As we move into the November international break this week, Sem Steijn is the current Eredivisie top-scorer with eight goals registered in eleven games.

It’s hardly a surprise for those who follow Dutch football, who already saw him among the top five scorers in the league last year with 17 goals, but perhaps a name that football fans from outside may not know too much about just yet.

With the son of former Ajax and current Sparta Rotterdam manager Maurice Steijn, who turns 23 this Tuesday, it’s a good time to dissect the FC Twente attacking midfielder and learn more about the player who’s topping the charts in the Netherlands this season.

This Sem Steijn analysis will examine the reasons behind his goalscoring prowess in this campaign, as well as his role and responsibilities as FC Twente Enschede’s #10.

Sem Steijn Player Profile

Sem Steijn is a diminutive modern #10, standing at just 173 cm tall, or 5’8′, and has a knack for scoring goals, which he has done in abundance throughout his professional career at Twente and ADO Den Haag.

With an average of a goal every game and a half since his breakthrough at the senior level in 2021, when he was playing in the second division, it’s clear that his offensive output stands out most about what he brings to the table as a player.

Steijn isn’t blessed with incredible pace to go past defenders, isn’t the tallest, and isn’t much of a dribbler either, but he does make the most of his strengths, and that’s why he’s been successful.

Going by his numbers in his short professional journey to date, it’s fair to say that he has found his way quite well at this level.

Given his young age, it’s intriguing to think about how much further he can improve.

He’s also technically strong, as is par for the course for a Dutch midfielder at his level.

He is adept at using both feet and can make quick decisions on and off the ball, which this analysis will delve into further later.

First, let’s examine why he scores so many goals as a midfielder and the aspects of his game that enable him to produce consistently in that area for Twente.

Sem Steijn Off-The-Ball Movement & Knack for Scoring

One key to Steijn’s consistent goalscoring from midfield is his off-the-ball movement and the clever timing of his runs into the penalty area, where he scores most of his goals.

Sem Steijn Shots Map

As we can see from his shot map above, most of his attempts on goal come from inside the box, with the highest xG value coming from the penalty spot and closer.

And with 36 strikes so far in 11 games, he averages over three shots per game, which is impressive for someone who is a natural midfielder, as even some strikers don’t conjure up that many opportunities every game.

Steijn is all about efficiency when it comes to his end product.

He doesn’t take many shots with a low likelihood of scoring, which is why we don’t see many shots with a low xG value on the map above.

And for a midfielder to consistently find himself in those positions to get on the end of high xG value opportunities requires inch-perfect timing of runs into the box, which is what Steijn excels at.

One such example is from the game above against Almere City away.

A throw-in in the attacking half allows Twente to push numbers up to try to cause danger to Almere’s defence early in the game.

The ball eventually makes its way to Steijn on the edge of the box (top image, left corner).

With his back to goal as he receives it, and Almere defenders coming across to close him down, he decides to play it back out wide to reset the attack and create a crossing opportunity into the box.

As the cross comes in, he makes a run unchecked by the Almere defenders, expecting the ball to go to the far post. (bottom image, left corner)

His instincts were spot on, as that’s precisely where the ball was delivered.

He was able to get on the end of the cross with a free header that flew into the net to give Twente an early lead (bottom image, right corner).

Another example of his smart movement into open spaces is evident here in the game against Sparta Rotterdam as the game nears halftime.

Steijn notices Sparta’s right-sided defenders pushing up to try to close down any passing lanes, leaving a big gap in behind that he makes a well-timed run into from deep.

The ball is closed down as it’s attempted to be played to him, but once again, it highlights his impressive awareness of space on the field and his efforts to find ways to exploit them, even if they don’t always come off successfully.

One more example here comes from the game against Waalwijk, where Steijn again scores an early goal to give his side the lead on the road.

Initially, his starting position is slightly deeper, almost as a #8, with Twente looking to build from the back. (top image, left corner)

A few seconds later, he is seen as the most advanced player in Twente’s attack, with a chance to play him in for a 1v1 against the defender, but the opportunity is missed as the ball goes wide. (top image, right corner)

Steijn can then check his run and begin moving away from goal and away from the defender who’s unattentive to Steijn behind him as the ball is set to be crossed into the box. (bottom image, left corner)

Eventually, Steijn surpasses the defender on his blind side and is perfectly positioned once more at the far post for an easy header and another goal coming from one of those high xG attempts mentioned earlier.

Perhaps defences don’t see him as much of an aerial threat, given his size.

Still, Steijn has proven time and again that he is capable of hurting the opposition in many ways in the box as someone who has his share of goals with his right foot, left foot, head, and even with acrobatic attempts, which he’s tried several of this season and even had one come off against Heerenveen.

Combine his movement, timing, instincts, and inventiveness in generating shots, and it’s plain to see why he regularly poses such a goalscoring threat.

Sem Steijn Passing

Goalscoring may be the main thing that catches Steijn’s eye, but it’s not all he has to do.

As mentioned earlier, he is a modern #10, and to play in this role for one of the top clubs in the Netherlands requires a certain level of technical quality and proficiency, which he undoubtedly possesses.

Let’s examine the data to see how he’s performing in terms of creating opportunities for others this season.

Sem Steijn Progressive Passes Map

The data visualization above shows us his progressive passing in the Eredivisie this term.

As we can see, there are various places on the field where he plays forward passes to his teammates.

With some coming from deeper areas, some wider, and some in the final third, it’s clear that his impact isn’t just limited to one area on the pitch.

He is a mobile playmaker and isn’t static in his positioning.

He likes to get involved in the game and will go wherever the action is to become part of it, rather than waiting for it to come to him.

Another way to highlight this would be by examining his penetrating carries this year.

Sem Steijn Penetrating Carries Map

One of Steijn’s strengths is his ability and willingness to come deeper to receive the ball and carry it forward, which he has done on 28 occasions in this Eredivisie campaign.

With most of them coming from the areas you’d expect an attacking midfielder to be in, it’s fair to say he fulfils his role well as the creative outlet for this Twente team, both in possession and during transitional phases.

Let’s examine some examples of his passing this season in various situations.

The first one here is again from the game against Waalwijk, with Twente trailing late after leading early on through his goal, as mentioned earlier.

We can see Steijn dropping deeper to offer himself as a short passing option to his defenders, with no opposing player near him picking up his run.

As soon as he receives the ball, he can turn towards the Waalwijk goal and quickly decides to play a long diagonal ball towards the right wing.

There, he puts his teammate in a 1v1 situation out wide, giving him an opportunity to create a scoring chance.

It was a similar play against Feyenoord, but this time, it was right at the start of the game rather than the closing stages.

With Twente creating an early overload on the right side, Steijn makes his way across and eventually receives the ball and is immediately able to get it onto his left foot and play another diagonal across the field, again putting his winger in a 1v1 situation against the opposing fullback.

So, regardless of the result or circumstances, Steijn shows himself capable of making quick, forward-thinking decisions when he gets the ball and is always positive, trying to put his team in the best position to create attacking opportunities.

Here is a slightly different example from the NAC Breda game, where Steijn can drop deeper to offer himself to the centre-back in possession again. (top image, left corner)

With an NAC player coming across to try to win the ball off of him as he gets it, he quickly plays it back to the other centre-half in order to keep the play moving. (top image, right corner)

As the same NAC player diverts his attention towards the centre-back now in possession of the ball, Steijn makes another run across into the space left behind him and can once again receive possession. (bottom image, left corner)

As another opposing player quickly moves across to try to press him once more, he can swiftly distribute the ball to a nearby midfielder in space, allowing Twente to break NAC’s press with time and space on the ball, creating danger going towards the other end. (bottom image, right corner)

With all of that happening in about seven seconds, it again shows the quickness and sharpness of Steijn’s decision-making on the field, and how every move is considered to keep the play moving forward.

Against Utrecht here, we can see Twente having some trouble getting the ball out of their defensive third, with passing options limited by the opposition’s man-to-man coverage.

In steps, Steijn drops deep again to offer that outlet for the defence to play out, though, as we can see in the image on the left.

With an opposing player immediately closing him down and not allowing Steijn the room to turn towards their goal, Steijn spots one of his center-backs in space at the back and plays it to him, allowing Twente to reset their build-up play with no Utrecht high press.

When under pressure, as he was here, Steijn doesn’t take unnecessary risks.

He is aware of his limitations in dribbling, as mentioned earlier, and opts to keep the play moving by taking the safer route with a back pass, while maintaining a connected ball progression among his teammates —a valuable asset for any #10 anywhere.

Another example from the same game against Utrecht shows that Twente’s centre-backs do not have open passing options away from Utrecht’s man-marking.

Steijn is aware enough to notice that and instead finds room in the right half-space.

His teammate spots him and picks him out, as shown in the left graphic.

He’s then able to quickly receive and turn towards goal before attempting to play a ball between the two Utrecht central defenders for a Twente forward running inside.

Once again, everything takes place in about five seconds, and it is a full-on display of Steijn’s impressive ability to find space and make quick decisions on the ball as the team’s main playmaker.

One last situation to examine is Steijn’s ball-carrying abilities, which were previously mentioned.

We can see him receive the ball in his own half with plenty of space to run into as Sparta leaves gaps behind as a consequence of chasing the game late on.

Instead of keeping things safe and just maintaining possession for his team, Steijn turns towards goal and is eager to find the second goal to end the game.

His pass-in behind for his striker is slightly overcooked on this occasion, which leads to the chance of being spurned.

However, it again highlights what’s been a common trend among all these players regarding Sem Steijn.

Always positive, continually thinking forward.

Sem Steijn Defensive Workrate

While Steijn offers a lot to his team on and off the ball in an attacking sense, he’s also more than willing to help out his side defensively whenever called upon.

He drops deeper when Twente retreats into a more low-block defensive stance and presses higher up when the situation requires it, with his clever timing and instincts again being a factor.

Here’s an example of the former from the recent game against Ajax, where Ajax is on the attack in search of a late winner.

Steijn notices a gap in the middle between his defenders and moves into the box to cover it in case the nearest Ajax player is there to receive a ball coming from out wide.

Eventually, the ball does come in, but is miscued.

Steijn finds himself in the perfect spot to intercept the play before playing it to a teammate, rather than just clearing it hopelessly, as he tries to alleviate the pressure and regain possession for his side.

A similar situation occurred in the Sparta game, with Steijn again moving into an empty space around the edge of the penalty area in case the ball from out wide came across, with three Sparta forwards lurking in the box.

Once again, the ball is played, but he intercepts it before releasing it quickly to launch a counterattack.

Offering that extra support to his defence has come in handy in moments like these, where his quick thinking and ability on the ball also help Twente regain possession and allow them to do something with it.

This is the quality that a playmaker like Steijn possesses, which not many players do on the defensive end.

A modern #10 has to be able to produce the goods on the attacking end while not shirking his defensive responsibilities when needed, and Steijn certainly follows through on both sides as the all-action midfielder that he is.

He also supports his side defensively by pressing higher up the field, particularly when the ball is further away from his defence and in the opposition’s build-up phase.

Against Heracles, we can see one example: the visitors move into the attacking half and look to progress the play forward into a meaningful area.

Steijn notices a short pass about to be played and runs across to press the player about to receive, depriving them of room to turn towards his side’s goal with time and space on the ball.

This forces Heracles to play it back as Steijn continues to push higher, ensuring the opponent’s only option is to go all the way back to their goalkeeper.

Against Utrecht, we can see the hosts trying to play out from the back with a midfielder dropping deep between the centre-backs, who moved wide during this early build-up phase, and behind Twente’s attackers.

Steijn spots this and makes the run across to close down the receiving midfielder, again not allowing him room to turn and make a forward decision.

Instead, he forces him to play it wide into Twente’s trap, which eventually leads to Steijn’s team regaining possession.

Now that we’ve seen some in-game examples of Steijn’s defensive work let’s look at a data map highlighting his role for Twente.

Sem Steijn Defensive Territory Map for Eredivisie 2024/25

The defensive territory map above shows Steijn’s activity on the defensive end and the support he offers to his teammates without the ball, moving back towards his own goal.

As we can see, most of his defensive actions occur in the attacking half when he presses higher up the field.

Still, as we’ve seen, he also drops deep when Twente are sitting back in a lower block and positions himself well to intercept passes and serve as a passing outlet when his team is struggling to play out against the opposition’s pressing.

Conclusion

Sem Steijn is a well-rounded attacking midfielder with impressive technical attributes and instincts, enabling him to become one of the most prolific players in the Eredivisie over the past couple of seasons.

Although he has yet to be called up by Ronald Koeman for the Oranje, it’s worth noting that, in his current form, this is not far off from happening, as he surely has to be on the radar of the Dutch national squad going into the 2026 World Cup qualifying cycle.

And if he continues in this vein, a move abroad to a club in the very elite European clubs may also be on the horizon for the freshly turned 23-year-old.

Only four seasons into his professional career, it will be exciting to follow his development as he continues to grow as a player and see if he can take it to the next level to become one of the next great midfielders to emerge from the Netherlands.

This would be some feat for him, given all the incredible talent we’ve seen come out of the country over the last several decades.