The WSL’s title fight might be dominating conversations around the English women’s game at the moment, but there is an equally exciting battle taking place at the top of the Women’s Championship. At least four teams are in genuine contention to lift the second-tier trophy and secure a place in next season’s top-flight campaign.
One of those is Crystal Palace Women, who have undergone a considerable transformation under new head coach Laura Kaminski, who took over a team fighting in mid-table and who had the third-worst defensive record and turning them into a side that is now playing an attractive style of play and that sits second in the table at the time of writing, just a point behind current leaders Sunderland Women.
There is no doubt when watching them that she has worked wonders with the players and has got them moving in the right direction after struggling to assert their credentials beforehand. This tactical analysis will examine how she has turned them around and why they are now seen as genuine promotion contenders.
Attacking threat
Whilst the majority of conversations about Crystal Palace Women last season revolved around their defensive issues, what has got people talking this time around is the quality of their attacking play. They find the net 1.36 times more per game than they did last season and constantly prove to be a tough team to keep out.
This is thanks in no small part to Wales striker Elise Hughes, with the former Everton Women attacker undoubtedly the standout name in their squad following her 19 goals in all competitions (14 of which have come in the league).
However, whilst her ability to play on the shoulder and to offer all of the things that a target player should has been evident in their games, what has really made her such a vital part of the furniture for her side is her ability to hold up play and to bring others into the game, allowing them to shine too and giving Crystal Palace multiple ways of breaking their opponents down.
This has proven to be very useful when looking at those games when Hughes has been closed down and prevented from inflicting her usual damage, as has happened here. In this case, she had run onto a loose back pass from Blackburn Rovers Women’s Annie Hutchings but was quickly closed down by defender Hannah Silcock, meaning that she could not test her luck with a shot on goal.
At this stage, those around her need to make runs to offer her a passing option, and it comes here from fellow forward Araya Dennis, who has entered the goal area and is in a position from which she can shoot at goal. As a result, Hughes feeds the ball back to her, and Dennis tries her luck, with the shot going wide on this occasion. However, the way Hughes played the team game here shows how much she offers her side, which has led to her becoming an intrinsic part of their improvements this season.
As the season has gone on, situations like this have become more and more common in Crystal Palace’s attacking play, with Hughes once again holding the ball up here and pinning London City Lionesses’ New Zealand defender Grace Neville back and allowing Annabel Blanchard to run across her and to shoot at goal.
Blanchard, in particular, has become known for making runs like this. She is often seen roaming between opposing lines in this manner. Her ability to drift between channels has been key in Crystal Palace manipulating their opponents into leaving gaps open and allowing the likes of Hughes to have time and space to pick their spots.
Whilst the shot once again fails to lead to anything, with London City goalkeeper Hermione Cull gathering Blanchard’s effort up without any trouble, the way that it was created is what really stands out. The constant movement that players like the former Blackburn forward have made has really helped Crystal Palace pose as big an offensive threat as they have.
However, there have been little tweaks in their tactics at times as Kaminski tries to keep them as unpredictable as possible and ensure that her side has everything they need to break their opponents down. The weekend’s 1-0 win at home to Sheffield United Women was one game when she altered the roles of those in the forward areas.
In short, what happened was that Hughes became less of a target player and more of a playmaker, with the intention being to set traps for the defenders to fall into by following her. The idea was that Molly-Mae Sharpe would then be able to rotate with her and move into the spaces that had been left unoccupied as a result. It was noticeable from the early stages that this was their game plan, and it worked to perfection, with Hughes attracting the attention of the Sheffield United back line and Sharpe having plenty of goalscoring opportunities.
Whilst Hughes’ role here should not be diluted in any way, Sharpe deserves to be highlighted for her efforts not just this season but ever since joining the team in 2021. She has always worked hard for the team and is capable of adapting to different circumstances when needed to always be a team player.
There is a strong argument that she is the second tier’s most underrated player, and she is certainly someone that any club would love to have in their squad. In this game, she was the best player on the pitch and a key reason for resilient Sheffield United’s exit from the match with nothing to show for their efforts.
Whilst a lot of the things mentioned so far in this scout report are things that Kaminski has not really altered that much, one thing that she has really worked hard on is Crystal Palace using the full width of the pitch when creating chances in order to stretch their opponents out as far as they can. As this graphic shows, they have tended to use the wide areas a lot when in advanced positions, which shows how their intention is always to be patient and to try and create gaps and then hit their opponents when they cannot react.
It has not always worked, with only 23.6% of their crosses from the left and 26.3% of those from the left finding their intended targets. Still, this shows how Kaminski has been trying to add layers to her team’s offensive play, and the fact that they have improved their overall threat inside the final third shows that her ideas are having the desired effect.
Transitions
However, where Crystal Palace Women have really improved under Kaminski has been in the midfield, with their transitions appearing clean and sharp and the confidence that those involved in them have shown (which has resulted in an overall passing accuracy of 78.8%) indicating again why they have been so difficult to play against.
What has helped them to move the ball through the thirds without interceptions being made is the tempo with which they have kept it moving, with players rarely taking more than two touches of the ball and always ensuring that there is a passing option ready whenever it travels from one player to another.
The positives that that has brought are indicated clearly here, with Shanade Hopcroft receiving the ball and turning instantly to look for a pass and noticing that Blanchard is already waiting for the ball to come to her, knowing what her teammate’s intention is.
However, the player to really focus on here is Paige Bailey-Gayle. The Jamaican and former Leicester City Women forward (who moved to Women’s National League North leaders Newcastle United Women in January) already makes a run up the field before the ball reaches Blanchard inside her. That really typifies the constant determination to maintain their pace in possession and desire to stay on the front foot.
It also means that Sunderland are put under instant pressure once the ball arrives at her feet, and the fact that they have seen 48.6% of their counterattacks end in shots on the opposing goal this season (up from 45.7% last time out) shows how thinking ahead in this manner has had a definite effect on their ability to control proceedings much more rather than being the purely reactive side that they were for much of last season.
It was clear from the outset that implementing this fast-paced style was Kaminski’s aim and her transfer business last summer was geared towards adding the players that she needed to make it a success. One of those who came into the club was 17-year-old Chelsea Women academy product Alexia Potter (known as Lexi), who only signed her first professional contract with the WSL’s defending champions in the summer before her loan move to the Championship club.
During her time in the second tier, it is safe to say that she has become an integral part of their play and a key component in Crystal Palace’s system. Her versatility really helps her adapt to the differing demands of Kaminski’s game plans and demonstrate the many aspects of her game that Chelsea fans will look forward to witnessing when she returns to her parent club.
In this case, she has dropped back to receive the ball from the back line before turning and looking for a pass up the field, instigating another sequence of passes through the thirds, and there is no doubt that, like Sharpe, she is another who has played her part in taking the club into promotion contention.
However, the key thing to note is that it is not always the midfielders who have been tasked with launching attacks from the back. Kaminski also wants her central defenders to start them, and it has been common to see the back line push up the field in the way that they have done here against Sunderland to act as additional sources for their attacks.
It is for this reason that their main central defensive partnership has consisted of captain Aimee Everett, who is a midfielder by trade, and Republic of Ireland defender Hayley Nolan, who joined on a free transfer from London City in the summer, with both well-known for being comfortable on the ball and their ability to find teammates with accurate passes.
There is an inherent risk to playing this way, with it clear that Crystal Palace would be at an immediate disadvantage if Sunderland were to regain the ball and launch a rapid counterattack, but Kaminski wants her team to be brave, and it shows on the field. Therefore, again, having this mentality and demonstrating constant quality in possession is another reason they have looked so dangerous this season, with it clear that no one is too much to handle.
Defensive improvements
As mentioned, what got most people talking about Crystal Palace Women last season was how vulnerable they were as soon as they lost the ball and how many times they gifted their opponents opportunities and were their own worst enemies. It was clear that addressing that lack of solidity would need to be high on Kaminski’s list if she was to have a prosperous first campaign at the helm.
Given the amount of work that needed to be undertaken, it was clear that time and patience would be required as they adjusted to new ideas and an alternative system. Kaminski changed from a back three to a back four in her bid to give them added protection inside their own third.
Their first few matches demonstrated how long a process it would be, but their last few games have seen them be much more organised without the ball, and they have made it much harder for opponents to create chances against them. Here, Southampton Women are pushing forward and Megan Collett might have had the space to find striker Katie Wilkinson ahead of her last season, but she doesn’t here due to Crystal Palace getting numbers back and removing that time.
As a result, Collett feeds the ball out to Sophia Pharaoh instead, who is positioned on the nearside wing. This means that an extra pass has needed to be made, giving Crystal Palace a better chance of clearing the threat. Moments like this show why they have only conceded 1.05 goals per game this season, compared to 1.81 in 2022/23.
As would be expected in the current game plan, though, it is not only about being reactive; instead, Kaminski has urged her team to defend on the front foot where they can, with a clear desire for them to regain possession as soon as possible. The fact that they have made 275 high regains, 375 counterpressing recoveries and 90 dangerous recoveries (those which have led to a shot on the opposing goal within 20 seconds of the ball being won) so far shows that it has been a successful tactic for them as the campaign has progressed.
Making it a success has been aided in no small part by the January arrival of Izzy Atkinson from West Ham United Women. The Republic of Ireland international tends to operate as a wing-back for her country and shows pace both when supporting attacks and when tracking back to protect her side’s goal.
Since joining Kaminski’s side, she has tended to play solely as a winger, but her defensive instincts have still been useful for them. Here, she gets out to Sheffield United’s Rebecca Rayner and prevents her from launching an attack of her own, therefore epitomising that desire to win the ball as quickly as possible and prevent opposing sides from building any momentum.
This is not to say, though, that Crystal Palace have been perfect because there have still been plenty of situations when they needed more composure and allowed their opponents to test their luck. Against Watford Women, they looked to be in trouble whenever the home side pressed from the front, with striker Carly Johns forcing Nolan to concede the ball here and allowing Bianca Baptiste to shoot at goal, with her effort coming back off the post.
Whilst Watford did force the issue here, it shows how there are still areas of Crystal Palace’s play that they need to keep looking at, but that is no bad thing as it means that they can always have something to aim for, and so never sit back during matches and so will ensure that they keep pushing until the end in the fight for a place in the WSL next season.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this tactical analysis has examined Crystal Palace Women in detail, breaking down their tactics and examining how they have changed this season, going from a mid-table side to one firmly in the race for a place in the WSL.
Throughout the analysis, it has become clear that they have taken several significant steps forward under head coach Laura Kaminski and that there have been several reasons for fans to be pleased with her first campaign in charge. However, they will have to keep waiting to see if the changes she has made ultimately lead to success, with there still being a long way to go in the campaign and with them being just one of several teams in contention to secure the league’s only promotion position.
It will be a tough fight ahead, and it could well go down to the final day, but Crystal Palace have demonstrated this season a newfound quality and resilience, and they will really benefit from that as the campaign reaches its conclusion. There is no doubt that they will not give up until things are mathematically beyond them. Only time will tell if their hopes will be ultimately dashed or if their transformation takes them to the promised lands of the top flight.
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