The summer transfer window has been one of the most thrilling in recent history. There have been so many high profile signings that have made their way across that the teams in the FAWSL have made the league the most exciting one in women’s football today.
Chelsea Women, Manchester United Women, Manchester City Women and Arsenal Women have all made major transfers with Sam Kerr’s move to Chelsea in January triggering the influx of foreign superstars.
One of the last few transfers arguably saw the most recognised face in women’s football move to the FAWSL in Alex Morgan. Tottenham Hotspur Women moved to sign the Orlando Pride forward on a short term deal to inject some much-needed quality. So, what can we expect from the American forward?
This scout report will detail Morgan’s qualities and strengths and what she brings to Tottenham Hotspur’s team, as well as where she fits in.
Player Profile
Alex Morgan is a 31-year-old natural centre-forward that has versatility in her style of play. A complete forward, Morgan is capable of playing multiple roles. From line breaking runs and attacking crosses to playing with her back to goal, Morgan is an excellent all-round addition. Her main strengths revolve around her aptitude in and out of position and ball skills which comes from Morgan’s link-up play, finishing and spatial awareness.
Knowing where teammates are means she’s able to move into positions which create space for other forwards. Morgan is very good at facilitating other attackers around her which contributes to her versatility. The forward benefits from playing at a high level with both Orlando Pride and the US Women’s National Team (USWNT), boosting her overall game which will benefit the other Spurs attackers.
Attacking & transitions – Out of possession intelligence
Morgan is a mobile forward but what she is very effective at is her ability to move efficiently. This means the striker is able to utilise the space around her and take advantage of even the smallest of spaces. Morgan can utilise her strengths to the fullest given the different profiles of players she has played with. Tobin Heath, Megan Rapinoe, Rose Lavelle, Sam Mewis, Lindsay Horan, Marta and Sydney Leroux are just some of the players that Morgan has played with for club and country. Her tactical awareness in actively seeking to either play in teammates or fashion chances on her own is what makes her such a compelling striker.
If we take a closer look at this heat map, you can see the areas where Morgan is most effective. The centre-forward slips into pockets of space to pick up possession and will more often than not drive forward and take a shot. There are two ways in which Morgan creates shooting possibilities.
The first is where she will usually drop into the space a No.10 would occupy to link-up with the midfielders and wingers to create goal-scoring chances. The other method is playing between the lines, ready to get onto through balls and use the space created by the wingers. This, combined with her good shooting ability, makes her a very dangerous forward.
Being faster than the opposition in terms of reactions and small movements is pivotal towards creating chances. The example here shows Morgan against Utah Royals where she sees a pass coming into her and looks to react quicker than the central defender by moving in front of her. She is aware of the space to her right and wants to use it to try and get a shot away.
Morgan’s quick reactions see the centre-back lose a yard on her and is almost free to take a shot against the goalkeeper. Positioning and timing is notably essential for a striker and one second too late can see the marker get in front of the player and thwart the chance.
Just in the World Cup alone, Morgan ranked 14th for shots per 90 minutes and second for shot accuracy with 64.71%, which shows her effectiveness in this area. It’s because of her ability to get into good spaces and ensure she tests the goalkeeper as she does in the example. This is something Tottenham Hotspur will profit from because they haven’t been able to produce enough chances this season so, when they do get into position, Morgan will be extremely beneficial.
Morgan is equally skilled at breaking lines and getting on the end of crosses from teammates. Granted this is more from a perspective of a team that has dominated possession and has very attack-minded full-backs, however, her ability to create something out the chances presented to her is good. Morgan had a 21.87% shot to goal conversion rate in 2019 for the USWNT compared to Kerr who has a 25% conversion but played fewer games. Morgan’s overall tally of goals and assists at the World Cup of seven was the highest, plus when you consider that there were quite a few clinical finishers in Kerr, Vivianne Miedema, and Kosovore Asllani, Morgan did remarkably well. Each of these players has their own strengths but the one common factor between them is their ability to get into goal scoring positions and be clinical.
The example from the USWNT’s game against England at the World Cup proffers a good example. Morgan sees the opportunity for Lindsay Horan to ping a cross into the 18-yard box for Morgan to attack. Horan’s decision to make the pass is quick because of the two players looking to close her down. Morgan recognises this and wants to accelerate into the vacant space in behind.
The striker moves quickly and gains a yard of space ahead of Demi Stokes and manages to score a headed goal. There are two points to note here. One being the other English defenders had no time to react because of the quick pass which meant Morgan was afforded a little bit more time. Second, her ability to power over Stokes is a testament to her power in the air and will be especially useful in the FAWSL playing against some strong defenders.
Attacking & transitions – Spatial awareness
Morgan’s style of play typically means there will be more link-ups in midfield given her ‘back to goal’ style and the types of players she plays with. At Orlando Pride, she works with Marta and Sydney Leroux while for country she has Lavelle, Mewis, Horan and Julie Ertz. So the type of players associated with Morgan in midfield have largely been players who have excellent ball carrying and ball-playing skills which allows for more passing exchanges combined with excellent runners.
Her movement and positioning is a core part of her game which allows Morgan to get into positions to link-up with midfield. Being able to hold up possession and wait for the right pass illustrates Morgan’s spatial awareness. Part of Morgan’s playstyle is her ability to drop into pockets of space and play off the midfield’s passes to create space for the two wide forwards to drift into the box.
The above pass map demonstrates the above point. This pass map shows Morgan (#13) situated in a deeper position whilst Rapinoe and Heath are sitting high and wide, which allows them to come inside and attack the box. By dropping into these pockets of space, Morgan is able to pull defenders out of position just enough to allow the wingers to cut inside. Simultaneously, this could also give a midfield runner a possibility to break the lines and create an overload in behind the central striker.
Looking at her expected goals and assists for the World Cup alone, you’ll see how far and above Morgan exceeded expectations. Morgan registered an expected goals and assists (xG+A) of 4.07 with a return of 7 goals + assists, which was one of the highest differentials at the tournament. Rapinoe had numbers of 6.45 xG+A and a return of 6 goals + assists which is pretty much equal to what she was expected to score and assist. Though it’s important to note that this includes penalties.
Morgan drops into the right half-space and manages to pull three French players towards her. Though she is being pressed, Morgan is able to create sufficient time for herself to allow Heath to make a run in behind the defensive line. Although she has a couple of options, her quick reactions mean Morgan is able to play Heath through and put her in a position to play in Rapinoe (far side) and Mewis (centre) in the box.
In this second example, Morgan is involved in a counter-attack with Lavelle charging through the centre. The two begin a quick passing exchange with Lavelle passing into the dropping Morgan, who comes around to collect the return pass. Morgan proceeds to make her way to the left of her marker.
Lavelle’s run diverts the Swedes’ attention which lets Morgan make a run between the lines and get into a position to run onto a potential through ball from Lavelle in the vacant space.
How does Alex Morgan fit at Tottenham Hotspur?
Tottenham Hotspur are a bit more direct in their play which is something Morgan will not have experienced too much of, however, the quality she possesses means she’ll be able to adapt. Analysing the first two games of the season has revealed the fact that Spurs need improvements going forward. Amoros and Hills have utilised a 4-2-3-1 which gives Spurs a strong double-pivot base with the signing of Alanna Kennedy paired with Josie Green. Gemma Davidson has looked sharp and provided their attacking thrust and while Rianna Dean will be looked at to provide the goals again (10 in all competitions last season), but they haven’t been able to provide a consistent goal threat. Dean scored four goals last season whilst Davidson didn’t contribute, but their overall play this season has improved without penetration.
The graphic from the West Ham match demonstrates their attacking tendencies where they’ve taken 11 shots from the left but with a lower expected goals (xG) threat. Morgan’s clinical finishing in front of goal can improve the side’s finishing and increase their xG, making them more of a threat.
Morgan’s arrival can change their attacking style of play where she can introduce and encourage more interchanges and increase the tempo, meaning Spurs can improve their penetration. The American striker coming in will give them a focal point as the side’s complete forward. Morgan can run in behind, take on crosses and link play something which neither of their current centre-forwards have.
I believe Morgan will encourage them to play into her more, which means the front four will be a lot more connected and not just reliant one individual player like Davidson cutting inside and shooting. Though Morgan will not be a major defensive asset by pressing, she’ll definitely improve their overall attacking and transition quality.
This opportunity exemplifies their attacking problems. Ashleigh Neville in possession has no real passing target which forces her to go long down the flank. If one of the forwards were to drop into the highlighted area, then Spurs could look to build a more structured move.
The same move eventually finds a Spurs player cutting inside and looking to shoot, however, if Siri Worm (#15) were to move up, Tottenham Hotspur would have a better shooting chance.
Tottenham Hotspur used Rachel Williams as a sole striker against Everton Women which also compounded the issue. More of a wide forward, Williams is accustomed to playing in a pairing, which isolated her against Everton’s defenders. Though by playing Williams behind or next to Morgan, Spurs could unlock a potentially threatening partnership. Runs from the wide players in behind will bring in more overloads, which will help create more chances. Morgan does give Spurs a number of different attacking options and formations.
Final remarks
Morgan is more than just a glamour signing. The analysis has explained how she adds a lot of quality to a side in need of some experience and clinical finishing in the forward areas.
Morgan should slot straight into the side once fit and her experience and class will give their attacking line up a boost. Through the tactical analysis, I’ve highlighted Morgan’s main strengths and how they’ll be integrated into this Spurs side. This could be a masterstroke that propels the team into an unlikely 5-6th place finish considering the major surgery done by the other teams.
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