Morgan Schneiderlin needs Arsenal and Arsenal need Schneiderlin. If Arsenal manage to pull off the rather expensive signing of the Southampton midfielder, it could prove to be a key coup for the North London club.
Schneiderlin has been one of the best midfielders in the league over the last couple of seasons, earning a place in Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher’s team of the season (half way through the 2014/15 season) over the likes of Cesc Fabregas. He deserves the reward of playing for a side in the Champions League, a side that matches his style and a side whose system he could play for and fit in. That side is Arsenal.
It was well reported that Schneiderlin wanted to be a part of the Southampton exodus in the Summer of 2014, however he agreed to stay as the club had already lost too many big players and couldn’t afford to lose someone as key as the Frenchman.
Moving past his frustrations at the situation, Schneiderlin has found himself playing some of the best football of his life this past year and has shown he is a true professional willing to give his all in the hope he can earn a move at the end of the season.
“I have had talks with the directors and I want to play at a higher level. It is important, at 25-years-old, to finally play in the Champions League.” The 25 year old midfielder was quoted saying to French newspaper L’Equipe.
Interest in Schneiderlin will be high and this means that the Southampton board will be able to sit back and listen to offers from the various clubs and they’re well within their rights to command a fee upwards of £25-30m for the player. Barcelona are rumoured to be interested, as well as Arsenal and Liverpool.
There is no doubt that Arsenal would benefit from further midfield stability, in terms of attacking options the club has a plethora of players at their disposal, however in terms of quality defensive midfielders, Arsenal are short. Mathieu Flamini is not at a good enough level anymore while Mikel Arteta is not a natural defensive midfielder.
Francis Coquelin has proven himself to be a massive addition to the team and may well have solved Arsenal’s need for a sitting defensive midfielder, but if he gets injured, the same situation will return, too many forward thinking midfielders and not enough disciplined to stay back.
I certainly don’t see Schneiderlin as back up for Coquelin, nor or as a replacement, I see him as a midfielder who can complement the Arsenal man in a two man defensive midfield. Francis Coquelin is very good at what he does, protecting the defence andmaking key interceptions, clearances and blocks. However, he also brings confidence in possession. He is more than capable of holding onto the ball and is a good option if no one is available in a more advanced position. Coquelin is a clever footballer, one who understands his role and is happy to pass it forward to the attacking options of Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla who can run forward and create something.
Aaron Ramsey understands the vital importance of the 23 year-old and highlighted this by saying to Arsenal.com, “It is quite comforting knowing that one of the midfielders is behind you in position, thinking more defensively.”
On the other hand Morgan Schneiderlin is similar to Sami Khedira, another midfielder Arsenal have been linked with for the last year or two. A box to box midfielder who runs tirelessly for 90 minutes. He is capable of hitting a forty yard pass into feet, has good vision and can weigh in with a goal or two. Schneiderlin averages around 53 passes per game along with the fact that on average he makes just under three successful tackles a game and over 2 interceptions (via Squawka), highlighting that he is more or less the complete midfielder.
At Southampton he is used to working in a midfield two with Victor Wanyama, however both are similar in style, box to box midfielders and when they move forward together, it leaves the team vulnerable defensively and Schneiderlin may well work better next to Coquelin, a midfielder he can trust to tidy up, take the weight off other midfielders shoulders and play the ball short to the attacking players who can advance forward with the ball.
Another interesting Squawka statistic displayed above is the distance of Schneiderlin’s passing in comparison to Coquelin’s, just over a 4m difference shows that the two have different sides to their game that will complement one another. The above statistics also display that Coquelin makes more interceptions and blocks per game than Schneiderlin, further justifying the point that they can work well together in a 2 man defensive midfield.
Francis Coquelin is doing a fantastic solo defensive job in midfield, but with the added protection of the fantastic Schneiderlin, the level of the team would go up a notch and we could see the best Arsenal midfield in a number of years, perhaps even the best since the glory days of the famous Invincibles side.
Morgan Schneiderlin will no doubt be a man sought after this Summer and if Arsenal can land his signature, it will be further recognition of his wonderful talent and real intent that Arsenal are capable of buying the best players on offer.
