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Just ONE touch in the box for St Johnstone strikers, Graham Carey’s free rein, opposition targeting Adam Montgomery and other Opta themes

Courier Sport explores St Johnstone's early-season Opta statistics.
Courier Sport explores St Johnstone's early-season Opta statistics.

The new Premiership season is two games old and St Johnstone can be reasonably satisified with how things have gone so far.

An entirely new-look defence has made Saints far more secure than in the Premier Sports Cup group fixtures and unlike four other sides in the division, they have put a win on the board early in the campaign.

It was six matches in and mid-September before the monkey was off the back last year.

Courier Sport has taken a dive into the Opta statistics of the defeat to Hibs and victory over Motherwell to find out if any trends are already coming to the fore.


Favouring the right

In both matches Saints have favoured Drey Wright’s side of the pitch for launching attacks.

Against Motherwell, the Opta ‘attacking thirds’ breakdown was – 43.2% right, 23.6% middle and 33.2% left.

The Opta attacking thirds graphic for Motherwell v St Johnstone.
The Opta attacking thirds graphic for Motherwell v St Johnstone.
Action areas for St Johnstone v Hibs.
Action areas for St Johnstone v Hibs.

The previous weekend versus Hibs it was – 44.8%, 18.8% middle and 36.4%.

That Wright is seeing more of the ball than Adam Montgomery doesn’t come as a surprise given their respective levels of experience.

And Saints also regularly played more down the right last season.


Opposition managers targeting Montgomery?

Of Saints’ three new centre-halves and two wing-backs, the on-loan Celtic youngster has found life toughest.

On day one at McDiarmid Park, Andy Considine bailed him out a couple of times in a challenging first 10 minutes.

And the Scotland under-21 international nearly cost his team a second half goal at Fir Park when he let his concentration drop at the back post.

You can certainly see Montgomery is a converted winger still learning the defensive side of the game.

That 50% of the Hibs attacks came down his flank and 45.4% of Motherwell’s speaks to a strategy of trying to get at Saints in that area.


Strikers (not) in the box

Anybody who has watched Saints play these two matches and in the League Cup doesn’t need Opta statistics to learn that striker reinforcements are required.

But the numbers certainly reinforce that reality.

Theo Bair has started both Premiership matches.

He was far more effective at getting Saints up the pitch in the most recent of those and now has an assist to his name.

But he has yet to have a touch in the opposition box.

Theo Bair's Opta touch map against Motherwell.
Theo Bair’s Opta touch map against Motherwell.
Theo Bair's Opta touch map v Hibs.
Theo Bair’s Opta touch map v Hibs.
Stevie May's Opta touch map against Motherwell, one of which produced the winner.
Stevie May’s Opta touch map against Motherwell, one of which produced the winner.

His replacement in games one and two, Stevie May, has one – the weekend winner.

Fifty-four touches is the grand total between the two of them for 180 minutes and stoppage time of football.


Carey’s free rein

The starting positions of summer recruits Jamie Murphy and Graham Carey have been – and will continue to be, you suspect – the right side of an attacking arrow and the left, respectively.

You’d certainly know that just by looking at Murphy’s touch maps.

Jamie Murphy's Opta touch map against Hibs is largely as you would expect.
Jamie Murphy’s Opta touch map against Hibs is largely as you would expect.
Graham Carey has more of a free rein as his touch map against Hibs shows.
Opta map shows St Johnstone’s Graham Carey has more of a free rein as his touch map against Hibs shows.
It was a similar story for Graham Carey at Motherwell.
It was a similar story for Graham Carey at Motherwell.

Carey’s less so.

It’s clear that the Irishman has permission to drift wherever he sees fit when Saints are in possession and, given the game-changing quality he possesses, that feels like a sensible move.

The Perth side are yet to reap the rewards of the former Plymouth Argyle and CSKA Sofia forward’s free rein but it’s surely just a matter of time.


Hand-brake not fully off

Given the ages of Considine and Ryan McGowan and, in the latter’s case, a lack of game-time on arrival in Perth, you wouldn’t expect Saints’ left and right-sided centre-backs to be pushing forward as much as their predecessors, Jamie McCart and Dan Cleary.

That the Perth team struggled defensively in the League Cup could well be another factor to consider when you see that, apart from set-pieces, the men flanking young Alex Mitchell have barely set foot in the final third over two games.

There is a definite (but not enormous) contrast between the combined McCart and Cleary heat map for Saints’ last game against Motherwell in March and the Considine and McGrath one on Saturday at Fir Park.

The combined Opta heat maps of Ryan McGowan and Andy Considine at Motherwell.
The combined Opta heat maps of St Johnstone’s Ryan McGowan and Andy Considine at Motherwell.
The Opta heat map for Dan Cleary and Jamie McCart against Motherwell in March painted a different picture.
The Opta heat map for Dan Cleary and Jamie McCart against Motherwell in March painted a different picture.

It will be intriguing to see if a ‘safety first’ theme continues or they grow into attacking threats as well as defensive rocks.

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