Lovren gets all the love but this silent enforcer has been the true catalyst for Southampton

Southampton’s early season form has left them in the Champions League places after seven games and their success has been built on a solid defensive set-up which has seen them concede just two goals in the league so far. Their goalkeeper and defence has rightly received acclaim for their disciplined and solid displays thus far but one man keeps going about his business in front of the back four very quietly.

The Saints’ holding midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, who was rated as the best Southampton player by Squawka last season with a Performance Score of 1439, has carried on his superb form this time around. Whilst people call for Jack Cork, who Schneiderlin forged a phenomenal partnership with last season, to replace new signing Victor Wanyama in the other midfield slot, the Frenchman continues churning out the performances.

Schneiderlin won the most tackles last season with a total of 108 and has already won 22 this season at a success rate of 85%. He is capable of breaking up play at will and is a master at protecting his back four.

Schneiderlin has been performing at a consistently high level all season but his stand-out game was the 2-0 home victory against Crystal Palace. As his Heat Map shows, he maintained a consistent base position in front of his back four in order to intercept the ball and win it back from the visitors before they could try to penetrate Southampton’s defence.

His work across the pitch helped restrict Palace to just two shots, both of which were off target.

His recycling of possession for the more creative players in the team is sensational too; in this particular game he completed 90% of his passes including two key passes.

This may just be an analysis of one game but his statistics and actions are very similar in every match he plays in. Let’s take Southampton’s last game against Swansea, a game in which Schneiderlin was forced to play much deeper than he did against Palace as his Action Areas show.

He managed to complete 93% of his passes, which against a pressing team like the Swansea is very impressive. He also made three interceptions, three clearances and three tackles, once again proving his reliability and consistency.

There is no doubt that Schneiderlin is a key cog in Southampton’s machine. He is the definition of reliable and is one of the most underrated players in the Premier League. Southampton will be happy that their defence will take most of the credit for their defensive record this season if it means Schneiderlin’s stability goes under the radar.