MY ACCOUNT
Che Adams’ fine form has helped the Saints go marching up to ninth in the Premier League.
And he will be hoping to get among the goals once again as Southampton host West Ham in the FA Cup fifth round tonight.
Ahead of that game, we take a look at why the 25-year-old frontman is hitting new heights under manager Ralph Hasenhuttl this term.
A slow burn
Adams joined Southampton in the summer of 2019, having scored 22 goals for Birmingham in the Championship during the previous season.
But it took him some time to adapt to the rigours of top-flight football and he did not open his Saints account until his 30th appearance in all competitions.
It was worth the wait though, coming in the form of a 40-yard lob to secure a 1-0 win over Manchester City at St Mary’s.
With three more goals before the end of the campaign, Adams had given himself a platform to build on last season — which he finished with nine goals in all competitions.
His performances earned him a place in Scotland’s Euro 2020 squad, where he started against England and Croatia.
Che-sing a milestone
This term, Adams has gone from strength to strength, finding the net eight times in 22 games in league and cup.
With three goals in his last four outings, the Leicester native has drawn level with strike partner Armando Broja as Southampton’s top scorer — and he is the Saints’ outright leading marksman in terms of goals per 90 (0.49).
No Scottish player has reached double figures in England’s top flight since Steven Fletcher struck 11 times for Sunderland in the 2012-13 edition.
Adams only needs four to equal that tally — and Southampton still have 12 league matches to go.
Brimming with confidence
Goals breed confidence and Adams has looked supremely self-assured in recent months.
Southampton’s No10 has always got into good positions but he is now finishing more clinically than ever before. His big chance conversion rate has increased from 26% last season to almost 43% this term.
All eight of his goals have come from inside the box but that does not mean they have all been simple finishes.
There is no better example of this than his goal-of-the-season contender against Watford in October when he stopped the ball dead before unleashing a simply superb strike from the edge of the penalty area.
Broja in arms
Broja is having a fantastic campaign in his own right but his presence has been of great benefit to Adams.
In the age of lone strikers and front threes, the Albania international has come to form quite the partnership with Adams at the sharp end of Hasenhuttl’s ultra-intense 4-2-2-2 system.
And what he does off the ball might be the most important factor of all. The Chelsea loanee showed as much by using his strength to hold off Luke Shaw as Adams’ strike earned Southampton a point at Manchester United last month.
A popular figure
Hasenhuttl praised Adams for his continued improvement last month, remarking upon how popular he is within the Saints’ dressing room.
He said: “He [Adams] scores more and more goals, this is what we have to expect from a striker. He has had time to learn and time to develop his game and I think this season he shows that he is getting better and better.
“And he’s a fantastic character. He is a very respected guy in the team, everybody loves him because he is a fantastic character and he is really working hard on his performances and on his whole game and this is what we like to see.”
If Adams keeps racking up the goals and helps Southampton into the latter stages of the FA Cup — and maybe even Europe — he might just find himself becoming even more adored by his team-mates.
