What To Expect From Morgan Schneiderlin At The Wanderers
It has been widely reported, with popular fan group Red and Black TV breaking the news first, that the Western Sydney Wanderers have signed 33-year-old French midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin.
Schneiderlin has made extensive appearances in the Premier League for the likes of Manchester United, Southampton and more recently Everton.
It is said that the midfielder will be announced by the Wanderers on Friday, and I guess one of the big questions on the minds of the fans of not just the club, but the A-League, is what can we expect from Morgan Schneiderlin?
Well, first of all, we can assume that he will slot into the double pivot of Marko Rudan’s 4–4–2 system.
However, who he comes in for is the mystery as the Wanderers haven’t exactly lacked good quality central midfielders with the likes of Calem Nieuwenhof, Oliver Bozanic and Romain Amalfitano all performing well this season.
In terms of his profile as a midfielder, he’s on more of the defensive side, as his best attributes would be his willingness to get stuck in, breaking up the play and then distributing the ball.
With Nice, he mostly functioned in a double pivot of a 4–4–2 where he would typically operate as the deeper midfielder allowing his partner to get forward.
What will be really important for Rudan’s side is Schneiderlin’s ability to stop defensive transitions.
This is key to why the Frenchman occupies the deeper positions, as he looks to stop the opposition from getting into more advanced positions and look to keep his side’s attacks going.
Against the Newcastle Jets, what was a big problem for the Wanderers was becoming too exposed in defensive transitions.
Reno Piscopo was allowed to run through the Wanderers’ midfield, and if the Jets were more clinical, Marko Rudan’s side could’ve been staring down the barrel of an embarrassing defeat.
So in terms of defensive statistics, last season Schneiderlin’s numbers were actually quite impressive.
He ranked in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe for interceptions, the top 3% for clearances, the top 10% for tackles and the top 11% for aerial duels won.
Another quality Schneiderlin will bring is his passing.
The Wanderers’ fans can remain assured that Schneiderlin will not give the ball away easily, as more often than not, he’ll look to keep the tempo and distribute the ball around the pitch.
Now, while this all sounds positive, there is a big concern, for me at least.
Morgan Schneiderlin has not played a competitive game in 8 months and he has not played a 90-minute game since March of last year.
The hope for the Wanderers fans is that Schneiderlin is keeping himself fit, however, that stat does not bode well for someone that supposedly will be a part of the Wanderers squad for the foreseeable future, especially with the number of injuries the Wanderers are currently sustaining.
If Schneiderlin can keep himself fit and ready for Marko Rudan, it’s clear that the Wanderers will have a very solid midfield.
It will be one that can keep the ball well, keep the tempo going and more importantly, keep the attacks going, by providing that extra security for the defenders.
