Introduction. UEFA Women's Champions League

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1 UEFA Women's Champions League UEFA Women's Champions League Latest News Video Photos Matches Standings Clubs Statistics Draws Final Format Technical report History Introduction This Technical Report the third of its kind to be published by UEFA focuses on the top teams who managed to qualify for the quarter-final stage of a competition which, in the 2016/17 season, continued its growth in stature. The eight clubs corresponded to five of the 48 national associations that had booked places on the starting grid when the ball started rolling in The objective of this Technical Report is therefore to reach out to the wider coaching community and to offer information which is potentially helpful to those engaged in the development of players and the overall level of women's football in Europe where many clubs and national associations are involved in stimulating projects aimed at equipping teams to compete with the best and to enlarge the continent's elite. The Technical Report provides information, statistics, comment, analysis and debating points which, it is hoped, will give technicians food for thought. It is based on the input from a team of experienced coaches who attended and analysed matches in the latter rounds of the competition 1

2 and who pooled their information and observations at the first UEFA Women's Champions League final to be played in Cardiff, two days before the final of the equivalent men's tournament. The team of observers comprised Patricia González (Spain), Jarmo Matikainen (Finland), Anja Palusevic (Germany), Hope Powell (England) and Monika Staab (Germany), all of them former national team coaches and/or UEFA and FIFA instructors. The final of the UEFA Women's Champions League, steadily acquiring a higher profile within the football calendar, was held at the Cardiff City Stadium in the Welsh capital, with current Wales national team manager Jayne Ludlow herself a winner of the trophy with Arsenal LFC in 2007 acting as UEFA's ambassador for the showpiece game. The local profile of the event was raised when, to herald the '100 days to go' milestone, 100 members of the Cor Glanaethwy (North Wales Choir) surprised the Cardiff public with a flash mob performance. This promotional activity also featured heavily in the 'This is Welsh Football' photography competition which culminated in an awards ceremony and exhibition at the UEFA Champions League Gallery at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff on the eve of the women's final. Sportsfile 2

3 The road to Cardiff AFP/Getty Images Of the 36 teams who took their places on the starting blocks when the ball started rolling in August 2016, 11 sprinted through the qualifying round unbeaten. But only the nine winners of the groups of four earned the right to appear on stage when the curtain rose on the knockout rounds in October. The qualifying groups had yielded a healthy total of 256 goals at an average of 4.74 per match. But the overall average blurred a picture of contrasting colours. Group 2 produced 46 goals, for example; Group 6 only 15. Different stations on learning curves were signposted by statistics. One-third of the contestants averaged in excess of 20 goal attempts per match Breidablik (Iceland) and Medyk Konin (Poland) as many as 28 whereas, at the other end of the scale, four teams fell below one tenth of that average. Three of the successful contestants in the qualifying round went on to surmount the first hurdle of the knockout stage too, although it should be added that, among the last-32 fallers, Bosnian champions SFK 2000 Sarajevo were edged out on a 2-1 aggregate by Rossiyanka of Russia, while Medyk Konin succumbed by an even narrower margin (the away goals rule) after fighting back from 3-1 down at home to Brescia to win 4-3 (the decider scored direct from a corner), only to be defeated 3-2 in Italy. 3

4 However, two of the three successful clubs had the misfortune to be drawn against the eventual finalists in the following round of 16 while Tommy Stroot's FC Twente were again eliminated by FC Barcelona the Dutch side's nemesis the previous season. Although Paris Saint-Germain dispatched BIIK-Kazygurt by a comfortable margin in the last 16, they had been made to sweat by Monica Knuden's LSK Kvinner the round before, Patrice Lair's team needing a 4-1 victory in the French capital to overturn a 3-1 first-leg loss in Norway. Getty Images BIIK take on Verona in the round of 32 The overall balance of the round of 32 was 16 wins for home teams and ten by visitors, with only six games drawn. The average number of goals per match was whittled down to 3.44, reflecting the increasingly competitive complexion of the action. At the same time, the increasing pullingpower of the UEFA Women's Champions League was highlighted by an attendance of 9,127 at San Mamés in Bilbao to watch Athletic Club beat Fortuna Hjørring 2-1 in the first leg of their last- 32 tie. However, the difference between the elite and the clubs aspiring to join them was sharply defined by a round of 16 where six of the eight ties were decided by aggregate margins of five goals or more with Olympique Lyonnais ruthlessly setting benchmarks with a 17-0 demolition of FC Zürich Frauen in which, to underline the strength of Gérard Prêcheur's squad, ten players got on the scoresheet. In the most closely-fought ties, Fortuna won in both Hjorring and Brescia to eliminate one of the previous campaign's quarter-finalists, while Nick Cushing's Manchester City WFC made club history with a 2-1 aggregate triumph over Brøndby IF to earn a place among the last eight. Their 1-1 scoreline in Denmark was the only draw in a round that otherwise yielded eight home wins and seven victories for visitors. The quarter-finals rumbled with the sound of heavy metal. Eight games of extraordinary intensity produced just 13 goals. Xavi Llorens opted for a structure in Barcelona's tie against Rosengård's , laying foundations for composed combination play that allowed the Spanish side to dictate the tempo. Jack Majgaard's team, hampered by wayward finishing (none of the Swedes' ten attempts in Barcelona found the target), failed to breach a well-organised defence based on rapid transition work by the wing-backs. Getty Images Barcelona got the better of Rosengård FC Bayern München had the misfortune to take on Paris Saint-Germain while key players were on their injury list. Yet while the French outfit missed chances in Munich, a high ball-win by Nicole Rolser followed by two crossfield passes enabled Bayern's Vivianne Miedema to score the only goal of the game. During the Paris return leg, the obdurate defending by Thomas Wörle's 4

5 charges was unstitched by three free-kicks and a ball loss in the defensive third, the hosts prevailing 4-1 overall. A free-kick also initiated the demise of Germany's other representatives. Camille Abily struck directly into the Wolfsburg net to put Olympique Lyonnais ahead, with intricate combination play earning a well-worked second and a 2-0 first-leg advantage for the champions of France. To their credit, Wolfsburg fought valiantly in Lyon, where a late penalty was enough to salvage a victory but not the tie. Unusually, the quarter-finals signified the end of the road for the German clubs. In the other quarter-final, Manchester City enjoyed possession and control in their away leg in Hjorring but pierced the Fortuna defence only once, when new recruit Carli Lloyd converted a cross from the left. The return was a similar story, with a corner yielding City's sole reward for overall domination. Brian Sørensen's last throw of the dice was to switch to a back line of three but the ploy failed to pay dividends against the high pressing and impressive athletic qualities of the English side. Getty Images Carli Lloyd helped see off Fortuna Although a slick counterattack yielded an equaliser after an early penalty, City struggled against the high pressing and composed possession play of Olympique Lyonnais, who operated in a structure against the Mancunians' A neat combination move and a swift counterpunch after a high ball-win resulted in two more goals for the visitors. But, although they restricted City to half-a-dozen goal attempts during the return leg in Lyon, Gérard Prêcheur's troops once again failed to offer the home fans a goal and suffered a second successive 1-0 defeat which, thanks to their impressive away form, inflicted minimal damage. Barcelona, the first Spanish club to reach the semi-finals, endured a similar fate against Paris Saint-Germain when they entertained them at a packed Mini Estadi. Llorens mirrored Paris's formation but the home team struggled to match the visitors for power, anticipation and composed possession play through midfield and, more especially, the wide areas. Three crosses paved the way for an impressive victory. Unfazed by falling 3-0 behind early in the second half, Barcelona switched to a more direct, aggressive Getty Images Parc des Princes was the end of the road for Barcelona attacking mode for the final phase of the game and bagged a consolation goal that permitted the flames of hope to keep flickering as they headed for the return in Paris. Although they pressed with determination and strove valiantly to break Paris's stranglehold on midfield, their ambitions were dashed by a penalty and by a wide free-kick delivered by Eve Perisset, deflected by a Barça defender into her own net. The 5-1 aggregate scoreline took Lair's side comfortably along the last leg of the road to Cardiff and a contest against his old team in the first final of any UEFA competition to be disputed by two clubs from France. 5

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7 The final Getty Images Quality and equality: the final "In a final, it's the victory that counts." These words were uttered, with a degree of relief, while purple streamers rained down on the champions at the Cardiff City Stadium. But Gérard Prêcheur's comment could equally have served as a pre-match forecast as Olympique Lyonnais and Paris Saint-Germain lined up as opponents for the third time in as many weeks. When the German referee signalled for the ball to start rolling, it soon became apparent that familiarity had bred respect. As Patricia González, one of UEFA's technical observers in Cardiff, remarked: "We saw a match that had been coloured by previous confrontations and which, in many respects, was a repetition of what we had seen in the French Cup final." Prêcheur, having fielded three at the back during Lyon's semi-final against Manchester City, reverted to the line of four he had deployed in the quarter-final against Wolfsburg, with the ubiquitous Saki Kumagai the most frequent tenant of the holding position in front of the defence. Camille Abily and Dzsenifer Marozsán completed an elastic midfield triangle, while Alex Morgan on the right and Eugénie Le Sommer on the left teamed up with striker Ada Hegerberg to form Lyon's attacking trident. Patrice Lair, on the other hand, remained loyal to the three centre-back structure that had served Paris well in previous rounds. In Cardiff, however, his wing-backs had their wings clipped by OL's insistent pressure, with the result that PSG spent long periods of the game in an overt formation. "It was a surprise to see PSG obliged to defend so deep and rely on counterattacking," commented UEFA observer Hope Powell. "The defending was so compact and so deep," added 7

8 Jarmo Matikainen, "that there was no room for them to play their way out." The consequence was a first half in which Parisian attempts to short-pass their way through the thirds almost invariably led to high-ball regains by Lyon and relentless pressure. On the other hand, their deep defending was executed with sufficient efficiency to block routes to goal. Katarzyna Kiedrzynek, although on red alert, was not seriously troubled, her positioning and handling allowing her to deal comfortably with attempts from long range. What's more, OL's cutting edge was further blunted when United States international Alex Morgan passed fit on the eve of the final was obliged to limp off in the 23rd minute. Getty Images Concerned by the pace of her replacement Élodie Thomis, Lair ordered his full-backs to interchange, Ashley Lawrence switching to the left as an antidote to the newcomer. The move was a tacit admission that Paris's game plan was to counter the opposition rather than carry the game to them. "I found it understandable," said Anja Palusevic. "Had I been the coach, I would have done the same." The investment in deep defence came close to yielding dividends when Paris created the most dangerous chance of the half. With their frontrunners Cristiane and Marie-Laure Delie struggling to make an impact as a partnership, the threat emerged from another source. Bypassing the area of high pressure with a lofted forward pass, Paris's counter was based on a header by Delie into the path of midfielder Shirley Cruz Traña, who capped a powerful run from deep by cutting inside and, teeing up a right-footed shot, forced Sarah Bouhaddi into a crucial save. It was the highlight of an opening period in which the initial Lyon impetus gradually faded to the extent that, during the closing minutes, Paris were able to hold a higher line and afford Cruz more opportunities to display her playmaking abilities. Yet at half-time the goal that might have opened up the contest had still to arrive. When the curtain went up on the second half, it revealed no change of scenery. Another spell of sustained pressure earned OL their best opportunity when a wide free-kick invited Hegerberg, unmarked, to head at goal and, after Kiedrzynek had repelled that effort, to stab the ball wide from close range. Struggling physically, she was then replaced on the hour by midfielder Pauline Bremer, with Le Sommer taking the central striking role in a formation that gravitated towards Getty Images Lair, meantime, had withdrawn Aminata Diallo from Paris's midfield trio, sending on Verónica Boquete as a more attack-minded linking element in his team's middle-to-front play while Formiga, indefatigable at the age of 39, performed 'worker ant' duties in front of the centre-halves. Almost 8

9 immediately, Paris again demonstrated their ability to combine the worse of the play with the better of the chances. Again, Cruz was the protagonist, sliding a through pass into Delie who, with Bouhaddi at her mercy, poked the ball wide of the far post. However, Paris's creative stock was depleted when Cruz, extenuated, made way for defender Laura Georges after 80 minutes, signifying a transfer from centre-back to midfield for Grace Geyoro. As the action drifted inexorably into extra time, the final became more about patterns than events. Lyon had the ball; Paris had the game plan. Both teams remained loyal to their passing game, using their high levels of technique to twist and turn their way out of trouble and play their way through packed areas. There was quality in abundance. But the talent in both sides cancelled the other out. Paris, although aware that only victory would allow them access to this competition's 2017/18 edition, could not drill deep enough to find fuel for their European dream. For the second successive year, the UEFA Women's Champions League title was to be decided by a penalty shoot-out. To the delight of the PSG fans behind the goal, Cristiane coolly dispatched the opening spot kick and there was even more delight when Kiedrzynek pushed the fourth penalty, by Le Sommer, onto the bar. Anything you can do... said Bouhaddi, decisive in the previous year's shoot-out against VfL Wolfsburg. The OL keeper judged correctly to save from Geyoro and herald an equilibrium that lasted until the scoreboard registered 6-6 after a series of penalties taken with aplomb and mental fortitude. Sportsfile Then, even though three outfielders two of them fresh subs remained in the pending tray, Kiedrzynek stepped confidently up to the mark, only to screw her shot wide of the keeper's right post. Anything you can do... said Bouhaddi, as she placed the ball on the spot and beat Kiedrzynek to secure a 7-6 victory and a successful title defence for Lyon. Prêcheur, arms outstretched, led the stampede from the OL bench towards Bouhaddi while a disconsolate Kiedrzynek sought refuge on the touchline. While the podium was being assembled on the pitch, she made her way, waving team-mates aside, towards Paris's fans and, in a poignant moment, begged forgiveness. As the purple streamers cascaded on the jubilant champions, and Bouhaddi and skipper Wendie Renard jointly hoisted the trophy into the Cardiff air, Lair could only rue: "I wish things could have worked out differently at the end of a very tactical game." It had been a cruel ending to a final between teams of great quality and equality. 9

10 Technical Topics AFP/Getty Images "I would say that the season confirmed that levels of technique, relationships and collective understanding are these days much better," Hope Powell remarked when the UEFA technical observers met the morning after the final in Cardiff. "It also confirmed that the ability to maintain control and play a passing game in tight areas is crucial if you want to compete among the top teams." The champions, Olympique Lyonnais, demonstrated the value of an ability to play excellent possession football based on neat, accurate combinations, which allowed Gérard Prêcheur's side to dictate the tempo and direction of the game. Manchester City, who made club history by reaching the semi-finals on debut, were made to realise during their 3-1 home defeat by Lyon that they needed to scale another rung if they were to join the French club at the top of the continental ladder. The same applied to City's fellow first-time semi-finalists FC Barcelona, pitted against Paris Saint- Germain and similarly adding further lessons to their learning curve. In a season where one of the salient features was the absence of German teams from the last four, pride of place was granted to the French challengers who combined high levels of technique, athletic qualities and tactical maturity. Odd numbers not so odd "If a structure proves successful," commented Powell, "the greater the temptation for other coaches to try it." A reasonable debating point would be to ask whether Lyon's successful change of team structure for the 2016 final was the trigger. Whatever the answers, the striking trend to emerge from the 2016/17 UEFA Women's Champions League was the move towards a system based on a trio of centre-backs. 10

11 As Jarmo Matikainen noted in Cardiff: "Five of the top eight teams operated with three at the back at some stage." UEFA's technical team took time to decide on the formation drawings to be used on the team pages of this report. Not only because some of the top eight varied their structure according to the opposition; also because they operated in attacking and defending shapes with rapid transitions from one to the other. Fortuna Hjørring, Rosengård and Wolfsburg were the exponents of a with Manchester City also adopting that template against Lyon, switching to a midfield diamond (with Carli Lloyd tucking in behind the front two) when chasing results in the final stages. Curiously, OL's Prêcheur, having sprung a tactical surprise by changing to three at the back in the 2016 final against Wolfsburg, engaged reverse gear in Cardiff by reverting to a back four, excluding right wing-back Jessica Houara and withdrawing Amel Majri into a traditional left-back berth alongside the other three. However, the trend towards a back line of three could be graphically illustrated by Barcelona. In the previous season, Xavi Llorens had opted for the club's traditional structure. But when they travelled to Sweden for the first leg of their quarter-final against Rosengård, he set his team up in formation with Marta Torrejón and Leila Ouahabi operating in the wing-back roles. As Patricia González observed: "The three centre-backs were good at anticipating and intercepting the direct supply to the two strikers in Rosengård's , while the structure gave them numerical superiority in the middle-to-front zone and allowed them to create overloads in the wide areas. It also meant they had enough players forward to make quick attack-to-defence transitions with immediate pressure on the ball. They often capitalised on a 3v2 advantage in the Getty Images central area of midfield, while high pressing allowed them to win the ball in advanced positions and quickly head for goal while the opponents were in their defence-to-attack transitional phase. Both their goals in the return leg were scored this way." Even so, Rosengård succeeded in posing questions to the Barça defence by trying to exploit the spaces behind the wing-backs. On the other hand Manchester City, also operating in formation, struggled to find answers when confronted with Lyon's structure in the semifinal. Their narrow midfield enabled them to pressurise in numbers and disturb the opposition's build-up through central areas but obliged Nick Cushing's team to do a lot of chasing when OL opened up the game in the wide areas. Against Wolfsburg in the quarter-finals, OL had set out their stall in a system, anxious to counter the powerful wing play which represented one of the major weapons in Ralf Kellermann's armoury and to deny any exploitation of spaces behind the wing-backs. As Wolfsburg held a very high defensive line with goalkeeper Almuth Schult quick to sweep behind Lyon created danger with rapid counterattacks based on direct passes in behind the Germans' back line. In the other Germany v France quarter-final, Bayern München lined up in a formation that 11

12 mirrored the structure of Patrice Lair's Paris Saint-Germain. Katharina Baunach filled the holding role in front of the three centre-backs, with Sara Däbritz dropping deeper to lend assistance during the return match in Paris. Both teams tried to press high, but Paris's high level of technical ability gave them an edge in terms of building with possession play, forcing Bayern to defend deep in formation and look for counters via a direct supply to striker Vivianne Miedema. "If three at the back has become fashionable," Matikainen remarked, "it is because the coaches have given it a lot of thought and have taken conscious decisions about the benefits it might bring to their teams. The more or less adventurous play by the wing-backs allows you to balance attacking and defensive considerations and the top teams showed that it can be productive in controlling the game in midfield and getting an extra player forward to support attacks." He and other technical observers agreed that Lyon's ability to switch comfortably and seamlessly between playing structures from match to match and during individual games set the benchmark for a season marked by high degrees of tactical flexibility. Standing room only "I'm not sure we can talk about the 'sitting midfielder' any more," said Matikainen, "because the job description has become much more demanding. For example, Saki Kumagai does a brilliant screening job for Lyon, but she also contributes much more." His comment sparked discussion on the evolution of roles in the central midfield positions, with the trend towards threeat-the-back structures maybe more propitious to triangular relationships in the central area than, say, a classic Sportsfile "I think it's safe to say," opined González, "that we don't see traditional No10s any more either in the men's or women's games." The 2016/17 UEFA Women's Champions League demonstrated that the top clubs no longer rely on a single playmaker. In the final, Shirley Cruz Traña provided the nearest approximation because of her ability to spot and deliver game-opening passes. Yet as Matikainen pointed out, "she had other duties to perform and I thought that PSG worked extremely well and in disciplined manner to contain Lyon through the centre. The final gave us good illustrations of how the central midfielders have big defensive responsibilities and, at the same time, must be prepared to take the No10 role". Paris highlighted the importance of achieving the proper balance in central midfield. Against Bayern, Lair fielded Grace Geyoro in midfield hence her inclusion in that category in UEFA's Squad of the Season to balance the more overtly attacking qualities of Cruz and Verónica Boquete. Geyoro, incidentally, became champion of Europe at the age of 19 a fact that prompted Powell to remark: "She is one of a number of young players who are coping magnificently on the big stage. It's not only EUROs and World Cups but also the age-limit competitions and development tournaments for national teams that are helping the youngsters to mature as footballers. And this bodes well for the future of the game." 12

13 In the final, Geyoro was switched to centre-back with Formiga and Aminata Diallo accompanying Cruz. "However, the understanding between the Lyon trio, their ability to play in tight spaces and their out-of-possession work were key to their success," said Powell. "What they did so well," added Anja Palusevic, "was the constant positional rotation during the match which allowed them to share workloads and pose lots of questions to the opponents." OL certainly asked questions of Manchester City in the first leg of their semi-final and Cushing's response in the return fixture was to deploy a narrow defensive block aimed at blunting OL's edge in the central area. "I think Lyon really emphasised that today s central midfielders really need to be all-rounders," said Palusevic. "What we also saw," Powell continued, "was the importance of linking players rather than playmakers in defence-to-midfield and middle-to-front construction. As an example of the latter, I would pick out Dzsenifer Marozsán. She was the creative leader of Lyon's attacks by linking the team together with excellent passing." The back room "Goalkeeping standards keep on going up, year in, year out," Powell observed. "It's legitimate to put this down to better coaching and it's encouraging that more girls seem to want to play in goal these days." The level among the top teams was sufficiently high for no fewer than five keepers to be shortlisted for UEFA's Squad of the Season. Barcelona's Sandra Paños was commended not only for her handling but also for her readiness to sweep behind the back line; Bayern's Tinja- Riikke Korpela, after keeping a clean sheet at home to Paris, received praise for excellent reflexes and organisational skills; Manchester City's Karen Bardsley excelled at commanding Getty Images her terrain, was quick off her line and reacted well to situations in and around the box. Paris's Katarzyna Kiedrzynek played an important part in build-up play and, when opponents pressed high, accurately opened play to the wings with long passes. "I think she typified the general improvement," Powell commented, "because we now see goalkeepers who are good with their feet and contribute with accurate distribution of the ball." The common denominator among the leading sides was the desire to build from the back. Lyon's Sarah Bouhaddi was composed in her distribution to the centre-backs or the holding midfielder who, as in many teams, dropped deep to initiate construction while the full-backs pushed high. Bardsley was equally confident with, in the case of Manchester City (and Bayern), the centrebacks splitting and dropping extremely deep to receive at the sides of the box. This implied responsibility for centre-halves, whose passing ability was one of the key components in the initial phase of attacking play. In this respect, OL centre-back Wendie Renard and central midfielder Kumagai were outstanding in their ability to open the game with accurate long passing to the wide areas. 13

14 Goals win matches Competitive levels as the tournament worked its way towards Cardiff were reflected by a decreasing scoring rate. After the autumn group stage had posted an average of 4.74 goals per game, the first two knockout rounds yielded 3.58 and then the eight quarter-final matches produced just 13 goals at 1.64 per game. With the remaining five fixtures, including the goalless final, supplying 11 goals at 2.2 per match, the overall balance for the knockout rounds of the UEFA Women's Champions League was This represented a modest increase of 5% on the previous season and surpassed the average of 3.04 registered in the men's equivalent. If the 54 qualifying round games are included, the overall balance for the campaign was 452 goals at 3.93 per game. 2016/17 top scorers Zsanett Jakabfi (Wolfsburg) 8 Vivianne Miedema (Bayern München) 8 Gulnara Gabelia (BIIK-Kazygurt) 7 Alexandra Lunca (Olimpia Cluj) 7 Aleksandra Sikora (Medyk Konin) 7 Cristiane (Paris Saint-Germain) 6 Eugénie Le Sommer (Lyon) 6 The season, however, threw up a paradox in the sense that Olympique Lyonnais successfully defended the title despite failing to score in three of their last four games two of them at home. In each of those matches, Prêcheur's side dominated and controlled, but without converting superiority into goals. "If anything," commented UEFA's technical observers after watching the 1-0 home defeat by Manchester City, "Lyon should have been more clinical in the final third, especially as they enjoyed so much possession in useful areas and situations." In this respect, the chart showing goal attempts is revealing. Lyon's attempts-per-goal ratio was distorted by the first two knockout rounds, in which OL converted 41 on-target attempts into 27 goals. From the quarter-finals to Cardiff, 72 attempts half of them on target harvested just five goals. The table shows the quarter-finalists' ratios of the number of attempts required to manufacture a goal. AFP 14

15 FC Bayern München 5.32 Olympique Lyonnais 5.53 FC Barcelona 6.29 Paris Saint-Germain 6.52 VfL Wolfsburg 7.46 Fortuna Hjørring 7.50 Manchester City 7.58 Rosengård In individual terms, Wolfsburg's Zsanett Jakabfi had nine on-target attempts compared with two which went wide of the mark. Bayern's Miedema, her companion at the top of the scoring charts with eight, showed similar efficiency with a 13-5 split between accurate and wayward finishes. Paris's Cristiane (14-7) and OL's Eugénie Le Sommer (15-6) scored six apiece while team-mate Camille Abily (10-2) contributed five goals and as many assists to Lyon's run to the title. By contrast, OL striker Ada Hegerberg registered an balance in terms of on and off-target finishes. FC Barcelona 15

16 Opponent Attempts On target Off target Blocked Woodwork ZFK Minsk (a) ZFK Minsk (h) FC Twente (h) FC Twente (a) Rosengård (a) Rosengård (h) Paris (h) Paris (a) Total FC Bayern München 16

17 Opponent Attempts On target Off target Blocked Woodwork Hibernian LFC (a) Hibernian LFC (h) FC Rossiyanka (h) FC Rossiyanka (a) PSG (h) PSG (a) Total Fortuna Hjørring 17

18 Opponent Attempts On target Off target Blocked Woodwork Athletic Club (a) Athletic Club (h) ACF Brescia (a) ACF Brescia (h) Manchester City (h) Manchester City (a) Total Olympique Lyonnais 18

19 Opponent Attempts On target Off target Blocked Woodwork Avaldsnes (a) Avaldsnes (h) FC Zürich (h) FC Zürich (a) VfL Wolfsburg (a) VfL Wolfsburg (h) Manchester City (a) Manchester City (h) Paris (final) Total Manchester City WFC 19

20 Opponent Attempts On target Off target Blocked Woodwork Zvezda 2005 (h) Zvezda 2005 (a) Brøndby IF (h) Brøndby IF (a) Fortuna Hjørring (a) Fortuna Hjørring (h) Lyon (h) Lyon (a) Total Paris Saint-Germain 20

21 Opponent Attempts On target Off target Blocked Woodwork LSK Kvinner (a) LSK Kvinner (h) BIIK Kazygurt (a) BIIK Kazygurt (h) FC Bayern München (a) FC Bayern München (h) FC Barcelona (a) FC Barcelona (h) Lyon (final) Total FC Rosengård 21

22 Opponent Attempts On target Off target Blocked Woodwork Bleidablik (a) Bleidablik (h) Slavia Praha (a) Slavia Praha (h) FC Barcelona (h) FC Barcelona (a) Total VfL Wolfsburg 22

23 Opponent Attempts On target Off target Blocked Woodwork Chelsea (a) Chelsea (h) Eskilstuna (a) Eskilstuna (h) Lyon (h) Lyon (a) Total Note: attempts striking the woodwork are included in the on-target total if deflected by goalkeeper or defender and in the off-target total if the attempt strikes the woodwork directly. Of the 196 goals scored in the knockout rounds, 88 hit the net in the first half; 107 after the break; and one during extra time. The chart hints at good fitness levels by revealing that the final 15 minutes were not the most prolific though the number of goals scored after the 75th minute was inflated by the 11 goals notched in additional minutes after the

24 Minutes Goals % The paucity of goals (24) scored during the matches watched by UEFA technical observers makes a search for trends practically a mission impossible. However, one-third came from dead-ball situations and one-quarter stemmed from crosses or cutbacks from wide areas. A total of 106 corners in those matches led to a single goal Manchester City's winner at home to Fortuna when an outswinging delivery from the right by Melissa Lawley was headed in by defender Lucy Bronze at the far post. Significantly, five of the 24 goals could be traced directly to losses of possession in the defensive third a fact which emphasises that, in today's increasingly competitive UEFA Women's Champions League, mistakes are often ruthlessly punished. 24

25 Talking points from 2016/17 Wendie Renard (Olympique Lyonnais) Sportsfile Let me entertain you? While the match in Cardiff showcased enough positives to confirm the upsurge in technical ability in the women's game, the after-taste raised questions about whether the final had tickled gourmet palates. UEFA's technical observers were anxious not to appear negative about what had been a grandiose event played out before a crowd of 22,423. At the same time, they expressed reservations. "I suspect," commented Hope Powell, "that the tactical approach didn't help the game to be more enjoyable as a spectacle, even though the second half was better." "As a coach, I have to say that I would probably have adopted the same approach as they did," added Anja Palusevic. "But I was a bit concerned that, in a game that had a big audience, there might not have been enough to excite people who may have been watching women's football for the first time." Admittedly, the 2017 final was flavoured by special ingredients. The two teams, rivals in the same domestic competitions and opponents in a national cup final a few days before travelling to Wales, knew each other inside out. Ditto the coaches Patrice Lair having moved to Paris after winning ten trophies with Olympique Lyonnais between 2010 and 2014 and the possessor, in consequence, of profound knowledge about the opposing club and players. As Powell reflected, "apart from the game itself, it was a final that generated a lot of nervous energy." On the other hand, the observers recalled how the previous campaign's final in Reggio Emilia had been cut from similar cloth, with Lyon dominating and opponents Wolfsburg happy to play from the back foot and prioritise compact defensive work to counter the opposition's virtues. 25

26 The fact that, when the two sides walked out at the Cardiff City Stadium, the respective squads had jointly accumulated 973 appearances in the UEFA Women's Champions League, offered palpable guarantees of quality and experience. "The question to debate," Powell added, "is whether we would have preferred the talent on show to be used for a more attacking approach." Does the widespread desire to promote women's football, broaden fan bases and increase audiences give 'entertainment value' a more prominent place in the equation? If so, what role could (or should) coaches play in terms of offering the public an attractive 'product'? Career or cash? "Managing 26 international players is no easy task," reflected Gérard Prêcheur, looking back over his three years on the Lyon bench. The fact the squad lists in Cardiff featured players of 11 different nationalities demonstrated that the UEFA Women's Champions League is approaching the cosmopolitan parameters prevalent in the men's version. But, evidently, there are major differences when it comes to financial parameters. The presence Sportsfile Élodie Thomis was among the stars who only started on the bench in the final of Barcelona and Manchester City in the semifinals, for example, illustrated the benefits of investing in professional structures. And transatlantic recruitment including some loan deals to exploit the close season in the United States confirms that clubs regard the UEFA competition as a major prize and a major incentive to strengthen squads. But coins have two sides. The relatively limited number of fully professional clubs in European women's football arguably makes it easier for the elite to operate as vacuum cleaners, sucking up the best available talent. At the same time, this creates a dilemma for the players. On the one hand, a survey would surely reveal that they would undoubtedly prefer to play regular first-team football at the highest possible level. On the other hand, opportunities to earn financial rewards are few and far between. As a player who could walk into the first team at almost any club, what would you prefer? To sit on the bench at a big club with a nice pay cheque at the end of the month? Or to play regularly for lesser financial rewards? If you had to choose one or the other, what is more important? A decent salary or a career pathway? And, as a club or national team coach, what advice would you give to your players? An imposing question? 26

27 Yet again, the coaches of the top eight clubs in the UEFA Women's Champions League were male. The trend has become so generalised that it no longer raises eyebrows. In the last three seasons, the only female coach among the quarter-finalist teams was Brescia's Milena Bertolini in the 2015/16 campaign. The rarity of female coaches has become such an archetypal talking point that it makes little sense to perennially rake over the ashes. On the other Getty Images Milena Bertolini hand, is it normal that, while the percentage of female coaches at national team levels is steadily creeping up, Europe's premier club competition seems to have settled into a rut? In this day and age, there is no shortage of female coaches with the UEFA B diploma which is the requisite level for occupants of technical areas at UEFA Women's Champions League matches. And UEFA's ongoing projects aimed at encouraging former players to extend their activity in the game by moving into coaching will, in all probability, deepen the pool of qualified female technicians in a not-too-distant future. As debating points, the issues could be, firstly, to question why there are so few female coaches on team sheets and, secondly, if anything could, administratively, be done with a view to redressing the balance. With regard to the first talking point, Powell said in Cardiff: "I think recruitment could be an issue and I suspect that sometimes the person or persons responsible for recruiting at clubs don't really have women's football all that close to the heart. I may be wrong but I do wonder if female coaches are being offered the right number of opportunities." The second question was debated by the technical observers in the light of FIFA's policy at the final tournaments of the world body's age-limit competitions. The regulations for these events stipulate that at least one member of the coaching staff must be female with the rider that "ideally, at least one half of the team officials should be female". Should similar stipulations be written into the regulations for the UEFA Women's Champions League? Among the technical observers, the matter aroused mixed feelings. On the one hand, FIFA's stance was regarded as a bold move and a step in the right direction. But, on the other hand, there were doubts about whether imposing female coaches is the right way to address the issue. What is your opinion? 27

28 Winning coach Gérard Prêcheur (Lyon) AFP/Getty Images Prêcheur reflects on Lyon success "Now I'll be able to spend time with my family and friends, all the people who have supported me over the last three years. I have to give back all the love the last few months have been very difficult for me." These are by no means the average post-match quotes that one would expect to hear from a coach who has just lifted the UEFA Women's Champions League title for a second successive season. But Gérard Prêcheur's comments in Cardiff highlight the stresses endemic to the coaching profession and, in particular, the strain on a man who strives to attain the right balance between the professional and the personal. Like Josep Guardiola, he had decided that a threeyear cycle provided adequate fulfilment and, whatever the result in Cardiff, had announced his departure from the Olympique Lyonnais bench. After the shoot-out victory, he was quick to congratulate Patrice Lair as, ironically, his swansong pitted him against the coach he had succeeded at OL in 2014 Prêcheur having previously acted as director of the French national association's training centre at Clairefontaine. The development of women's football was among his responsibilities and vocations. "France has been working hard to nurture and develop women's football," he said in the Welsh capital, "so it was great to have two teams in the final. I'm sure this will give a strong impetus to women's football in France." 28

29 Eight out of nine possible trophies rewarded the 57-year-old's three seasons of total dedication to the task at hand. "Everyday coaching at a club is demanding because you have to invest all your energy in the job. From a personal point of view, I was happy that I found myself capable of responding to all the challenges. It was quite complicated at times." In the context of life at Lyon, one of the AFP/Getty Images significant challenges was to prepare a squad physically, technically and mentally equipped to deal with top-level UEFA Women's Champions League fixtures intermingled with match action in the French domestic championship. In coaching terms, this meant setting up a team for games where they could expect to amply dominate, while devising a less flamboyant, more pragmatic style for contests against highly competitive top-level opponents. Prior to the previous season's final in Reggio Emilia, Prêcheur and his staff had meticulously prepared a side capable of blunting Wolfsburg's most dangerous weapons whereas, before Cardiff, there had been less need for scouting work on highly familiar opponents. Among the key decisions was a game plan based on a back four, rather than the three he had deployed in the semi-finals, and a three-pronged attack aimed at pre-empting the menace from Paris's wingbacks. "It was a tough final," he admitted, "and there were some tired, end-of-season legs. But the players were outstanding." Constantly prowling the technical area during the two hours of football in Cardiff, Prêcheur's style was to issue advice and instructions without stridencies or histrionics. "I have always said that you need to be modest and to remember that the important ones are the players out on the pitch. Back-to-back trebles have been great for the club and great for the girls. I don't think anyone has done that in the past, so they deserve congratulations for an exceptional achievement." After rounding off a three-year cycle of success with victory against Paris, so does Gérard Prêcheur. 29

30 The UEFA technical team Squad of the Season Goalkeepers 1 Katarzyna Kiedrzynek 16 Sarah Bouhaddi Paris Lyon Defenders 2 Lucia Bronze 3 Wendie Renard 12 Ashley Lawrence 17 Eve Perisset Manchester City Lyon Paris Paris 21 Kadeisha Buchanan 29 Griedge M'Bock Bathy Lyon Lyon Midfielders 30

31 5 Saki Kumagai 8 Jill Scott 10 Dzsenifer Marozsán 14 Pernille Harder Lyon Manchester City Lyon Wolfsburg 23 Camille Abily 26 Grace Geyoro Lyon Paris Forwards 3 Zsanett Jakabfi 9 Eugénie Le Sommer 10 Cristiane 10 Vivianne Miedema Wolfsburg Lyon Paris Bayern 31

32 UEFA technical observers' squad of the season Sportsfile Griedge M'Bock Bathy and Dzsenifer Marozsán both made the cut The task for UEFA's team of technical observers, when they met on the morning after the final in Cardiff, was to select a squad of 18 from a shortlist of 47 players who had caught their eyes along the road to Wales. Inevitably, it had to be a ruthless selection process in which, in particular, players from semifinalists Barcelona could understandably feel hard-done-by. Seven of their players had been shortlisted but, in the final judgement, none was rewarded. No fewer than eight of the 2017 squad (Sarah Bouhaddi, Griedge M'Bock Bathy, Wendie Renard, Saki Kumagai, Camille Abily, Eugénie Le Sommer, Cristiane and Dzsenifer Marozsán) had also been named the previous season Marozsán as an attacker at Frankfurt in 2016, here as the occupant of a more withdrawn role with Olympique Lyonnais. The two finalists inevitably provided the lion's share of the names on the team sheet at the end of a season dominated by French clubs. That does not prevent the list from having a cosmopolitan character, with exactly half of the squad playing their football outside their native countries. 32

33 Club analysis Results 33

34 Match officials 34

35 Name Country Date of birth FIFA Referees Jana Adámková Czech Republic 27/01/ Teodora Albon Romania 02/12/ Linn Andersson Sweden 18/01/ Esther Azzopardi Malta 12/12/ Sandra Bastos Portugal 01/03/ Lorraine Clark Scotland 12/06/ Cristina Dorcioman Romania 07/08/ Tania Fernandes Morais Luxembourg 12/09/ Stéphanie Frappart France 14/12/ Gyöngyi Gaál Hungary 29/06/ Désirée Grundbacher Switzerland 16/08/ Florence Guillemin France 04/12/ Marta Huerta De Aza Spain 31/03/ Riem Hussein Germany 26/07/ Sofia Karagiorgi Cyprus 20/01/ Zuzana Kováčová Slovakia 26/04/ Katalin Kulcsár Hungary 07/12/ Pernilla Larsson Sweden 18/09/ Lina Lehtovaara Finland 23/06/ Dimitrina Milkova Bulgaria 26/09/ Efthalia Mitsi Greece 03/03/ Kateryna Monzul Ukraine 05/07/ Monika Mularczyk Poland 28/06/ Elvira Nurmustafina Kazakhstan 07/08/ Lois Otte Belgium 16/10/ Petra Pavlikova Slovakia 22/05/ Vivian Peeters Netherlands 29/09/ Sara Persson Sweden 15/08/ Anastasia Pustovoitova Russia 10/02/

36 Viola Raudziņa Latvia 15/05/ Marte Sørø Norway 29/04/ Esther Staubli Switzerland 03/10/ Bibiana Steinhaus Germany 24/03/ Eszter Urban Hungary 03/09/ Zuzana Valentová Slovakia 27/03/ Carina Vitulano Italy 22/07/ Olga Zadinová Czech Republic 16/04/ Assistant referees Lucia Abruzzese Italy 15/04/ Anastassiya Akimova Kazakhstan 11/06/ Kathleen Marie Alexander Scotland 29/05/ Linda Andresen Norway 03/02/ Alexandra Theodora Apostu Romania 05/06/ Oleksandra Ardasheva Ukraine 20/01/ Josefin Aronsson Sweden 13/06/ Biljana Milanova FYR Macedonia 20/01/ Emilie Aubry Switzerland 08/04/ Nicolet Bakker Netherlands 13/03/ Solenne Bartnik France 02/07/ Christina Biehl Germany 15/04/ Belinda Brem Switzerland 03/09/ Elodie Coppola France 15/07/ Anna Dabrowska Poland 15/08/ Viki De Cremer Belgium 06/08/ Ella De Vries Belgium 10/05/ Francesca Di Monte Italy 30/08/ Vanessa Alexandra Dias Portugal 15/08/ Maria Etienne Belgium 12/01/ Silvia Fernandez Perez Spain 07/07/ Andreia Sousa Portugal 06/10/

37 Nina Hammarberg Finland 19/09/ Gabriela Hanáková Czech Republic 23/12/ Fijke Hoogendijk Netherlands 04/11/ Polyxeni Irodotou Cyprus 17/05/ Hayley Irvine Scotland 14/01/ Petruta Iugulescu Romania 20/09/ Mirela Ivanova Bulgaria 22/12/ Jelena Jermolajeva Latvia 16/04/ Annica Johansson Sweden 11/11/ Niki Karagiorgi Cyprus 18/02/ Maria Kouparani Greece 29/12/ Chrysoula Kourompylia Greece 29/07/ Judit Kulcsár Hungary 27/04/ Susann Küng Switzerland 19/03/ Ekaterina Kurochkina Russia 03/04/1986 Angela Kyriakou Cyprus 08/11/ Ivana Lesková Slovakia 01/04/ Julia Magnusson Sweden 19/04/ Jenni Mahlamäki Finland 14/08/ Brigitta Makkosne Petz Hungary 30/03/ Ekaterina Marinova Bulgaria 03/05/ Veronica Martinelli Italy 20/05/1985 Miriam Matulova Slovakia 24/02/1994 Jennifer Maubacq France 06/06/ Kylie Mcmullen Scotland 01/12/ Catalina Nan Romania 15/03/1989 Manuela Nicolosi France 18/01/ Anna Nyström Sweden 14/11/ Michelle O'Neill Republic of Ireland 20/07/ Sandra Österberg Sweden 18/03/ Tonja Paavola Finland 25/03/