Southampton’s season has been mired in a detrimental decline that has left a formerly exciting and energetic outfit spluttering to a stop and facing the peril that runs in tandem with the all-engulfing Premier League relegation zone.
Entangled in the bottom three for the past 12 match-weeks, Saints’ owners Sport Republic have dismissed long-time endeared boss Ralph Hasenhuttl before sacking Nathan Jones in what was an unequivocally shambolic appointment, losing seven of his eight league matches at the helm.
Ruben Selles, who has been involved at St. Mary’s Stadium in a coaching capacity all season, now heads the table, looking to instil confidence and cohesion into a team devoid of all the tangible qualities that left them comfortably placed for the majority of Hasenhuttl’s reign.
And it has paid off somewhat over the early weeks of the Spaniard’s term in the dugout; a monumental victory against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in his first match as permanent boss preceded a battling loss to relegation rivals Leeds United and a shambolic home defeat in the FA Cup to League Two Grimsby Town.
However, optimism has been borne anew following a dogged 1-0 league victory on the south coast against Leicester City, narrowing the gap to safety to just one point after 25 fixtures in the campaign, and despite captain James Ward-Prowse uncharacteristically blundering from the penalty spot, £12m winter signing Carlos Alcaraz took the weight on his shoulders and set the Saints support rocking with his emphatic match-winning strike.
Is Alcaraz the next Steven Davis?
Clinched from Argentinian outfit Racing Club in January, the 20-year-old has made an instant impact in England, and one which Selles and co will hope can play a big part in the scrap to secure top-flight survival.
Having made 83 appearances for Racing, scoring 12 goals, the Argentine has now forged eight outings for Southampton and netted from both his starting displays in the league.
As per Sofascore, the thrilling talent has averaged 1.6 shots per match across his Premier League performances thus far, with his two goals complemented by a 60% dribble success rate and a 79% passing accuracy.
He is already growing into his skin, and his composure when placed through on goal belied both his young age and inexperience, with The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell even going as far as dubbing the prodigy “tremendous” for his early feats in red and white.
Tanswell even went as far as to say he reminded him of Saints stalwart Steven Davis, remarking that the dynamic midfielder “offers a new slant.”
David made 226 appearances for the south coast club, plundering 14 goals and registering 26 assists, and as per WhoScored, his 1.6 key passes and 0.6 shots and dribbles per game in the 15/16 season for the outfit epitomised the robust and progressive role he played, recording a 7.04 average rating and landing five goals and three assists.
If Alcaraz – hailed a “young baller” by the Daily Echo’s Alfie House – can build upon his resounding entrance, he can adopt Davis’ mantle and serve as the new force to be reckoned with from the heart of the St. Mary’s system.
There’s a long way to go in this mammoth season; Alcaraz is still just 20 and but a matter of weeks into his Premier League career, but if the early work is anything to go by, he will surpass the feats of Davis and emerge as a devastating force to steer Southampton to success.