MIDFIELDER Shea Charles "can't wait" to face Middlesbrough on Saturday, and believes there is no better game to show how good Saints can be.
Charles was buzzing to score his first goal for Saints on Tuesday evening, but was ultimately disappointed they fell to a late 2-1 defeat at Liverpool.
His close-range finish looked likely to take the Carabao Cup third round tie to penalties before Hugo Ekitike scored an 85th-minute winner.
Liverpool took the lead in the first half through Alexander Isak, less than a minute after Saints spurned two golden opportunities up the other end.
Northern Ireland international has still taken a lot of encouragement from the performance heading into hosting Championship leaders Boro.
“I thought the first half was very good and then conceding at the time we did, after missing a good chance, was disappointing,” he told the Daily Echo.
“As a collective, we reacted well and got our deserved goal, but then it was disappointing to concede near the end. Yes, it's a rotated Liverpool side.
"But the quality on that pitch is still incredible, and we made changes too. It's never easy when you're playing with a completely new team.
"And it's always a weird time to come on, straight after half-time. I thought I settled into the game well, and I finally got my first goal for Saints.
"I am buzzing with that. I can't wait for Saturday's game now, and there is no better game than what we have to show how good we are."
Charles, Caspar Jander and Flynn Downes are battling it out for the two starting spots in midfield, a level of competition Charles, 21, is relishing.
“Having people up against you in your positions, there's nothing better than that to have in a big squad," he added, although Jander is likely injured.
“The boys that started for the first time played well, which was really good to see. That makes it tough for the gaffer, but it's good for the squad.”
Shea's first Saints strike 👏 pic.twitter.com/7akQpdd0kN
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) September 24, 2025
Still is keen to see his midfield duo playing the ball forward quickly when a wide player is free, rather than safely playing it back to the centre-backs.
Saints were able to do that against Liverpool and posed a threat on the break, whereas they have struggled in the Championship against low blocks.
Asked about the midfield dynamic, Charles said: “I was away last year. I don't think there was too much passing backwards at Sheffield Wednesday.
“But coming into this year, I have played with Flynn before, I have trained with him a lot. I think it's just about building that relationship with him.
"And obviously, me, him and Caspar are all able to play with each other in the middle. That’s a big part of what the gaffer wants to do on the pitch.
“So it's about being able to play with each other, and the quicker we start flowing and gelling really well, the team will just get better.
“There's a time and place to go backwards, but you've got to know the time and place, and you've got to be able to play fluid football.
"You've got to know when to go forward, to find the gaps or opposite side.”
