Adam Armstrong, Southampton’s goal machine

 

“He stands a total 5’7, Adam, Adam

He’ll take us to the Premier League Adam, Adam

He strikes the ball so sweetly

He wears the shirt of James Beattie 

Adam Armstrong Southampton’s goal machine”

A homage to the great Rickie Lambert’s chant. The big man fulfilled the prophecy of the song in 2012 as Saints reached the Premier League. This time around it’s our little man leading the charge back to the top flight - note the use of little not wee, Fraser’s already had his article.

Adam Armstrong truly is captain fantastic with 9 goals in 16 games, the Championship’s second top scorer. All of these goals have come from inside the penalty area however there’s variety to his finishing. 

Let’s take a look.

Goal 1 - Sheffield Wednesday (A)

Easily the most fortuitous of the lot. The lightest of deflections on Nathan Tella’s shot enough to take it past Dawson in the Wednesday goal. Pleased he got off the mark in the opening fixture of the campaign but you can’t say too much about this one.

Armstrong’s only headed goal of the season. Unsurprisingly.

Goals 2 & 3 - Norwich City (H)

For a long time set pieces whether they were from the edge of the pitch, outside the penalty area or inside you know who was taking them. JWP. Sadly he’s gone and the first game after his departure fans got an answer to a burning question; Who’s on penalty duty? 

The answer being Adam Armstrong. Twice striking past former Saint Angus Gunn. Converting one penalty in a match is tough enough, to convert two is a whole different level of mental strength. Armstrong has started off perfectly as penalty taker for the Saints. 

Watch him miss the next one.

Goal 4 & 8 - QPR & Birmingham City (H)

A break to the chronological flow but both these were archetypal poachers finishes. Half volleys struck low and hard. One scored in front of the Chapel Stand to seal a first home win since March meanwhile the other scored in front of the Brummies in the Northam Stand dampening their hopes of a comeback. 

Seven out of nine of Armstrong’s goals have been scored at St Mary’s. Home form is crucial in sustaining a promotion push, whenever he scores at St Mary’s we don’t lose - so far.

Goals 5,6 & 7 - Middlesbrough (A) & Leeds (H)

It’s rare in the Championship for Southampton to have space in behind opposition due to the frequency to which low blocks are utilised however Boro and Leeds are two of the more progressive sides. Armstrong punished the space with excellent movement.

In both these matches he had been deployed from the right with Che (Boro) or Alcaraz (Leeds) playing centrally. As a result of the fluidity of the front line Armstrong found himself beyond the supposed central striker. Against Boro his diagonal run across the penalty area saw him strike from centre-left of the box whereas a shallower run against Leeds saw him twice from almost identical positions in the inside right channel. Two very different runs but three top finishes.

Goal 9 - West Brom (H)

Confident & clinical. Last season Armstrong would’ve swung at it first time and ultimately missed but now he’s fully found his groove. The ability to take such a good first touch before slotting it home highlights his improvement this season. Another moment Armstrong has come up clutch for the Saints.

That’s the lot. That’s the nine. Split into five relatively different sub-categories. Each - with the exception of the first - demonstrating qualities of Armstrong’s game. Arguably the most exciting thing about Armstrong’s form this season is, and I say this with the greatest of respect, he hasn’t been phenomenal in a game yet. Aside from the opening 45 minutes against Leeds there hasn’t been a match that he has noticeably dominated in its entirety. Armstrong is like pre-Infinity War Thanos, casually acquiring goals - or ‘Infinity Stones’ - preparing himself for the next third of this season. Something internally will snap, if you pardon the pun, we could truly have a monster on our hands. 

The previously mentioned Rickie Lambert amassed 27 goals in 42 games in the last promotion season, a rate of 0.64 goals per game. Armstrong’s rate currently stands at 0.52 not too far behind the Southampton legend. If he were able to survive the full season fitness wise we could see 25 goals this season. That’d certainly do nicely.