NO player in England's top four divisions managed more than Adam Armstrong's 24-goal and 13-assist haul last season.
His 37 goal contributions also outscored the top performers in Spain's La Liga, Italy's Serie A and France's Ligue 1.
Bayern Munich and England's Harry Kane was the only player in the top five leagues to outperform Armstrong's goal involvement figures.
If you look at these numbers in isolation it is a wonder why anybody would doubt the Geordie forward heading into the new Premier League campaign.
Before reviving his Saints career in the Championship last season, Armstrong was struggling for goals.
He had only managed to score four times across his first two seasons at Saints, both played in the top flight, returning a goal for every £3.75million the club spent on him.
The former Blackburn Rovers forward did not have a clear role in the squad during this period. He was used as a winger, striker and even a wing-back.
Suggesting his lack of fixed position was caused by his poor form would be fair, but you can also argue that this becomes a self-perpetuating cycle.
A player's role can be reduced due to poor form but their lack of regular game time only further prevents them from gaining any real momentum, driving their performance levels down further.
Armstrong played more minutes last season (4,436) than he did across his first two years at St Mary's (4,130).
This is not the first time Armstrong has entered a Premier League campaign following a dazzling year in the Championship either.
His 28-goal return for Blackburn during 2020/21 was the primary reason the club decided to sign him three years ago.
What is different this time around is that he is now working under a manager who has placed full faith in him to deliver the goods weekly.
Whether he is drifting in off the right in search of goals or dropping deep before running in behind, Armstrong's actions are now central to what Southampton do.
That has afforded him the confidence he had not previously experienced in a Southampton shirt. Confidence is so often the deciding factor at the top level.
"I learned a lot in those two years in the Premier League," the Under-20 World Cup winner told the Daily Echo ahead of the new campaign.
"When the gaffer came in, he gave me the opportunity to play as a striker and off the wing. He gave me the armband. He gave me the extra push, the extra buzz.
"Confidence in a footballer is massive. There is always going to be places in the squad where people are going to be pushing you.
"Everything clicked last season. It was tough knowing that I could do it in the Championship. I'd done it before but there will always be different challenges.
"It feels different this time around because I'm with Southampton."
"Southampton announce their Wembley arrival!" 🚨
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Clinical from Adam Armstrong! 🎯 pic.twitter.com/OZNRw7Nzft
The number of shots Armstrong took per 90 minutes increased last season, which was to be expected given the drop into the Championship.
His numbers climbed from 2.03 per 90 to 3.04 per 90 - an increase of just under 50 per cent.
What is more interesting is where his shots came from, and more specifically, which areas he received the most joy in.
In the graphic below, Armstrong's shot map during his two seasons in the Premier League is compared to his shot map last season.
As you can see, Armstrong had shots from a more widespread area in the Championship compared to the Premier League.
The increase in shots from the right side can be explained by his regular game time on the right wing. This positional alteration has allowed Armstrong to get the best out of his movement and shooting tendencies.
He is now running onto shots with his stronger foot and is being allowed to fire across goal, which is a strong trait of his.
Take this goal against Ipswich for example. Having been played in on goal by Stuart Armstrong's excellent through ball, he drills a first-time finish into the bottom corner.
This is a situation he found himself in regularly last season. He was not afforded this luxury in the Premier League.
"I want to do it again in the Premier League. If I am playing on the wing or as a striker, I’m always going to try and make runs. That’s my instinct," Armstrong continued.
"I’m not the type of player who is going to do loads of tricks. I’m definitely going to be in and around the box this year and, hopefully, I can score a few goals along the way."
When playing on the left wing, Armstrong tended to drift inside into an area which is more congested and less conducive to a first-time finish.
In the example below, taken from Southampton's game against AFC Bournemouth, Armstrong's desire to shoot with his right foot is highlighted.
Having received the ball on the left, he cuts inside and continues to dribble until he has created enough space to shoot with his stronger right foot.
His run is excellent, but it is not enough to prevent Joe Rothwell from immediately blocking his shot behind for a corner.
This example is backed up by more statistics. Armstrong took longer to shoot in the Premier League than he did in the while playing for Blackburn in the Championship.
While the difference is only a matter of a couple hundred milliseconds, that can make a real difference and will need to be remedied this time around.
Russell Martin summed things up best when speaking before Southampton's opening game against Newcastle United.
"Arma was a really talented player before we got here. Now he's playing in a team that suits him best," he said.
"He's technically gifted, he runs really hard. Last season he had more of an opportunity to show what he can do.
"Hopefully that will translate into the Premier League. He knows himself more. He understands his strength and the team.
"It was a beautiful privilege to watch some of our players grow in confidence last season and Arma was one of them."
