UWCL Semi-Final: Chelsea edge out Barça via artificial transitions in close first leg

Emma Hayes' tactics worked in the first leg but what were the key moments?

"They executed the game plan I outlined for them, so from that standpoint, I'm pleased."

With the first leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final concluded, Chelsea now holds the advantage as Emma Hayes’ side orchestrated a remarkable 1-0 victory over the formidable Barcelona Femeni in what was truly an impressive display. One of the most standout statistics from the game was that of the Blues conceding only one shot on target over 90 minutes. 

The truth is, Barcelona performed below their usual standard, especially with individual players failing to shine, but credit is also due to Hayes' strategic approach to the match. As she previously stated, she developed a game plan that her team had successfully implemented.

While various factors contributed to Chelsea's victory, this analysis will delve into Chelsea's build-up and distribution compared to Barcelona's pressing tactics.

Chelsea's setup caught everyone by surprise, yet it still mirrored Hayes' approach from last season's semi-final. This time, the 3-5-2 formation was implemented with slight adjustments, emphasising counter-attacks alongside periods of controlled possession at the back and in a sense, they defended by keeping the ball.

The Blues adapted their strategy after recognising Barcelona's pressing tactics, incorporating elements of artificial transitions. This concept involves creating transitional or counter-attacking opportunities while in possession by leveraging two key attacking principles: attracting pressure and exploiting spatial superiority.

Their build-up play was pivotal, serving as the foundation for creating scoring opportunities and executing purposeful transitions while maintaining defensive stability. The trio of centre-backs and wing-backs provided Chelsea with a numerical advantage during build-up, thus effectively countering Barcelona's pressing tactics. This was best exemplified by Hannah Hampton’s distribution which was frequently was frequently influenced by the positioning and pressure exerted by Barcelona's forwards.

In possession, Barcelona started in their atypical 4-3-3 but then switched to a mixture of 4-2-2-2 and 4-4-2 when out of possession. Salma Paralluelo and Mariona Caldentey were Barcelona’s main pressers from the front two given their athleticism and smart off-ball movement. This, however, posed a problem for Barça because it required a coordinated press with the full-backs or central midfielders needing to step up behind them. While Aitana Bonmati and Patri Guijarro led the mid-block press, there seemed to be a lack of communication which resulted in more space made available in the middle. This allowed for Chelsea’s midfield to receive the ball in more space to turn and play forwards through the channels.

Chelsea’s back five in build-up phases was spread out, resembling a 4-4 build-up structure, but what made it espcially work was the dynamism and adaptability of it. Hayes wanted to keep the midfield compact whilst having width to exploit any spaces in behind the opposition full-backs all while being able to provide defensive protection. 

While Niamh Charles played as the left centre-back, she would push up high into the left wing-back position which meant Chelsea had numbers in midfield and it meant that Chelsea could outnumber the Aitana-Patri duo press. If Barça decided to push one of their central midfielders forward, Charles would tuck back in and trigger Ashley Lawrence to drop back to create the five. In either scenario, Chelsea would look to have the man advantage in either portion of the pitch.

Take this example in the third minute, where Chelsea were being pressed in a 4-2-2-2-like shape. Barça created a box midfield to zone out Melanie Leupolz but the lack of a high, wide attacker meant Chelsea were free to play the ball to either of their wide players in space. When right wing-back Johanna Rytting Kaneryd receives possession, she has enough time to turn and drive before she is faced by a Barcelona player — and even then, she is allowed time to play the ball forward into the feet of Mayra Ramirez. This movement alone enabled Chelsea to get the ball into the middle and final thirds before facing Barça’s high defensive line, bypassing 4-5 of their midfielders and attackers.

These shorter passing sequences yielded two major results: the first being space in the wide areas and the second being playing passes behind the first line of press. When Chelsea floated possession across their backline, they frustrated Barcelona into committing more players forward. Once Hampton saw enough players committed to their 18-yard box, she opted to play lofted passes into Erin Cuthbert/Sjoeke Nüsken to receive in space and turn. The main takeaway is that every build-up opportunity was designed to create space for Chelsea to receive possession in advantageous positions to bring more Chelsea players forward.

The lack of consistent aggression from Barcelona would have been alarming and uncharacteristic for them. Given Chelsea were afforded so much time on the ball, the alternate pass out was by launching long diagonals to Ramirez and pinning one of Barça’s centre-backs after the full-back pushed up. The Colombian striker’s hold-up play was excellent with possession received to feet and chest getting calmly controlled, winning 29% of her 38 duels, especially in key positions as indicated in the map above. Her performance is one that Didier Drogba would have been proud of.

This long ball strategy was a gamble and Hampton’s delivery while hit and miss depended on winning the second/third balls off Ramirez.

Here, Barcelona have close to 7 players in the attacking and middle thirds of the pitch. Hampton’s long ball into Ramirez sees her engaged in a 1 v 1 duel with a centre-back. This was a common occurrence during the game with Ramirez looking to run the channels and force Barcelona to open spaces between their defensive lines. Chelsea’s goal may not have directly been affected by a certain build-up sequence, but the preceding build-up play that propelled Chelsea up the pitch was the primary contributor. Chelsea played a pass directly into midfield after bypassing five Barça players in the build-up. The compactness of Barça’s lines and Chelsea’s overload in midfield meant Chelsea were able to play passes in behind and as a result, get them higher up the pitch, creating a sort of artificial transition.

There is still a second leg to play and you can bet Barcelona will be much more front-footed going into that game, but this tactically impressive win for Hayes nonetheless shows that her Chelsea side can salvage this UWCL, even against the odds.

Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images