I remember clearly how I felt in springtime last year when the latter stages of the Women’s Champions League were unfolding. There were so many cool games that it was inspiring but Chelsea weren’t part of it, after our elimination in the group stage, and I was so frustrated to be missing out. This time we are involved: we won our group and now have the challenge of facing the defending champions Lyon and I can’t wait.
These past two seasons have been amazing with the group-stage format and DAZN broadcasting and attendance records set – and also for the quality of football. This season, it feels like it’s got better with some more competitive games and sides from other countries doing well against the old, established teams.
You don’t get a bigger powerhouse than Lyon, the holders and eight-time champions, but I feel we’ve responded really well after our Conti Cup final defeat by Arsenal a few weeks ago. Sometimes you need a defeat to take a step back and reset and ahead of this tough period, it’s been a good wake-up call and we bounced back well in our top-of-the table meeting with Man United and have now won three in a row.
The fact the second leg is back at Stamford Bridge is another plus – the last game we played there we beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 and it’s starting to feel like a fortress for us as we’ve played there three times and had three wins.
UWCL quarter-finals
Tuesday 21 March (First legs)
- Bayern Munich vs Arsenal
- Roma vs Barcelona
Wednesday 22 March (First legs)
- Lyon vs Chelsea
- PSG vs Wolsfburg
Wednesday 29 March (Second legs)
- Barcelona vs Roma
- Arsenal vs Bayern Munich
Thursday 30 March (Second legs)
- Wolfsburg vs PSG
- Chelsea vs Lyon
Here is my analysis of the challenge we face against Lyon as well as the three other quarter-finals:
Lyon vs Chelsea
When we lost to them in the 2019 semi-final, we got close but they were so strong. Right now, though, it’s hard to analyse them as they’ve had injuries and while some players are back – Dzsenifer Marozsan, Ellie Carpenter and Amel Majri – you wonder what shape they’ll be in.
I’ve also seen footage of Ada Hegerberg in training and it would be massive for them if the Norway striker was able to contribute.
What impresses me about Lyon when they’re on their game is their aggression. I remember how in the final last year they pressed Barcelona into a lot of mistakes in their build-up. We have that ability as well but have to be aware of this.
Game-changer: Sam Kerr
Chelsea have showed that we now have a deep squad and aren’t reliant on any one player but if I have to name someone, I’d say the threat of Sam Kerr could be key.
The Australia striker is such a versatile player – not just extremely good in the box but also on the counter and on the first press too.
Bayern Munich vs Arsenal
Like our tie against Lyon, it’s hard to pick a favourite here. What impresses me about Arsenal is the aggression and intensity across the whole team. They have 11 players who are all on the same page, defending together and running for each other really aggressively. They’ve always had good ball players but have added an aggressive high press to their possession game and it’s extremely hard to get out of it. They’re a team in form too, as we saw in our Conti Cup final defeat.
As for Bayern, their strength is in their collective playing style. They’re a solid, strong team with a core of players who have been there for some time. And in Georgia Stanway they’ve got not just a goalscorer but someone who sets the tone with her aggression and helps to build their possession-based style.
Game-changer: Stina Blackstenius
Caitlin Foord is an aggressive, physical player who also has the technical ability to take out a player in a one v one and make something happen. However, I’d say Stina Blackstenius, my Sweden teammate. Like Sam Kerr, she’s a very good counterattacker and this is important in these big games where teams are so well organised that it’s often only on the counter that you can create big chances.
Roma vs Barcelona
It’s exciting to see a new Italian team do well but Barcelona just look too good for them, especially over two legs.
They’ve been without their captain, Alexia Putellas, but have found ways of working around it and have changed their style to be a little more direct at times.
I’ve heard they take defeats as seriously as we do at Chelsea so every time they lose they really evaluate what’s not been good enough. Their players are getting more mature and they’ve got a striker in rich scoring form in Asisat Oshoala. They’re been in three of the last four finals and they’re probably the favourites to win it.
Game-changer: Aitana Bonmati
I like the way Bonmati has stepped up in the absence of Alexia. She is exceptional and does so much good work creating things for the team. She might not be the one scoring all the goals but she is behind most of them.
PSG vs Wolfsburg
When we played Paris Saint-Germain in the group stage, you could see they were really missing Marie-Antoinette Katoto, their injured France striker.
They struggled to create chances and not once did I, as a defender, feel not in control. Against the top teams there can be periods of a game where you feel overwhelmed – 10 minutes where they come at you in waves and it feels overwhelming as you try to work out how to stop it.
PSG couldn’t do that to us and over the two games they had just four shots on target so I’d make Wolfsburg the favourites. The German team are strong and aggressive – and the fact they had a loss recently in their league should mean there’ll be no complacency.
Game-changer: Lena Oberdorf
Oberdorf is the Casemiro of the women’s game. She’s strong and extremely aggressive and will put in a couple of early tackles to set the tone. Her attitude spreads through the team. She’s inspiring to watch and is someone who seems to plays better the bigger the occasion.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/fJMuwEy
Post a Comment