Southampton’s 1-0 victory against Everton on Saturday was their first of the Premier League season after a 9-game winless run.
Striker Adam Armstrong netted the winner with five minutes left to play, with Russell Martin’s side withstanding the visitor’s pressure to secure three points.
Aaron Ramsdale received plaudits from the fans for his goalkeeping heroics, highlighting the defensive resilience required from The Saints to earn this precious win.
Defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis earned a spot in Troy Deeney’s team of the week to further emphasise the strong defensive display, perhaps overshadowing Armstrong’s key role in the victory.
The alarming truth, though, is that Armstrong’s winner took him level with his defensive teammate on just a singular Premier League goal this season.
Cameron Archer is the only Saints man to have notched more than one league goal, leading to one Premier League legend raising his concerns about Southampton’s survival chances.
Gary Lineker concerned Southampton lack ‘firepower’ this season
Speaking on The Rest is Football, Gary Lineker admitted that he has concerns about Southampton’s attacking abilities despite their improvements.
Speaking to fellow striking icon Alan Shearer, Lineker said: “Worthy of a shout are Southampton. They’ve kind of gradually been improving […], they play some really nice football that’s worth watching.
“It’s whether they have enough firepower up front to be consistent enough.”
Southampton have only notched seven goals in the league this season, which averages out at 0.70 per game. Both Wolves and Ipswich, who occupy the other relegation spots, average over a goal per game in comparison.
These stats will worry any Saints fan, but their exploits in the Carabao Cup this season, particularly against Stoke City, highlight that Martin’s side are capable of creating the chances required to add to their dismal goal tally.
Attacking stats in the cup show that Southampton can improve
Against Stoke, albeit a lesser opponent, Southampton shone in particular attacking stats that they have struggled in when playing in the league, winning 3-2 at home.
Their 1.83 expected goals in the game was over double the average number of goals they’re managing in the league, whilst their 5 shots on target was higher than their league average of 3.4.
What was also interesting in the Stoke match was their 12 accurate crosses in the match, way below their league average of 2.7 which is the lowest in the division.
Clearly, Martin is not going to abandon his passing style in favour of a cross-first mindset, but the crosses in the Stoke match helped Southampton achieve 32 touches in the opposition’s box.
If these numbers can be replicated in the Premier League, the likes of Archer and Armstrong may see more of the ball in the box, where they can show the goalscoring abilities they undoubtedly have.