The former Spain under-18 international has captained Argyle twice in Carabao Cup ties and made his full league debut against Blackburn Rovers at the weekend

Julio Pleguezuelo has admitted he could not be happier at his new club Plymouth Argyle and that has been reflected in his first few performances.

“I’m absolutely loving it,” declared the Spanish defender and former Arsenal under-21s captain when asked about his first couple of months with the promoted Pilgrims in the Championship.

Pleguezuelo is very appreciative of warm welcome he has received from his team-mates and the Green Army, and believes Argyle are ‘in a good situation at the minute’ after picking up seven points from their first five games.

 

The 26-year-old said: “I feel the love from the fans, from the club. The first couple of months have been outstanding. I feel really comfortable when I go out there and play, especially when we play at home.

“Even when we play away we always bring quite a lot of fans, so I couldn’t ask for a better start. My family is really happy I’m here, I’m happy I’m here, so all positive.”

Pleguezuelo could not play in Argyle’s season-opening 3-1 win against Huddersfield Town on August 5 because of a one-match suspension which carried over from his previous club, FC Twente, in the Netherlands.

Lewis Gibson and Dan Scarr played as the two centre-backs for the first four Championship fixtures but Pleguezuelo made his full league debut against Blackburn Rovers at Home Park on Saturday.

Steven Schumacher went with Pleguezuelo, who had captained Argyle in the Carabao Cup ties against Leyton Orient and Crystal Palace, instead of Scarr because he thought he would be better suited to dealing with Blackburn’s style of play.

 

That proved to be a good choice as Argyle ran out 3-0 winners and to top it off for Pleguezuelo he was named as the sponsors’ man-of-the-match.

“I thought the whole team put a great shift out there,” he said. “It was a very difficult game against a very difficult opponent.

“They started the game better than us but we grew into it. We were a bit lucky with the first goal but I thought at that moment of the game we were a bit more comfortable. Then in the second half we were more clinical than them.

“For myself, absolutely pleased I got to play and even better they named me man-of-the-match, but I think they could have picked anybody out there because everybody played a great game.”

It was only before Argyle’s final pre-season game at the end of July that there was confirmation Pleguezuelo was suspended for the Championship opener against Huddersfield.

That was a result of him being booked in both legs of FC Twente’s Euorpa Conference League Play-Off against Sparta Rotterdam in June.

 

He said: “Before the Swindon game we found out I was going to be suspended for the first game, but we have a very good depth in terms of defenders. I think it’s going to be a very healthy competition to see who plays.

“It’s just about making the coach have difficult decisions to see who plays. I thought Gibbo and Scarrsy started the season really well but Saturday was my chance and I took it.”

Argyle have a superb record of 22 wins from their last 26 home league games since the start of the 2022/23 season and Pleguezuelo can see why given the support they get from the Green Army

Pleguezuelo said: “When we are going through bad patches in a game they just pick you up and give you that extra bit of energy to get over it.

“We know in this league you have to be strong at home because every time you travel away you know it’s going to be a difficult game.

“We need to try and get as many points as possible when we play at home and I think we are doing okay so far. We shouldn’t have lost against Southampton but we keep going. It’s going to be a long season so we are going to need everybody behind us to help us.

“We know in this league it doesn’t give you the chance to just play nice football and not get results. On Saturday, for instance, we didn’t play so well but we got the three points, which is the most important thing.

“We know we have good players, we know we have good quality in the whole squad. It’s just about polishing these little details in games that is going to give us the three points.”

One of Argyle’s good players is Ryan Hardie, who has started the season by scoring four goals in the first five Championship matches.

Pleguezuelo said: “You cannot ask much more of a striker. When he’s in the box you have that confidence he’s going to put it in at some point in the game.

 

“He also helps us in team play. He runs, he fights for the ball. The third goal (against Blackburn) for example, if he doesn’t fight for that ball Luke (Cundle) doesn’t score.

“I said to him when we scored it was his goal before he fought it, he won it and it gave Luke the chance to put it over the keeper.

“I’m just very pleased for him he’s doing well. He has also got a healthy competition with Ben Waine, who is also a top striker and has scored three goals in two games in the cup.

“That tells you the depth of what we have in the squad. We just have to keep believing we have good players, a good team and I think we will have a nice season ahead.”

Argyle now have to wait until Saturday, September 16 and a trip to Ryan Lowe’s table-topping Preston North End for their next game due to the international break for the latest set of Euro 2024 qualifiers.

Pleguezuelo said: “I think we go with very high morale into the international break because we believe we have been doing things the right way.

“The win on Saturday gives us the confidence and belief that we are on the right track. I’m just very pleased for the whole team, for the fans that we are in a good situation at the minute.”

Plguezuelo is a former Spain under-18 international who had spells as a youth at Atletico Madrid and Barcelona before joining Arsenal in 2013, aged 16.

He moved to FC Twente six years later and played regularly over the next four seasons for them in the Dutch top flight before returning to England with Argyle in July as a free agent on a contract until the summer of 2025.

Pleguezuelo said: “The Dutch league is a lot more technical, not so much intensity wise. The tempo is more slower than it is in England.

“For me, it’s also a challenge because I need to adapt to English type of football but I think so far I have been doing well. The whole squad and the whole staff have helped me massively to adapt as quick as possible

“The physicality that English football has in comparison to any other league is nothing. It’s so much more physical, and the tempo, and of course I needed some time to adapt.

“I think now physically I feel good. I played two 90-minute games in a week so I’m just really pleased I’m getting the minutes in and the chances to prove I’m good enough to play.”