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Southampton 2017/18 season review: Alex McCarthy

By Edward Waugh

SWANSEA, WALES - MAY 08: Alex McCarthy of Southampton warms up during the Premier League match between Swansea City and Southampton at Liberty Stadium on May 8, 2018 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
SWANSEA, WALES - MAY 08: Alex McCarthy of Southampton warms up during the Premier League match between Swansea City and Southampton at Liberty Stadium on May 8, 2018 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) /
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Quiet easily Saints’ unsung hero up until recent, Alex McCarthy has easily had a stormer of a season, going from back-up goalkeeper, to the heights of being named as Southampton’s ‘Player of the Season’.

With his counterpart Fraser Forster penning a five-year-deal at the start of 2017/2018 campaign, it looked as if McCarthy would spend another season sitting on the bench.

The former Crystal Palace keeper had spent the previous campaign doing the same, despite Forster’s form not being up to scratch – to which this continued under the stewardship of then Saints manager Mauricio Pellegrino, now just a vivid nightmare to many.

The real turning point for McCarthy was the introduction of former-keeper Kelvin Davis as assistant manager to Pellegrino, which the vital change in-between in the sticks was made for the following game against Manchester United away – Saints keeping a rare clean sheet in his first appearance.

Next: Southampton 2017/18 season review: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 02: Southampton’s goal keeper Alex McCarthy and Palace’s James McArthur get ready for the corner during during the Premier League match between Southampton and Crystal Palace at St Mary’s Stadium on January 2, 2018 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 02: Southampton’s goal keeper Alex McCarthy and Palace’s James McArthur get ready for the corner during during the Premier League match between Southampton and Crystal Palace at St Mary’s Stadium on January 2, 2018 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images) /

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From there, he would go on to feature in every-game for the rest of the campaign, and though by the end of it, the 6’3 keeper had only kept four clean sheets in 18 appearances, McCarthy’s performances within these games were somewhat spectacular on a consistent basis, making crucial saves, one after another that built a platform for Saints to build on.

Southampton’s conceding average amounted to 1.44 per game across the period in which McCarthy featured (26 goals in 18 apps – stats via Premier League), given with what was a very inexperienced defence in front of him, these are extremely good numbers for the situation he was in.

Since, McCarthy has been rightfully praised by us here at Saints Marching, current manager Mark Hughes and fans a like, eventually being awarded with ‘Player of the Season’ is a testament to how the keeper has somewhat single-handedly kept Southampton in the Premier League for another campaign – excellent saves against Swansea, Bournemouth and Everton cementing this thought.

There has even been calls for the Southampton keeper to be selected for the England World Cup squad, though given his spurt into the starting-lineup halfway through the season, McCarthy has been wrongfully overlooked, but should without a doubt should’ve been mentioned in the same breath, and been Southampton’s only English player to attend the tournament – again, testament to his performances for our club.

Verdict

Alex McCarthy 9.5/10