Best Alternatives to Jonathan de Guzmán

Top 3 Alternatives to Jonathan de Guzmán

1. 1.Jens Toornstra87% DNA match·Sparta Rotterdam€3.5M
2. 2.Kees Smit84% DNA match·AZ€22.0M
3. 3.Jerdy Schouten83% DNA match·PSV€22.0M

Ranked by AI DNA similarity — 768 dimensions across playing style, pressing intensity, and tactical fit.

Playing Style Analysis

De Guzmán remains the Eredivisie’s quintessential metronome, a veteran technician whose game has evolved from the dynamic box-to-box threat of his youth into a sophisticated, deep-lying conductor for a mid-table side. Averaging over 50 passes per 90, he sits comfortably in the league’s top 20% for volume, dictating tempo with a composure that compensates for his declining mobility. While his goal output has evaporated, his underlying creative metrics remain sharp; his 1.25 key passes per 90 and assist rate in the top 30% prove his vision hasn't dimmed. The three most similar players to Jonathan de Guzmán by playing style are:

• Jens Toornstra(87% match) — A Creator. Statistically, he stands out as a capable chance creator (1.3 key passes/90), active in the tackle (2.4 tackles/90), heavily involved in play (54 touches/90), uses long balls frequently (6.0/90) and active off the ball (2.6 press score/90), contributing to defensive transitions. Note: this profile is based on 782 minutes of playing time this season.
• Kees Smit(84% match) — A Box-to-Box. Statistically, he stands out as an elite creator (1.6 key passes/90), meticulous in distribution (88% pass accuracy), heavily involved in play (67 touches/90) and active off the ball (2.5 press score/90), contributing to defensive transitions. However, he loses possession under pressure (1.6 dispossessed/90).
• Jerdy Schouten(83% match) — Schouten is the kind of midfielder who makes a team's possession game feel inevitable rather than effortful—a metronome who rarely wastes a touch and almost never wastes a pass. His 92.3% pass accuracy and 75.3 passes per 90 both sit in the Eredivisie's top five percent, meaning he isn't just accurate, he's relentlessly active with the ball. The 10.32 passes into the final third per 90 is the counterintuitive number here: for a player who reads as a deep-lying anchor, he's consistently threading the needle forward, ranking top ten in the league.

Similarity is calculated using per-90 performance data across multiple playing style dimensions. How Player DNA matching works →