Whilst Sonia Bompastor’s arrival at Chelsea Women has attracted the headlines when it comes to coaching appointments in the WSL this summer, she is not the only new name for fans to get used to, with three others also taking charge in the league, and all hoping to lead their sides to success.
The most recent appointment out of the four was that of Amandine Miquel, who was confirmed as Leicester City Women’s new head coach last week after seven years at Stade de Reims Féminines.
With her having a reputation for youth development, tactical adaptability and overall club growth, as well as leading her now-former team to a fourth-place finish in the Première Ligue (as the French women’s top flight is now known) last time out, there are high hopes around the King Power Stadium that she could be the one to take them up the standings after posting 10th and two 11th placed finishes in their three top-flight campaigns so far.
When looking at what Miquel will bring tactically to the East Midlands side, there is a lot for fans to be intrigued about, and several comparisons can be drawn between her Reims squad and the one that she has now inherited.
With that in mind, this tactical analysis will take a closer look at what can be expected of her once the action does get underway and which players could flourish under her tutelage.
Attacking transitions
Ever since her appointment at the King Power Stadium was confirmed, Amandine Miquel has made no secret of the fact that she wants to implement an attack-minded style of play that puts on a show for the fans.
When looking back at Reims’ performances last season, it becomes clear just what those tactics could entail, and the fact that they averaged 1.43 goals per game last season demonstrates that buying into her philosophy does lead to positive results.
When breaking down how Reims create chances, it comes down to their ability to execute transitions in as precise and as rapid a manner as possible, with players not looking to hold onto the ball for longer than is needed and always trying to operate with verticality in mind.
That starts from the back, with Miquel requiring centre-backs who are able to control the ball and play out from their own third, just as Mathilde Kack is doing here as she searches for an option ahead of her.
Her pass towards Noémie Mouchon might have been momentarily disrupted on this occasion by Paris FC Féminines midfielder Daphné Corboz, but it was only temporary, and Mouchon was able to quickly regain the ball before feeding it onwards in the next phase of the attack.
The fact that Reims as a team registered a 72.3% passing accuracy last season shows how efficient they were when shifting the ball from one-third to the next, and the cohesion and understanding that was present in multiphase situations like this is something that Miquel will hope to emulate in her new surroundings.
It will take time to implement to its full effect, with that understanding something that Reims built up over many years, but Leicester City Women have shown an ability to connect in the past and have already been looking for the specific profiles in the transfer market to make Miquel’s tactics possible.
The arrival of Jamaica defender Chantelle Swaby earlier in the window comes to mind in that regard, with her known for passing out from the back and for drifting between the centre-back and defensive midfield roles and so fitting the visionary backfield player profile that the new head coach depends so heavily on.
While that particular transition saw the ball move through the central channel, it is actually more common for Miquel’s teams to look to the wings when progressing the ball up the field, with Reims last season seeking to bypass potential defensive blocks whenever they could.
It is for this reason that they favoured a 4-1-4-1 formation (with it being utilised in 60% of their matches last season), with that system allowing for natural width whilst not leaving gaps open in central areas.
This does not mean that they lost the decisiveness and ability to work in unison, though.
This situation indicates how Cameroon left-back Colette Ndzana and Nigeria utility player Rofiat Imuran were able to combine and play the ball between the Lille Féminines players, taking both Danielle Roux and Julie Machart out of the game.
The other reason that they put such a strong emphasis on their wing play is because of what happens immediately after this, with Ndzana in clear space and it appearing as though she will be able to make it all the way up the field before sending the ball into the middle.
However, this is not her intention; instead, she wants Lille to move across to halt her progress, which they duly do.
Once that happens, she can then combine with Mouchon to take the ball into the central spaces and exploit the gaps that Lille leave open, and she ends up getting a shot away at goal here as a result.
Whilst she doesn’t manage to find the back of the net, Shana Chossenotte does after cutting inside from the opposite wing as a result of Lille’s shift across the pitch, and that allows the goal to be scored.
Therefore, the advantages of playing in this manner are clear to see, and Leicester’s fans will hope that they, too, will benefit from them as Miquel’s time at the helm goes on.
Imuran played a central role in a lot of what Reims did last season when they were in transition, and, as this graphic indicates, it was her combined ability to both deliver balls into the goal area and to dribble inside that made her such an invaluable asset for Miquel to have available to her.
It is for that reason that she will need the same dynamic players on the wings at Leicester, and she won’t be disappointed as they already have options who can match that profile.
Japan forward Yuka Momiki is one that will really thrive in it due to her being capable of twisting and turning on the spot and of getting into the half-spaces at will, whilst the duo of Missy Goodwin and Shannon O’Brien have been two of Leicester’s best players in the last couple of seasons and have provided a lot of width whenever they have had possession.
Therefore, whilst a few tweaks might need to be made, Leicester do have the basics required to implement their new coach’s preferred way of playing.
The theme of manipulating opponents into leaving spaces open continues when examining the role of the striker in Reims’ transitions.
In most matches, it was Mouchon who tended to occupy that position.
She is someone who plays with a high degree of unpredictability and so gives her team variety at the top of the pitch, with her capable of both running in behind and of dropping back to get on the ball in deeper areas.
The fact that she can do either means that opponents don’t often know what her intentions are until she makes her move, and it is that that led to her once again taking opponents out of position and of creating gaps for those around her.
In this case, she has dropped back to assist her team, and the temptation to close her down has proven to be too much for Lille’s Magou Doucouré to ignore, and that then allows the ball to be fed into the path of Chossenotte behind her.
Whilst the Lille player did make a good recovery and blocked the attempted cross, the point still stands that Miquel also needs a mobile centre forward to ensure that her team can create that sense of the unknown in the opposing side.
Having someone who can drop back and can push up the field is not something that Leicester have at the moment, with Finland international Jutta Rantala known for getting into positions between the lines and for connecting the play, whilst German striker Lena Petermann is a capable target player, so that might be something for her to develop as her time with the side goes on.
Midfield roles
What has been made clear so far in this analysis is that Amandine Miquel’s tactics are based on creating space and allowing her team to have the best possible chance of transferring the ball around the pitch undeterred.
Whilst this does see her favour the use of the wide channels to limit the risk of the ball being conceded, she still values those in the middle of the pitch, and they have very defined roles in making everything else work to its full potential.
One of the main responsibilities of those players is when the opposing side regains the ball and looks to launch their own attacks.
They are tasked with breaking them up and launching rapid counterattacks to put pressure back on their opponents.
In this case, Bordeaux Féminines have fallen into that trap as Marion Haelewyn has tried to carry the ball out from her third and has been met by the duo of Imuran and Anaële Le Moguédec, who succeeded in dispossessing her.
At that stage, the ball falls to the feet of another of the team’s Cameroon internationals, midfielder Charlène Meyong, and the now-London City Lionesses player doesn’t hesitate and sends the ball back up the pitch here to allow Mouchon to then run through on goal and to punish the error, with her finding the back of the net on this occasion.
Having a player who can disrupt play in the manner that Meyong did is not something that Leicester City Women are short of, with Sam Tierney and Japan international Saori Takarada both capable of engaging in duels and of hindering their opponents’ progress, whilst former Manchester City Women player Ruby Mace, who has signed on a permanent deal after previously spending time on loan at the King Power Stadium, also has as steeliness about her when shielding the back line.
Therefore, this is something that Miquel will not have too much trouble introducing ahead of the upcoming campaign.
However, not every team left themselves open in the manner that Bordeaux did, with Fleury 91 Féminines looking to be more secure and to make it tougher for them to be broken down.
As a result, Reims couldn’t be as direct with their passing and needed to demonstrate patience as they sought to move the ball into areas from which they could try their luck in front of goal.
That was where new Leipzig Frauen signing Lou-Ann Joly really stood out, with her constantly positioning herself between opposing lines and looking to feed the ball into spaces when they became available.
In this case, that meant sending it towards Chossenotte on the far side of the field, with the latter player in acres of open territory and, therefore, having the ability to progress up to the edge of the goal area before then fashioning a shot on goal.
Where Leicester will really benefit from this is when they can’t move the ball up the wings due to their opponents flooding those areas with defenders, which many in the WSL do, and it is not something that they have at the moment when assessing their current options.
Therefore, whilst there could be a few ways to fill it on a temporary basis, it is a role that she might need to dip into the transfer market to fill, and it could be something to keep an eye on between now and the beginning of the new campaign.
It wasn’t only moving the ball around the field that the midfielders at Reims were tasked with doing, though, with it already mentioned in this analysis that the French side benefitted when they got numbers up the field to support their final third play.
This was something that Rachel Corboz (sister of the aforementioned Daphné) in particular offered, with her tending to position herself on the edge of the goal area and to provide a secondary goal threat when Reims were in possession, which was another reason for their positive campaign.
As with Mouchon, what made Corboz so effective in these situations was her unpredictability, with her here shaping to move one way and subsequently taking PSG Féminine’s Mélia Bourdoncle out of the gap before then turning and shooting at goal with the other foot.
Having players who can bring this same offensive presence and who can score from further back is something that Leicester do have in their ranks through Rantala and Canada international Deanne Rose, and it might help to compensate for the lack of mobility in the forward areas highlighted previously.
Therefore, this is undoubtedly something else that Miquel could look to implement at the earliest available opportunity.
Defensive setup
As any head coach is aware, football is a game of balance, and any strong attacking play has to be married with solidity in defence.
With Reims averaging just 41.71% possession per game last time out, it was especially vital that they were tough to beat whenever they were under siege.
They spent a significant amount of their games without the ball and were, therefore, constantly at risk of conceding chances.
However, the fact that they managed to finish so high up the Première Ligue standings whilst not having the ball for extended periods is a testament to their hard work in defence, and it was apparent whenever they were out of possession that there was once again clarity and cohesion with regards to each player knowing their role.
The game plan was also logical, with Reims adopting a compact shape and focusing on guarding against attempts to break them down centrally whilst allowing their opponents to have the freedom of the wings to move the ball around in.
As a result, situations like this were a constant in their matches, with Dijon Féminine’s Denmark midfielder Sarah Jankovska sending the ball out to Léna Goetsch here and the latter being under no real pressure.
However, where opposing teams found it tricky to create chances is when delivering the ball into the middle, with Goetsch’s cross here failing to clear the first hurdle and allowing Ndzana to put it out of play.
With them winning 67.7% of their defensive duels and 40.3% of their aerial battles, it is clear to see how Reims are generally watertight when they are tested in this manner, and having this shape and not drifting too far away from each other certainly made life a lot easier for the back line and for Poland goalkeeper Kinga Szemik (who has joined West Ham United Women this summer).
With Leicester signing Belgium defender Sari Kees from OH Leuven Women and also having Scotland’s Sophie Howard in their backline options, they already have players who can offer this ability to protect against attacks of a similar nature.
Therefore, this is something else that could be apparent from their opening match and which could help them settle into Miquel’s way of playing early on in the campaign.
Miquel’s defensive tactics don’t only rely on clearing the ball from danger, though; instead, there is still a reliance on them to play with the same composure that has been apparent throughout this analysis.
In this case, Guingamp Féminines have looked to send the ball into the middle through forward Sarah Cambot, and it has been met by Nigeria defender Oluwatosin Demehin, who was one of Reims’ key defensive lynchpins last season, with her controlling the ball and then passing it out to a teammate in her vicinity.
Therefore, whilst there will be times when Leicester do need to prioritise clearing their lines (as Reims needed to on plenty of occasions), they will need to be adaptable and to have an ability to build attacks directly from an intercepted cross in the way that Demehin did here, and that will be something else that will help them to develop as Miquel’s tenure goes on.
What Miquel and Leicester will need to be mindful of, though, is the potential for counterattacks to open them up.
That is a downside of playing out from the back and operating with a high defensive line.
It was this that led to Reims conceding 1.65 times per game last season, with the trip to Saint-Etienne Féminines one when this weakness became especially apparent.
The thing that really hurt them was the pace that Haiti international Amandine Pierre-Louis demonstrated and her ability to operate parallel to the Reims defenders due to them being so narrow in their structure.
As a result, when passes like the one from Solène Champagnac here were made, she had an immediate advantage and could easily exploit the space that was available in front of her, which allowed her to turn on the afterburners and to get a shot away at goal without coming under too much pressure.
Whilst her effort on this occasion travelled across goal and missed the target, it was a warning for Reims and is something that Leicester will need to avoid letting happen too often as well if they are to avoid conceding unnecessary goals.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this tactical analysis has taken a closer look at Leicester City Women and their new head coach, Amandine Miquel, highlighting the tactics that she could bring to her new team and the reasons that fans can be optimistic about her potential to lead them up the table and to take them to the next level of their development.
What will really help her to be a success in the WSL is her ability to adapt and set her team up to deal with any eventuality.
That is crucial in the English game as every side is different, and each match will be a challenge in its own way.
Therefore, any team that plays too one-dimensionally is quickly found out, and that is something that Leicester can’t afford if they are to enjoy a successful campaign.
All in all, it does appear to be a positive appointment, and one that could help them be more ambitious and play in a way that makes them a much more unpredictable outfit.
Whilst a top-four challenge might be beyond them, a top-half finish is not completely out of the question, and it will be interesting to see as the games go on just how quickly the players adapt to Miquel and her methods.
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