Manchester City 2 Chelsea 0: Women’s Champions League tactical analysis

Manchester City ended Chelsea’s 31-game unbeaten run to secure a 2-0 lead ahead of next week’s return game in this Women’s Champions League quarter final. Chelsea had gone into the tie unbeaten all season, and fresh from winning the League Cup against the same opposition. But on this occasion it was City – led by interim head coach Nick Cushing – who emerged as the victors, thanks to a brace from substitute Vivianne Miedema.

Cushing brought Miedema on at half-time, and she repaid him by putting City ahead on the hour, volleying home a rebound after Hannah Hampton had tipped a Laia Aleixandri header on to the crossbar. Miedema then extended her Champions League career goal tally to 31 in 35 games, calmly stroking the ball past Hampton for what could be a crucial second.

For Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor, it was a first defeat in charge since joining from Lyon last summer. Her team will have to bounce back quickly, as the teams meet again at City this weekend in the Women’s Super League, before they do it all again in the second leg next Thursday at Stamford Bridge.

How the managers saw it

“Tonight, we saw the level of Viv,” said Cushing. “I said she’d go into the team at half-time, but she went in to be the difference and to do that shows her level.”

“We have to say that tonight was a difficult night,” said Bompastor. “Sometimes it happens in football, so my job is to make sure it’s okay for everyone to be disappointed about the performance and the result. But from tomorrow, leading in to the next game against City, we have to make sure we analyse it as a team performance and then go with a positive attitude into the next two games.”

For analysis from our team of UEFA-licensed coaches, read on…

City’s centre-forward threats

Manchester City utilised a 4-3-3 shape in the first half, with centre-forward Mary Fowler dropping to link with the midfield. Number eights Jill Roord and Jess Park looked to get forward and support passes into Fowler, especially when she pulled one of Chelsea’s centre-backs out of line (below). From the right, this central pattern of movement was also supported by inward runs from winger Kerolin, who provided another passing option for Fowler as she dropped towards the midfield.

Although they had much less of the ball, City created more attempts on goal in the first half than the visitors. Fowler’s dropping continued to trouble Chelsea’s double pivot, as Kerolin began to move well inside from the right. Full-back Kerstin Casparij started to advance forward more, which wasn’t always tracked by Chelsea’s Lauren James. When Chelsea’s back line narrowed to block central attacks and movements, Casparij then found herself in positions to cross. With City attacking from wide right as well as the centre, Fowler’s dropping movements remained key.

Chelsea’s build versus high pressure

As well as their central combinations, City created chances from their high pressing – especially early in the first half. From their right side, Kerolin looked to jump on to left centre-back Millie Bright, especially when Bright widened to receive. City’s Casparij then pressed from full-back to full-back, and once the wide trap was set number eights Roord and Park looked to close off passes into Chelsea’s double pivot. Yui Hasegawa then moved across to deal with James’ inverted movement, covering the space behind Casparij’s jump forward (below).

Chelsea eventually found a solution to this press, building more on their right side and avoiding City’s pressing trap around Bright. As a result, City’s left-sided number eight, Park, released on to Nathalie Björn, which often left a Chelsea pivot free. As long as Chelsea had a passing option to bounce back, or play around the corner into the free pivot, they could then progress forward. This combination on Chelsea’s right began to find winger Aggie Beever-Jones, as well as widening runs from centre-forward Mayra Ramírez, and switches into the tricky left pair of James and Sandy Baltimore. Although Chelsea struggled to create attempts on goal, this did mean they nullified City’s press with an improved build phase, particularly on their right side. 

4-2-4

In the second half, multiple changes meant that both teams often had a front line of four attacking in the final third, occupying centre-backs. For City, Kerolin drove inside from the right, looking to link with substitute Miedema (on for Lily Murphy), and Park’s runs from deep. Fowler moved out to wide left, but also narrowed as City combined centrally more often. On their right, space was still available for Casparij to overlap from right-back – especially once Kerolin had committed to dribble inside. Kerolin’s balls into the penalty area were also a consistent danger in the second half, and she provided the assist for Miedema’s second.

Chelsea also looked to place four narrow attackers against the City back line in the second half. Beever-Jones was moved to a more central role, supported by Wieke Kaptein (on for Macário). Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (on for James) and Maika Hamano (replacing Ramírez) attacked the inside channels with dribbles inside, but also direct runs across goal, working as closely to Beever-Jones and Kaptein as possible (below). As such, Chelsea managed to break between the lines much more in the second half, working central combinations and increasing their efforts on goal. Bompastor’s team had one disallowed for offside, then Rytting Kaneryd hit the crossbar, but they couldn’t get a name on the scoresheet.

And so it was Miedema’s finishing that proved the difference in an absorbing first-leg contest. Chelsea now have it all do do in the return and will need to be clinical if they are to overturn City’s lead. The only certainty is that the Women’s Super League will have at least one team buoyed by progress to this season’s Champions League semi finals.

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