The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
System allowing star Scot to thrive
Fluid formations free up Armstrong to showcase his abilities with Saints
If 2013/14 was the high-water mark for Stuart Armstrong in Tangerine, in a hooped shirt it was 2016/17.
By the time Armstrong was played at right-back in an autumn home game against Inverness (and christened the ‘blond Cafu’ by Rodgers following a man-of-the-match performance) trust between player and manager had been established. Rodgers had a grip on what he could offer and a 17-goal tally in the Invincible treble season was an emphatic return on the faith invested, mainly from the heart of midfield.
The next season – his last in Glasgow – wasn’t quite as eye-catching but when Armstrong got his move to the English Premier League he was sent on his way by Rodgers with the prediction: “His power, speed and instinct to arrive in the box to score” would see him acclimatise and thrive.
It took a few months but acclimatise he did and four starts in a row at the end of November/start of December included three goals scored. He had won Hughes over but the Welshman’s sacking meant the process would start afresh with another manager, one who had radically different tactical ideas on the game.
In the second half of last season and the first half of this, Hasenhuttl’s Southampton side frustrated and teased in equal measure as he attempted to fix things under the bonnet while the car was moving. That would pass as a fair description of Armstrong as well.
In the present day though, Saints will finish the term as one of the form teams in the league and Armstrong as one of the form players.
Hasenhuttl didn’t lose faith in his side – even after a 9-0 home defeat – and the supporters didn’t lose faith in their Scotsman.
“We’ve always known Southampton have got a goal-scorer (Ings) but they were lacking goals from anywhere else,” club legend Jason Dodd told Courier Sport. “Now he’s helping to give them that with his own goals and his assists.
“It took him a while, which is understandable. Very rarely do players walk straight through the door and everything is happy days. Everyone can see the difference in him now from where he was before.
“The squad is a lot stronger, there’s competition for places in the team and they all know they need to be producing week in, week out just to stay in this team. Stuart wasn’t the only one struggling before. I think the lads were a little bit unsure about how they were supposed to play.
“Stuart’s getting a run of games and you can see the benefit of that. I think it will be his longest run since he came to the club. I liked him from the beginning and I felt the manager was maybe a bit harsh on him. You don’t know, though. Perhaps he wasn’t doing what was asked of him.
“What you do know is if the best 11 is getting put out, he’s a shoo-in every week. His performances merit minutes on the pitch, it’s as simple as that. He’s just getting better and better and better.”
Dodd, who now works in the media, has heard Hasenhuttl’s formation described as 4-2-3-1 and 4-2-2-2. Either way, it’s fluid, it’s working and it’s enabling Armstrong to showcase his abilities.
“You shouldn’t get too caught up with
What you do know is if the best 11 is getting put out, he’s a shoo-in every week. JASON DODD
what the system is on paper,” he said. “It’s about how the players react to each other. With the midfielders in the side, Stuart’s got a bit more freedom.
“I wouldn’t go as far as to say he was lost before but he was finding it tougher as the wide man in a 4-3-3. He was a bit of a threat but it’s a lot to expect of him to produce goals and assists from that position. He found it harder. This is suiting him much more.
“You’ve got James (Ward-Prowse) and (Pierre-Emile) Højbjerg or (Oriol) Romeu in the middle, the two wide players – Nathan (Redmond) and Che (Adams) – and Stuart sitting in behind Danny (Ings).
“Stuart can get it into his feet but go beyond as well. That complements Danny really well. They are all understanding what their roles are far better.
“He’s quick as well. I wouldn’t have necessarily said that when he first came in. It probably had something to do with the position he was playing.
“You have to give him all the credit. He’s had to work for his chance and his all-round game is excellent. He looks comfortable and composed. And the thing that I look for as an ex-player is his team-mates are having him. They know what he can do and you can see how comfortable they are giving him the ball, which speaks volumes.”
You don’t need to be capable of completing a law degree in your spare time like Armstrong to be a successful footballer but in his case two forms of intellect has been an asset.
“He’s obviously a really intelligent boy – too intelligent, I say! But he’s got football intelligence as well to thrive in a system like Southampton’s,” said former Dundee United academy chief Stevie Campbell. “I saw that game intelligence and adaptability from a very young age.
“It’s great to see him in such a rich vein of form in a team that is almost as good as anybody in England at the moment, with the ball and without it.
“A lot of Southampton’s goals are coming from their pressing, which takes a lot of work on the training ground, fitness and concentration.
“It was him pressing high up the pitch against Manchester City that resulted in the winning goal that day.
“He tried to call it a pass but it was a tackle!
“He’s building up an incredible record of goals and assists over the last few
games. Both are just as important as each other.
“I actually texted him before the United game. I said: ‘Another assist tonight, please.’ He texted back after the game saying: ‘Sorry I didn’t get the assist, Stevie!’ The goal would have to do.”
There will be some Scots, certainly those who don’t follow United or Celtic, for whom their first thought in relation to Armstrong is the wrong option he chose at Hampden Park that set in motion Harry Kane’s stoppagetime equaliser to deny Leigh Griffiths his place in Tartan Army folklore and Gordon Strachan’s team two more points towards qualification for the 2018 European Championships.
Callum Davidson, on the Scotland coaching team that sweltering and unforgettable June afternoon, said: “It was hard for everybody after that game, not just Stuart. But it would be disgraceful to put it down to one person.
“Football is a reactive game. You could maybe count four or five mistakes for that equalising goal.
“His confidence was really high at the time. He was playing very well. As a player you do spur of the moment things and that was the pass he chose. I definitely wouldn’t blame him for it.
“He’s a player I rate really highly, especially after working in the Scotland squad with him. It’s not easy making the transition into the English Premier League – but I could tell he had all the talent and energy that you need to do that.
“He can break forward and step in with the ball when he’s in central midfield and be brave in possession. He makes things happen and he’s adapted his game again to make his manager pick him.”
It will be intriguing to see if Steve Clarke picks him.
Armstrong only got a November call-up after others had dropped out but he wasn’t getting a club start at that point, let alone being talked about as one of their most influential players.
By the time the next batch of internationals come round, Dodd hopes he will have signed a contract extension with Southampton.
“Stuart was under the radar but now he’s getting the credit he deserves,” he said. “The only disappointing thing for him is that he won’t want the season to end with the form he’s in.
“It will be holidays soon and then you’re starting all over again.
“He’s got two years left on his contract and one or two deals left in him. Next season should be great for him – he’ll either get another contract with Southampton or he can think: ‘OK, where do I want to go next?’
“From a selfish, Southampton point of view we want him tied up, even if it’s for an extra year. But if he carries on doing what he’s doing, with the goals he’s scoring, he’s going to attract the attention of the bigger boys.”
One man who certainly won’t be putting a limit on his career rise is Campbell.
“Stuart’s taken himself to another level,” he said. “Physically he’s become a different boy, which probably started at Celtic.
“You would think he’s now at his peak but you just don’t know. He might end up moving on from Southampton.
“What I do know is he’s got a lot of time for this manager and he’s happy there. They’re a very good team now.
“It’s been a great tale and who knows where it will end?”