Martin Caceres sent a message to Claude Puel after his club debut for the U23 side against Chelsea.

Ok this was not exactly a great test for Caceres, Saints put out a strong side, including four internationals and only two players without any first team experience if you don't include goalkeeper Mouez Hassen who has experience in France., whereas Chelsea put out a team of youngsters, most of which will never kick a ball for Chelsea in the Premier League.

But you can only play against what is up against you and Caceres looked a class act, with the real test being his fitness and he showed that he is able to get through 90 minutes although he still has to get his sharpness honed.

This sent out a clear message to Claude Puel that he is ready to be in first team contention.

The Frenchman must now decide whether Caceres is up to a baptism of fire at White Hart Lane against Tottenham Hotspur, the problem Pule has is that although Yoshida and Stephens have formed a reasonable partnership in the past five weeks, the stark truth is that it is not one that is up to Premier League standards, for long periods in the 4 Premier League appearances they have played together it as looked tight, but in every game it has had lapses of concentration that has cost them dearly, the clean sheet at Sunderland apart, they have conceded 8 goals in the other trio of games and this can't go on.

Individually both Yoshida and Stephens can partner an experienced and quality central defender like Van Dijk, but together they are too prone to lapses, add the two cup games to the mix, Liverpool when on too many occasions we left an opponent unmarked when we weren't punished and Wembley where we were and Puel has a problem he needs to deal with, we just can't keep on outscoring sides as we did against Watford.

So is Caceres the man, I think that h has to be given that chance, his lack of sharpness will be more than compensated by his quality and positional sense and his ability to marshall the player who plays alongside him.

That leaves only two questions, is Spurs the right game to blood him and who should play alongside him ?

The obvious choice would be Yoshida as the man with experience, but then again we need to find out of Stephens can realise the potential that prompted us to buy him six years ago and has so far remained unfilled.

On one hand we know what we will get with Yoshida, that is a player who will make an error through a lapse in concentration at least once per game, on the other the unknown, can Stephens step up to the plate.

Photo: Action Images

TheMoog added 14:48 - Mar 7 Was this message in writing? According to Fonte, if it wasn't in writing it never happened.
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mayuka added 15:06 - Mar 7 I would day drop Maya
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SaintNick added 15:18 - Mar 7 Next headline is Martin Caceres interviewed by Graeme Souness. GS. So what happened at St Mary's in the Chelsea U23 game MC. Well i just played the game and went home then suddenly its all over the media that I had sent a message to Claude Puel which I didn't. I never wrote a letter to the manager or the club saying that I wanted to play against Tottenham. I appreciate what the club had done for me since day one but we all have to take care of our families. There were offers that came in that would take care of my family in ways that Southampton weren't willing to. It's a difficult situation.

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SaintBrock added 09:35 - Mar 8 Must admit Nick you had me going with that headline. I went up to SMS on Monday to see the match and yes, Carceras oozed class in every aspect of his game. He looked what he is, a world class defender way ahead of anything we've got here or had here in the past and in my view at least every bit as good as VvD so what a pairing that is going to make if we take heed of Ralph Kreiger's plea for players to stay awhile. Provided that he is strong enough to stand up to the rigours of the PL and has no recurrence of his injury the club have to work flat out to get his signature on a contract of at least three years and That should be enticement enough for VvD to stay at least for another couple of years. Soares - Carceras - van Dyke - Bertrand I wrote that down because I liked to read it again and again and again..... could go a whole season next year without conceding! Bring it on!

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SanMarco added 11:04 - Mar 8 Yoshida is a better player than Stephens - so that answers one question. The second question is answered in the article - the current pairing aren't good enough so it has to be Cacares. You've written it down SaintBrock - when you revisit it on Sept 1st will you be laughing or crying? One of those dreadful cynics who takes recent experience as a good indicator might say that there is a reasonable possibility that none of those four will still be with us...

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aceofthebase added 15:24 - Mar 8 I am getting fed up with you Nick. Another stab in the back for our Yoshida. Why not attack Cedric who again failed to prevent a cross and the result was a goal.Maybe attack Davis who gave the ball away in midfield and nearly cost us a goal. Why not attack Forster who never seems to save a shot or JWP who rarely has an influential game or Boufal who has brilliant runs but always seems to lose the ball etc etc. No Nick, Yoshida doesn't make any more mistakes than others and meanwhile he clears up many many mistakes of the players playing around him. I think it is about time you were put out to grass, you seem to regularly make the same mistakes of attacking Fonte and now Yoshida. Time to call it a day.

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