'The Sonia Bompastor Files': Lyon's creative Maestra

Will the Dutch #10 bring the magic to the Groupama Stadium?

The departures of Dzsenifer Marozsán and Saki Kumagai, along with the absence of Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir, meant Olympique Lyon needed to find reinforcements in midfield to complement and work with Amandine Henry and Amel Majri. Given that the team is going through a re-build, midfield recruitment became a high priority for Sonia Bompastor with Jean-Michel Aulas promising to make big signings. 

The signing of Daniëlle van de Donk from Arsenal probably intrigues us the most because of the different attacking output she brings to a team.

The Dutch midfielder moves to Lyon after six successful seasons at Arsenal dating back to 2015, and now looks set to start in the heart of Lyon’s midfield alongside Henry and Majri in what will be a new-look trio. Many would have seen Van de Donk run Arsenal’s midfield, but how will her skillset translate to her new side?

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When rumours of Van de Donk to Lyon first surfaced, there was a sense of optimism and curiosity. The Dutch midfielder has been an influential figure at Arsenal for many years, mostly due to her skillset. Van de Donk is a creative central attacking midfielder who is incredibly technical and versatile. 

Capable of also playing as a central midfielder, Van de Donk’s profile is that of an advanced playmaker and midfield controller but has the skillset to play as a ‘free number eight’. She’s played as an attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1, and on the left and right of midfield in a 4-3-3 with each position demanding a slightly different ask.

Van de Donk comes in as a replacement for Marozsán and will look to slot in as the number 10. Marozsán brought excellent ball control and passing that was waning in the 2020/21 season but had historically been their link player between midfield and attack. Playing in such a position requires exceptional movement, understanding, and positioning. What she can bring is a press resistance that can exploit spaces behind teams that will look to aggressively press her in the hole. Her ability to attract players into her and play others in is exceptional.

She thrives in a team that plays quick, attacking, possession-based football. Her ability to move the ball between the thirds is great, but more importantly, Van de Donk is excellent in possession which means you get better control of a game. Her main responsibilities include midfield link-up through passing and creating space in possession. Her footballing intelligence enables her to make good decisions, whether it be under pressure or not.

Marozsán played in between the lines but looked to play vertically, sometimes coming deep to collect possession if required. What the German was proficient in was her ability to control the tempo and pick her passes with great accuracy. However, she looked jaded in her last season; her lack of mobility exposed and while in seasons prior it was never really a problem, she’s been caught out far too often. She struggled to impose herself as the number 10 with teams pressing intently and aggressively which saw them win back possession with regularity.

It felt as though the position needed a refresh more than most, with the question on whether there was even a player capable of replacing the German playmaker — Van de Donk might be the answer.

Van de Donk’s capabilities to become a reference point for a side could be pronounced given her skillset. There’s a chance for the Dutchwoman to pull the strings and establish herself as a premier, elite-level attacking midfielder. Being a deceptively mobile player, Van de Donk can often be seen across the forward area, moving between the lines to offer up a passing option to receive. The heat map is indicative of her movement patterns for Arsenal last season.

What we can derive from this is that she’s more active in the area just behind the 18-yard box, around where a number 10 would play. What is interesting is that she made regular movements into the wide areas where she drove up against the full-back or moved into that space once the right-winger would tuck inside or on the counter-attack which we’ll elaborate on a little later on in the article.

Her most active areas point towards a player that had been playing for a side that likes to manoeuvre possession in the final third, with Van de Donk also acting as the link between midfield and attack. The former Arsenal midfielder has demonstrated wonderful vision to spot passes that others can’t see that break down opposing defences.

In Netherlands’ Euro 2021 qualification game against Kosovo, Van de Donk was tasked with penetrating a team that kept a low defensive block whose sole aim was to keep it tight. After receiving a pass from the left, Van de Donk arrives just outside of the box where she is pressed by an oncoming defender. Instead of shooting or passing immediately, she takes a touch which feints the defender. This gives her time to hold the ball and play a line-breaking pass through the middle that results in a goal.

Regularly playing these types of passes for club and country, Van de Donk has a knack for timing and completing these passes at a rate of 3.07 passes to the penalty area with a 47% success rate. Equally, she’s registered 5.08 passes to the final third which highlights her tendency to look forward and play positive football.

But how does she compare in the Women’s Super League? The data visualisation takes a closer look at Van de Donk’s effectiveness in an attacking sense against other WSL midfielders. According to the results, she’s a very diverse passer of the ball and is a player that is at the heart of progression whether it be passes or runs even though she’s in the middle of the pack.

What we can derive from this is the higher expected assists (xA) and assists per 90 that makes her very efficient and clinical. Ada Hegerberg and Catarina Macario will be licking their lips at the prospect of Van de Donk’s creativity.

The Dutch international has a tendency to move into the wide spaces to receive passes and create goal-scoring actions. These movement patterns are similar to that of a mezzala. The role is a central midfielder cum winger and is a role that Van de Donk could carry out whilst playing as a ‘free eight’. 

This concept will be covered in greater detail later in the series in relation to Lyon’s overarching system but Van de Donk’s penchant to drive wide could allow Macario or Delphine Cascarino to influence the central areas more.

Alternatively, she offers efficiency in her passing on the ball even under pressure. Van de Donk can operate on the other end of the spectrum by recycling possession from deeper areas, making the ball tick for the team by slowing it down or speeding it up at her own free will. A pass map of her touches in a game against Aston Villa (top) and Manchester City (bottom) demonstrates her all-round passing game.

The contrasting pass maps illustrate her ability to play a different role when required, whether it be deeper or further forward. In either case, this also emphasises two important skills — press resistance and ball carrying.

Van de Donk is excellent under pressure which makes her an ideal candidate in high-pressure areas which is important for both playing as a number 10 or 8. She scans the field before receiving the ball and plots her next two moves in advance; she has a hint of Cesc Fàbregas when receiving. 

Elegant and resourceful in possession, Van de Donk can help teams progress from deep if playing as a deep-lying playmaker. The example shown earlier displayed some level of press resistance by not spraying a pass immediately.

Against Chelsea, she receives the ball in between two players but takes it away to alleviate the pressure. This enables her to reset and find a safer pass to progress the ball forward. Van de Donk is always scanning the field and in this case, opting for a safer pass was the better option. Notice how she moves forward to find space after releasing the pass which is a sign that she’s always switched on.

A key principle of Marozsán’s and Lyon’s philosophy is ball progression, and Van de Donk has illustrated a vital proficiency in this regard and is probably her strongest asset. She’s a player that makes short bursts of speed and agile movements than longer, mazy dribbles in the middle. This sort of movement makes it difficult for defenders to mark because of her quick feet and ability to manoeuvre out of tight situations. The data shows her to make 1.91 dribbles per 90 minutes but only has a 50% success rate which doesn’t paint the full picture.

Van de Donk receives the ball in space between the lines but is then surrounded by 2-3 players. Her sudden burst of speed and finesse gets her away from a few players where she finds space to make a threatening forward pass into the box. For Arsenal, we’ve seen her drive from deep in midfield to progress play on her own, shrugging players off her in the process. 

She averages 7.69 attacking duels with a 34% win rate. This metric is defined as the player in possession is required to protect the ball with their body. Van de Donk registering such a high frequency means she’s not one to give up possession easily. However, it’s not only on the ball where she looks to influence play but off the ball too.

Van de Donk is a willing off-the-ball runner who finds vacant and intelligent spaces to receive a ball. Whether it’s to play a final pass or create space for an over/underlapping run, she’s certainly one player you’d want in a position that requires excellent decision-making. 

Lyon have a potentially very good counter-attacking side with Cascarino, Macario, and Majri who all possess a lot of pace. Van de Donk adds more composure and passing in transition that backs the forwards to gamble runs in behind defences. This will be more prevalent in the latter stages of the Champions League against teams with high defensive lines.

Starting deep, Van de Donk makes an outward run towards the left flank, waiting for Lineth Beerensteyn to make the pass down the line. It is here where she’s in a position to make a final pass but must hold and wait for support to arrive. She drives forward and times her through ball to perfection, placing it in the path of the incoming midfielder.

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The Dutch midfielder has improved tenfold after playing for Arsenal, but there was always a feeling that she could raise her game to another level and Lyon just might be the push she needs. The new revolution that Bompastor has started seems to be off to a good start, with each signing adding something significant, but it is Van de Donk’s signing that could be the most prominent. 

The number 10 position is so important to the running of Lyon’s side that even an inevitable tactical change by Bompastor will surely ensure that her attacking midfielder remains a key cog, making Van de Donk an integral part of the future.

Welcome to the Groupama Stadium, Dani.

(Photo by Adam Pretty - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

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