed him that we were taking risk, not because of his ability (he looks a great talent), but that we would need to be patient with him in a season where we cant afford to be patient. Lets hope he gets to prove himself in the PL next season, as opposed to the Championship

[wooley7]

He didn't have great debut with the ball but I loved what I saw from him, received the ball in good places, drove forward and broke in to the box a couple of times, which is promising. I think he looked nervous, taking everything into account it was a surprise he even got on in this game.

What I loved most was how the team spirit shone through. The celebrations for JWP free kick and when Alcaraz made the front post block. He was loving it, celebrating with and receiving praise from his team mates.

[SaintTex]

all I see are positives... from looking at those game highlights..

1) he passes the ball and then moves immediately into space. He is not standing there and admiring his pass.

2) two good defensive plays. that second one where he heads it away.. that might have been on target for the back of the net. i didnt recognize it at the time (more likely i was pacing for the last 10 minutes and didn't see the play altogether!)

3) He moved quickly into the open space and dribbled it 50 yards... his pass was a bit speculative, but i like the aggressiveness and forward thinking.

4) i like how he was positioned himself to pounce on JWPs shot if it came off the opposing GK

on a semi-related note, on JWP's future free kicks, if the opposing team move a man or two to cover the posts, the offside trap is negated. it's free reign for any of our players to get in a position for a rebound off the keeper/post. (We got burned on that one last year while we were defending a free kick late in a game by none other than JWP himself.. cant remember the game)

[Whitey Grandad]

3 minutes ago, SaintTex said:

all I see are positives... from looking at those game highlights..

1) he passes the ball and then moves immediately into space. He is not standing there and admiring his pass.

2) two good defensive plays. that second one where he heads it away.. that might have been on target for the back of the net. i didnt recognize it at the time (more likely i was pacing for the last 10 minutes and didn't see the play altogether!)

3) He moved quickly into the open space and dribbled it 50 yards... his pass was a bit speculative, but i like the aggressiveness and forward thinking.

4) i like how he was positioned himself to pounce on JWPs shot if it came off the opposing GK

on a semi-related note, on JWP's future free kicks, if the opposing team move a man or two to cover the posts, the offside trap is negated. it's free reign for any of our players to get in a position for a rebound off the keeper/post. (We got burned on that one last year while we were defending a free kick late in a game by none other than JWP himself.. cant remember the game)

Brighton at St. Mary’s, wasn’t it?

They did the same thing to us this time. JWP had a free kick and they put a player on their post. It seemed to confuse JWP so much that he failed to take advantage of the situation.

[westmidlandsaint]

Loved what he was doing with Pickford before the JWP free kick. If you watch Pickford trying to line the wall up Charly stands in front blocking his view, everytime Pickford takes a step to that side to see around him Charly moves as well. 

[Singapore Saint]

2 hours ago, woodsaint1 said:

Not only was he just off the plane, barely had any training with his new team and thrown into the middle of a tough game in tough conditions.....his last competitive game was the cup final on 6 November. Im surprised Jones threw him on, but glad he did as the kid will learn alot from it.

I loved that NJ had the courage to play him, which manager would have done that? Only our NJ 😊

[skintsaint]

12 hours ago, SuperSAINT said:

Indeed.  I can’t imagine going to Argentina to live at 20 years old.

BA is a great place and could settle there pretty easily as a young lad, top totty and great food. Very European feel. 

Getting thrown in after 3 days though into El Monumental or La Bombonera would be a different story though! 😅

[saintscottofthenortham]

59 minutes ago, westmidlandsaint said:

Loved what he was doing with Pickford before the JWP free kick. If you watch Pickford trying to line the wall up Charly stands in front blocking his view, everytime Pickford takes a step to that side to see around him Charly moves as well. 

Charly has a knocking free-kick himself, so will know exactly what he'd like done for himself. I too liked this. Lad definitely has a good head on him.

[saintscottofthenortham]

1 hour ago, SaintTex said:

all I see are positives... from looking at those game highlights..

1) he passes the ball and then moves immediately into space. He is not standing there and admiring his pass.

2) two good defensive plays. that second one where he heads it away.. that might have been on target for the back of the net. i didnt recognize it at the time (more likely i was pacing for the last 10 minutes and didn't see the play altogether!)

3) He moved quickly into the open space and dribbled it 50 yards... his pass was a bit speculative, but i like the aggressiveness and forward thinking.

4) i like how he was positioned himself to pounce on JWPs shot if it came off the opposing GK

on a semi-related note, on JWP's future free kicks, if the opposing team move a man or two to cover the posts, the offside trap is negated. it's free reign for any of our players to get in a position for a rebound off the keeper/post. (We got burned on that one last year while we were defending a free kick late in a game by none other than JWP himself.. cant remember the game)

2) The headed block was on its way to spelling trouble

[Convict Colony]

20 hours ago, Badger said:

Potted snapshop of yesteday:

 

 

Judging by this video this lad is exactly the sort of player we need to sign.

Pissing rain, cold and this stallion comes from a south american summer and wears a short sleeve shirt with no gloves.

Its a Yes from me.

[SaintsFan86]

6 minutes ago, Convict Colony said:

Judging by this video this lad is exactly the sort of player we need to sign.

Pissing rain, cold and this stallion comes from a south american summer and wears a short sleeve shirt with no gloves.

Its a Yes from me.

I love this, Alot of really good close foot control, And alot of reading the game already.., Plenty of things didnt' come off but that is a damn confident player and some creativity we lack. 
Lavia, Alcaraz and JWP is going to cook.

[saintant]

3 minutes ago, SaintsFan86 said:

I love this, Alot of really good close foot control, And alot of reading the game already.., Plenty of things didnt' come off but that is a damn confident player and some creativity we lack. 
Lavia, Alcaraz and JWP is going to cook.

Think I'd rather play a 4 3 1 2 with Alcaraz floating in the hole behind the front 2.

[SuperSAINT]

11 minutes ago, Convict Colony said:

Judging by this video this lad is exactly the sort of player we need to sign.

Pissing rain, cold and this stallion comes from a south american summer and wears a short sleeve shirt with no gloves.

Its a Yes from me.

Tiny detail I liked was when JWP had a long range shot saved, Alacaraz was nearest Pickford for the follow-up.

[Saint86]

11 minutes ago, Convict Colony said:

Judging by this video this lad is exactly the sort of player we need to sign.

Pissing rain, cold and this stallion comes from a south american summer and wears a short sleeve shirt with no gloves.

Its a Yes from me.

Yeah a lot to like. I am sure his passing/touch will come with games. Probably tired / jet lagged and has a lot going on in his head with the excitement/nervousness of the move and moving to another country at 20 years old. Think we've got a gem of a player and i look foward to seeing him lining up in a midfield 3 with Prowsey and Lavia.