Arsenal reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Women's Champions League with a 3-0 victory over Real Madrid last Wednesday evening. Trailing 2-0 from the first leg, the London side produced an impressive attacking performance in the return to record a 3-2 aggregate victory.
In this article, UEFA Technical Observer and Norway women's head coach Gemma Grainger, working together with UEFA's analysis unit, highlights how Arsenal looked wide and utilised early crosses to find a way back into the tie.
The match as it happened
Arsenal focus on wide areas to create attacking opportunities
With Arsenal dominating possession in this quarter-final second-leg tie, Renée Slegers' side were regularly able to move the ball into wide attacking areas. Arsenal winger Chloe Kelly played a significant role on the right, frequently facing her opponent in 1v1 situations and delivering a variety of crosses into the penalty area. On the opposite side, the home team demonstrated their ability to produce effective combination play to break behind Madrid's back line.
"We tried to set up situations where we could beat Madrid," explained Arsenal head coach Slegers. "It looked a little bit different on the left and on the right because of how they defended, but also because of the different qualities we have on both sides. On the left side it was more combination play and dribbling, on the other side it was more crossing."
Arsenal attack wide
In the video above, Arsenal show clever movement across their front line to create a 1v1 situation for Kelly on the right of the attack. With right-back Emily Fox routinely moving from the front line into a deeper and more central position, the United States defender was able to attract Madrid's wide midfielder Linda Caicedo towards her, allowing the ball to be moved to Kelly. Arsenal regularly used these rotations to prevent Madrid doubling up on Kelly in wide areas.
"We played to her strengths today really well," added Slegers. "We set up situations where there was quite [a lot of] space for Chloe to do the things that she's good at."
Madrid defend effectively against Arsenal's first-half crosses
During the first half, which finished 0-0, Arsenal frequently delivered crosses into Madrid's penalty area. However, due to the timing of some of the crosses and the defensive organisation of the away side, Madrid were largely untroubled by Arsenal's deliveries from wide areas.
In the video below, we see how Madrid's defenders were able to adopt more optimal defensive positions when Arsenal were crossing the ball. In clip two of this video, we see Arsenal create an opportunity to deliver an early cross, however, they fail to exploit the opportunity. Instead, the visiting defenders were able to see both player and ball and make contact with the attacker when the ball was delivered.
Madrid's effective defence
Early crosses prove beneficial for Arsenal in the second half
In contrast to the first half, Arsenal started the second period by delivering a number of early crosses into the Madrid penalty box. With Kelly demonstrating her ability to deliver first-time crosses, Arsenal looked to exploit the space between Madrid's retreating defence and the goalkeeper.
Arsenal early crosses
"Chloe Kelly's early deliveries in the second half meant that Real Madrid were less organised in the box," explained Grainger. "Early crosses are difficult for the defending team because there is limited reaction time. Also, in these situations, defenders are usually running back towards their own goal. If the cross is delivered under head height and the defender is facing their own goal it can be dangerous from a defensive perspective."
The target for many of Arsenal's early crosses was attacker Alessia Russo. The England forward scored two goals on the evening and was awarded Player of the Match for her performance, as covered in this article. The 26-year-old regularly demonstrated her ability to find space in the penalty box and also showcased her first-time finishing skills with her two goals. By drifting off the shoulder of her marker in the penalty box, Russo had a variety of options when attacking the cross and proved to be a constant threat as Arsenal delivered crosses from wide areas.
Coaching considerations: Arsenal utilise individual strengths in overall game plan
Arsenal's victory owed much to a well-executed game plan that utilised the strengths of individual players in key positions. Arsenal looked to create 1v1 situations for Kelly in wide areas and the England winger had the technical quality to execute the delivery.
"A really big consideration for all coaches is playing players in their most effective positions to utilise their strengths," explains Grainger. "How a coach gives players the opportunity to deliver their strengths in a game as well as exploit the opposition through a game plan all links together. The game plan and the player strengths are two very important parts of a coach's thinking."
In the first period of this quarter-final tie, Madrid proved difficult for Arsenal to break down. However, small adjustments to the tactical set-up linked to the earlier delivery of the cross proved successful in the second half.
"Ultimately, teams at the highest level are more organised defensively," added Grainger. "What we saw with Kelly is that the early delivery meant Real Madrid were less organised in the box. She was the player who can deliver the cross with that technical ability and that links back to creating a game plan for a player's individual strengths."