by This weekend brings the first legs of the Women’s Champions League semi-finals and I’m very interested to see how my old club Chelsea will approach their match against Barcelona. This will be the third meeting between the clubs in four seasons and it will be interesting to see what Chelsea’s coaching staff have learned from the previous games – the 2021 final and the 2023 semi-final, both of which ended in victory.
To draw on my memories of playing in those games, in 2021 we went into the final with high pressure and the attitude that ‘we are going to do our thing’. But we all know how that worked out – within 20 minutes we conceded three times and by half-time it was 4-0, and that’s how the final ended.
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Last year, as a result, we took a more cautious approach. We switched to a back three and tried to reduce their chances on goal and I think we did it well but, in the process, we sacrificed our own attacking play to a certain extent. In our first leg 1-0 loss at home, we only had an xG of 0.35. Hopefully this time Chelsea can find the perfect blend and play their own game while also blocking Barcelona.
Of course, it won’t be easy because Barcelona – like the Spanish national team – is going like a train at the moment. In my first column in February, I talked about Spain playing Sweden and the challenge of stopping them playing in the half-back spaces between the goalkeeper and the goalkeeper, which they are so good at. taking advantage of it through Aitana Bonmatí. This time I would like to recognize another player – namely, Barcelona right winger Caroline Graham Hansen, who is having an incredible season. She scored in both goals against Chelsea last season and has been even better this year with 17 goals and 16 assists in Liga F. With Barcelona performing so well as a team centrally, they can get her the ball. in the wide spaces and give. her head v only cases where she flourishes. Therefore, Chelsea must keep a player tight with her and also try to stop the supply line of wide out passes.
As for my old team, just like in last season’s semi-final, they look certain without Millie Bright, who has only just returned to training after a knee injury. She will be missed, as will Sam Kerr, the leader of the front line. But if you’re looking for positives, chances are Barcelona wouldn’t be easy to analyze Chelsea. They have used a lot of players this season with different combinations in the back line and midfield and this unpredictability could be an asset. Lauren James is a case in point, who could play as a centre-forward, Number 10 or in the wide areas. Lauren has not been injury free this season and has played at a consistently high level and it is not easy for opponents to set up to stop her as she can float around and perform in different areas.
Another possible positive for Chelsea is that Barcelona are without their injured goalkeeper Mapi León. She was very good against us last year, in terms of stopping attacks and building the play. We had a plan to take advantage of the high line and bring Sam in behind her and Irene Paredes, the other goalkeeper. However, they both read it well and fell back to deny Sam the space.
When you look at Barcelona’s unbeaten run in their domestic competitions, it contrasts with Chelsea’s recent domestic form where they won both the League Cup final and the FA Cup semi-final. I want to argue that when they play in England, Chelsea face more frequent tests even more often than Barcelona, to believe that they do not let their standards fall and whenever a big test comes around, they show up . If I have to make a prediction, then, my head tells me that Barcelona are the best club side in the world right now and they will be on the edge. Of course, my heart goes out to Chelsea and although they have overcome those struggles recently, a huge attribute of their success under Emma Hayes is their ability to bounce back from disappointment and perform when it matters most.
As for the other, all-French semi-final between Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain, I would have made Lyon clear favorites a few months ago but not anymore. I scored Bayern’s winner at PSG in the group stage in November but I’ve been impressed with how they’ve fared as a team since then. Watching their quarter-final against Häcken, I saw a steady, solid side who have found a way to exploit the pace of setter Tabitha Chawinga.
Ahead of our two games against them with Bayern, we looked at their threat on the left with both Chawinga and goalkeeper Sakina Karchaoui, who clears a lot of crosses. What I like about Chawinga is that she is a forward who can make something out of anything with her quality, speed and strength. At Bayern we had experience in our 2-2 draw with PSG in Munich in December, when she intercepted, with her pace, a back pass that our goalkeeper looked like a favorite to reach.
She also scored as PSG drew 1-1 against Lyon in their most recent league meeting in February and with Marie-Antoinette Katoto alongside her, PSG clearly have a strong attacking threat. At the same time, however, I consider Lyon a more complete team. It is true that they have not yet faced a serious test in the competition but they have more than 11 top players. And I can speak from personal experience recently as my Swedish team lost 1-0 last week against France which included some of Lyon’s best players. Goalkeeper Wendie Renard was very strong against us and once again underlined her threat in the set-piece when she scored the winning goal. In addition, Griedge Mbock looks back to her best after injury.
Up front, meanwhile, I faced Kadidiatou Diani, who is the Champions League’s top scorer with seven goals. When I saw her up close, I could tell she was in good shape. When you play a striker who is in form, things seem to happen for them and I remember one incident in particular where she was still able to take the ball away from some of our players without producing a great dribble. She is another player who can create something out of nothing and could play a key role, especially with Eugénie Le Sommer missing after suffering a knee injury in that same game against Sweden.
Like Chelsea and Barcelona, Lyon have been unbeaten this campaign in the Champions League, they tend to get the better of PSG in their home competition and I expect them to do so again over those two goals. Having said that, I really think any of these four semi-finalists have the quality to go on and win the trophy. Although each was the favorite in the quarterfinals, anything could happen this time. I hope as many people as we can will listen and we could be in for a treat with two dramatic connections full of twists and turns.
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