Southampton are breaking their own recruitment rules in signing Mislav Oršić. At 30-years-old, Oršić is a clear deviation from the board’s reluctance to sign players over the age of 27, but with the Croatia international available for such a low fee it is too good an opportunity for Southampton to let pass them by.
One thing that stands out when you look at Oršić’s career path is that he has had a far from conventional route to the Premier League. Having played in his homeland, South Korea, China, and briefly in Italy, the winger is perhaps the dictionary definition of a ‘late bloomer’.
In truth, up until signing for Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb as a 26-year-old in 2018, there was not much of Oršić’s career that you could consider noteworthy. The international recognition that came just over a year later – and subsequent 26 further caps – show just how significant his rise has been since then.
So, what kind of player are Southampton getting?
The short answer would be: a much needed one. Southampton are rock bottom of the Premier League and have shown regression rather than improvement since appointing Nathan Jones as manager one game before the World Cup break. As alluded to, Oršić is naturally a wide player who can also play upfront or occupy the attacking midfield position effectively. This is an area that you could argue Southampton are not lacking in terms of numbers, but certainly lacking in quality.
Oršić can provide that quality, but we must delve much deeper into his game to understand to what extent and what it is he brings to the club.
The thing that should excite Southampton fans the most about this signing is the level of threat Oršić provides. This season, the attacker has eight goals and seven assists in 15 games in the Croatian top flight, with an additional two Champions League goals. It is not just by scoring himself that Oršić provides a goal threat either, with seven assists in the league to his name this season already. This works out as 1.24 goal contributions per 90 minutes in the league this season; for reference, Southampton as a club have only managed 0.83 goals per game in the Premier League this season.
Reassuringly, these numbers are not just a flash in the pan. Last season, Oršić scored 14 goals and registered two assists in the league and the season before 13 goals and no assists. This shows two things: a pattern of hitting double figures in terms of goals over a sustained period of time and an increase in his ability to provide goals for his teammates. The Southampton newcomer is very comfortable in front of goal and tends to keep his composure in such situations. He is also very skilled at timing his runs into the box, often benefitting from cutbacks and crosses.
Stylistically, Oršić is a fast, powerful runner who uses long strides when at full speed to get across the ground as quickly as possible. He is a direct attacking player who loves to dribble with the ball and – whilst he can take heavy touches to beat his man – has very good close control. He is not your stereotypical ‘tricky’ winger and is more akin to fellow countryman Ivan Perišić in the way his primary concern is finding an effective and efficient way to either cross for a teammate or shoot.
Another way in which Oršić is similar to Perišić is his strength with both feet; a real asset for a winger. Oršić is primarily right-footed but is very capable with his left foot. This gives him an air of unpredictability which makes him difficult to defend against. He does tend to drift inside and look to get a shot off more often than not, but his ability to get to the byline and cross with his left foot keeps defenders guessing. His ability to create half a yard and get a shot away are why he is at his best when operating from the left. One of his primary strengths is his long-range shooting, with his goal against Morocco in the World Cup third-place play-off just one of a number of examples of this. His shot variation is another factor that contributes to his knack for scoring from outside the box. The evidence from watching Oršić is fairly conclusive in showing that he favours a curled strike towards the far corner, but he is equally as capable striking with power and movement on the ball which makes it difficult for opposition goalkeepers.
Southampton are pretty well covered in the set-piece department, with Ward-Prowse’s 15 direct free-kick goals in the Premier League making him the undisputed free-kick taker at the club. If they do want an alternative to their skipper, though, Oršić is something of a dead-ball specialist himself. Again, like his open-play shooting, Oršić benefits from his ability to vary his technique. He has scored direct free-kicks from both curling efforts over the wall and the knuckleball technique and has also been known to score directly from corners.
The Premier League is undeniably a step-up from the Croatian top flight, but Oršić already has real pedigree against English opposition. This season, one of his two Champions League goals has come against Chelsea, he scored a stunning strike against West Ham United in 2021, and even has a Europa League hat-trick to his name against Tottenham Hotspur.
Despite his unique route to the Premier League it feels as though Oršić is very much ready to perform in a top five European league. So, where does he fit in this current Southampton set-up?
At Zagreb this season, Oršić has tended to play on the left of midfield in a 442 formation, although there have been variations to this in the shape of a 4231 or even as a central striker in a 3142 – primarily in the Champions League games.
Since Nathan Jones has been in charge at Southampton he has tried a plethora of formations, but it seems he favours a 3142. Whilst this is the same shape on paper as Oršić has played in for Zagreb, there are differences which mean that Southampton’s current version of the system may not bring out the best in the Croat.
Firstly, when Zagreb have played this system they have opted to play either wide midfielders or forwards on the left and right of the midfield four, giving the formation a positive feel, whereas Southampton have been using full-backs in these two roles to operate as wing-backs – primarily defenders – rather than midfielders. Due to Southampton’s struggles upfront – with Adams being the club’s top scorer on four league goals – there could be an argument that Oršić could play a key role as a second striker in this system. However, due to the profile of player that both he – and Southampton’s current strikers – are, this is unlikely to bring out the best of Oršić and allow him to influence the game as much as possible.
At Zagreb, Oršić played alongside Bruno Petković. Petković’s considerable frame and hold-up play mean that he tends to occupy both central defenders; or at least always have a sizeable proportion of both of their attention. This allowed Oršić space in which to operate and the partnership flourished; Petković’s eight league goals this season testament to that.
Southampton do not have that profile of striker. Despite his flaws in front of goal, Adams is the unopposed main striker at the club currently and he can be a real nuisance for opposition defenders with his strength and ability to bring others into play, but he does not command the same levels of attention as a player with Petković’s 6 foot 4 stature.
It feels as though the way to get the best out of Oršić may require a change of shape from Jones. Oršić could benefit from playing on the left of the attacking trio behind the main striker in a 4231. This would give him sufficient space to get on the ball and run at his fullback with a directness that has been sorely lacking at St Mary’s this season. There would be concerns that playing through the middle – whether that would be as a number 10 or a striker – may stifle Oršić’s influence as he may not get as much space centrally to open up his legs and run at players as he has done in his native Croatia.
Now that the signing is over the line, it is Jones’ job to find a system that gets the best out of his new signing. It is a signing that shows a difference in approach from the summer, where the focus was cherry-picking the best young talent around, but the experience and quality that Oršić will bring to the squad could be worth its weight in gold.
Oršić is a player who should get Southampton fans excited again, but he will not be able to turn the Premier League’s basement club’s fortunes by himself. Further reinforcements are desperately needed for the second half of the campaign, but in Oršić the board have found a very good place to start.
