Player Focus: Clasie an Ideal Schneiderlin Replacement for Southampton

"(Jordy) Clasie is one of the players on the list that we have to replace Morgan Schneiderlin," Southampton manager Ronald Koeman admitted on Monday. Schneiderlin is widely expected to depart the club this summer, with Manchester United and Arsenal leading the race to secure the services of the France international. A number of players have been linked with a move to St. Mary’s to replace Schneiderlin when his inevitable departure is confirmed, but the stand out candidate is Clasie. 

The midfielder and Koeman worked together when the latter was in charge of Feyenoord, with the Dutch manager credited with bringing Clasie to the fore. The 24-year-old’s career has continued on an upwards curve since and it’s little shock that he has been mooted as Schneiderlin’s replacement as and when he leaves for pastures new. Saints’ emergence as one of the Premier League’s stronger sides has enabled them to attract performers of Clasie’s quality and it goes without saying he would be an astute acquisition for the club. 

The two players have are quite alike in terms of their characteristics and perform a similar role for their respective clubs. Feyenoord may have regularly utilised a 4-3-3 formation over the 2014/15 campaign - a slight tweak on the 4-2-3-1 formation Koeman favoured for Saints last term - but Clasie and Schneiderlin are capable of performing their respective tasks in front of the back four, be it in a midfield three or a double pivot. It’s here where Clasie would likely operate alongside one of Victor Wanyama or Steven Davis. 

Not only that, but the pairing share WhoScored strengths of ‘passing’, ‘tackling’ and ‘ball interception’. Either way, Clasie seems a ready-made replacement for Schneiderlin at St. Mary’s, so it comes as little shock that Koeman is keen to be reunited with his compatriot on the south coast. A WhoScored rating of 7.21 may not have been as high as the previous campaign (7.34), but is still a respectable return nonetheless. 

Comparing the two players, it’s easy to see why Clasie is being mooted as Schneiderlin’s successor. Granted, the former averaged fewer tackles (2.6) and interceptions (2.2) per league game than the latter (3.7 and 2.6 respectively) last season, but this could be attributed to the speed of Premier League football compared to the Eredivisie. This winning of possession matches Saints’ statistically calculated WhoScored strength of ‘stealing the ball from the opposition’, though it’s Clasie ball retention capabilities that really stand out. 

Clasie made more accurate passes in the opposition half (932) than any other player in the regular Eredivisie campaign last season. Furthermore, only Niklas Moisander (70.2) and Etienne Reijneen (66.5) averaged more passes per Eredivisie game than the Feyenoord youngster (65.2). A commendable pass success rate of 83.2%, though significantly lower than Schneiderlin (89.3%), also stands Clasie in good stead. Given one of Saints’ styles of play is ‘possession football’, this adds further weight to the argument that Clasie is a well-suited replacement for Schneiderlin. 

Koeman will also be signing himself a player that he knows well and is confident he can get the best out of. 2 goals and 5 assists in the regular Eredivisie campaign was a decent return for a midfielder who often plays deeper in the middle of the park. Nevertheless, an average of 1.2 shots per game - this the same as Schneiderlin - shows that Clasie is capable of providing a threat in front of goal for his side when given the opportunity to so do. 

With Wanyama the deeper lying of the two midfielders in the double-pivot shielding the defence, Clasie will have license to press forward and link the midfield and attack, similar to Schneiderlin last term. However, the difference here is that Clasie is perhaps more capable of providing goalscoring chances for his teammates than Schneiderlin. While the Frenchman would often utilise his vision to provide for the more creative performers in the Saints team, Clasie was allowed to express himself in the final third last term, averaging more key passes per game (1.3) than Schneiderlin (0.8). 

Whether this side of his game would be curbed at Southampton should he join remains to be seen, but it’s a quality of Clasie’s that can certainly be utilised efficiently as Saints look to secure a European spot. The south coast side secured an impressive 7th-placed finish in the Premier League last term, a commendable achievement given the number of players sold last summer. Key performer Nathaniel Clyne has departed for Liverpool, while last season’s loan star Toby Alderweireld looks all but set to sign for Spurs. 

Schneiderlin’s impending exit could further hinder Saints’ quest to secure a Europa League berth. However, the possible acquisition of Clasie would ease concerns that Saints could struggle without their talismanic French midfielder pulling the strings in the middle of the park.

Do you think Clasie would be a good replacement for Schneiderlin? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below