Southampton rightly opted to sign up Morgan Schneiderlin on a long term deal in February as the stats reveal that the French midfielder has been somewhat of an unsung hero for the Saints in the Premier League this season.
Schneiderlin has been plying his trade on the South coast since joining from Toulouse in 2008 and has impressed in his first season in the Premier League.
Schneiderlin tops the list for number of interceptions in the division having averaged 3.9 per game this season.
Furthermore, Southampton’s number 4, who has played in all but one of the Saints’ matches this season, is ranked second in terms of the average number of tackles per game, having made 4.2, with only Liverpool’s Lucas Leiva having made more with 4.3.
West Ham’s Mark Noble is third in this category, having made 4.0 tackles per game, emphasising the importance of the defensive midfield position with the Premier League.
The significance of Tottenham’s loss of Sandro for the remainder of the season is also evident as the Brazilian midfielder is second behind Schneiderlin in terms of the average number of interceptions made per game this year.
Two other absentees – Ryan Nelsen and Kieran Gibbs – are also in the top six in terms of average interceptions – and their loss will surely be felt by both Queens Park Rangers and Arsenal respectively.
source: www.whoscored.com