Sellés praises Alcaraz contribution

The Argentinian marked his second league start with his second league goal against Leicester, becoming only the fifth Saint to score in both of his first two Premier League starts.

Unfortunately, his afternoon was cut short early in the second half due to a knee injury sustained in celebrating the goal, but even the midfielder’s fleeting appearance was enough to win the Player of the Match vote in the club’s post-match poll, as the January signing continues to shine.

“That was the idea – to put him in that position as a 10 or as a striker, to be more aggressive in the pressure, to understand the triggers and to have some situations in front of the centre-backs but also in behind, as [with] the goal,” Sellés explained, having used Alcaraz in a more advanced role against the Foxes.

“That was the game plan, Carlos played good. He understands everything – I am helping him also, giving him some instructions so it’s easier for him to understand. He did really well, unfortunately for only 45, 46 minutes.

“I think I need to put the celebration to him to understand that next time perhaps keep some adrenaline away and don’t hurt himself! We will work on that also.”

The win was Saints’ second in three Premier League outings but their first at home since August, as the supporters inside St Mary’s roared their team home in a tense second half.

“It’s great to see that the stadium is also reacting, is also with us in every single moment, is also suffering, because it has been and is going to be a suffering season for us,” Sellés continued.

“As I have said before, if we don’t do it together, we will not do it. We count on them as our player number 12. We need their support.

“I think they showed a great support and I expect them to continue doing that. Hopefully we can bring more days like today with three points for us and more victories in St Mary’s.”