After four matches, it’s still very early to be making definitive assessments of sides in the Premiership.
However, after a few seasons of struggling to find the net and going quite direct there are signs Saints are more of a threat this season as they look to keep the ball more and work it forward.
Craig Levein’s side have averaged 55% of possession so far, which ranks fourth in the top flight, while only four teams have played a lower percentage of long passes and a higher rate of short ones.
Only Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, and Hearts have had more 10-pass sequences as well.
Hanging on to the ball has yielded decent results in attack too, with Saints scoring five goals so far and strikers Adama Sidibeh and Benjamin Kimpioka ranking highly for attacking stats.
Both are in the top 10 for shots taken so far and only Lawrence Shankland has more touches in the opposition box than Kimpioka (31).
The Swedish striker is also the most fouled player in the Premiership as a result of his seven completed dribbles, the third most of any player.
Results have not been perfect so far and there is room for improvement, but there have been glimpses of Levein and coach Andy Kirk getting more from their team with the ball than they did last season.
