There are not many sides left in the English women’s game who are fully independent, with the vast majority sharing the name of the men’s team that they are affiliated with in one way or another.
However, there are still a few entities out there that don’t have that link and exist solely as a women’s team.
The best known, perhaps, is Women’s Championship outfit London City Lionesses, who were part of Millwall until 2019 before announcing their split from the club in the summer of that year.
Being run without the influence of a men’s team has benefits but also problems.
Funding in the women’s game is not as high, so those who don’t have the same financial backing tend to struggle.
London City have discovered that as the years have gone by, with the 2022/23 campaign seeing things become quite serious, reports circulated of the players asking then-owner Diane Culligan to either sell the club or to source additional investment due to their encountering financial instability.
Step forward American billionaire Michele Kang, who purchased the club from Culligan in December 2023 and added it to her growing portfolio of women’s teams in the process.
She also owns NWSL side Washington Spirit and acquired a majority stake in French giants Lyon Féminin earlier this year.
When taking the reins, she stated that she saw enormous potential in London City and wanted to build a sustainable future for the players.
She has made no secret of her desire to take the club into the WSL and secure a top-flight title.
To give her new team the best possible chance of meeting those aims, Kang has this summer appointed former PSG Féminine head coach Jocelyn Prêcheur and has carried out an ambitious recruitment strategy, with a number of star names from major leagues being added to the roster in a bid to help them realise their dreams of securing promotion.
With the likes of Sweden playmaker Kosovare Asllani signing for the team and Prêcheur pledging to implement the same brand of football he introduced at PSG, things are definitely looking up for London City.
This tactical analysis will detail what fans can look forward to when the action begins.
Jocelyn Prêcheur Tactics & Principles In Attack
During Prêcheur’s time in charge of PSG, the French side were renowned for their desire to dominate the ball in each match, with their average possession per outing standing at a formidable 61.79%.
What made that possible was their ability to be flexible positionally and never appear too structured around the pitch.
London City will likely look to play with the same mentality and could become one of the toughest sides to regain the ball from in years to come.
However, the key thing to note about PSG’s passing sequences is that they always had a purpose.
Prêcheur wanted his side to be conservative and as risk-free as possible but constantly scan the pitch and look for opportunities to accelerate through opposing lines.
In that sense, it was about being efficient when they did have chances to apply pressure, with every player committing as soon as they decided to bite.
This situation highlights how effective that strategy proved to be.
With PSG in possession and shifting the ball around the field in a measured way as they search for a chance to break Le Havre Féminines down, it is at this point that they feel there is enough of a gap that they can move the ball between their opponents’ lines and get a shot away at goal.
As a result, when Eva Gaetino receives the ball from right-back Jade Le Guilly, the American defender shows no hesitation in progressing it forward and into the feet of captain Grace Geyoro.
That desire to commit and to attack at speed once they do decide to go is continued by Geyoro here turning instantaneously and firing at goal, which then doesn’t give Le Havre any time to regroup and to close the gap that the France midfielder has ahead of her.
Though it might not have led to anything on this occasion, the fact that they registered an 86.3% passing accuracy last season and scored 2.62 times per game highlights how effective this style of play was for PSG and could be for London City, too, once they understand the key principles that make it work.
Another of Prêcheur’s key mantras that he is likely to introduce is adaptability.
He knows that different teams will present different challenges, and so his side will need to find alternative solutions as the campaign goes on.
This was something else that really stood out about PSG’s performances last time out, with their tactics when visiting Lyon in the second half of the campaign based around absorbing pressure and hitting the eventual Première Ligue (then known as Division 1 Féminine) champions on the counterattack, whilst Le Havre’s desire to sit behind the ball meant that they needed to be more expansive in a bid to stretch them out and to create gaps through the middle.
For this reason, he tended to lean towards wing-back formations as the campaign went on, with a 3-5-2 shape being PSG’s most-used last season and utilised in 35% of their games.
The reason for that is that its natural width, while also allowing teams to simultaneously create central overloads, means that teams can tease their opponents apart and still have enough to commit to attacks when those spaces do appear.
It was also noticeable that he deployed wide forwards in those positions, too, knowing that defensive security might be sacrificed but that they would have a natural instinct to get up the pitch and, therefore, prevent their opponents from staying too compact.
In this case, Denmark forward Amalie Vangsgaard (who has this summer moved to Juventus Femminile as part of their own squad rebuild) is demonstrating that by running up the far side wing and giving defender Thiniba Samoura a way of moving the ball around the Le Havre players.
What is telling is that Samoura has options ahead of her in Geyoro, Laurina Fazer and Malawi forward Tabitha Chawinga but recognised that the safer passing option would be the better choice in the long run.
Once again, the chance didn’t come off, and it is worth noting that only 33.4% of PSG’s crosses did find their intended targets last season, with this one being cut out by defender Héloïse Mansuy.
However, the threat was still there, and it highlights how PSG didn’t only try to attack through the middle, indicating clearly that their play is adaptable.
Prêcheur is also known for fitting players into his system and occasionally altering their positions if it suits the team.
One really good example of this is former Netherlands player Lieke Martens-van Leer.
She moved to the capital in 2022 from Barcelona Femení as a winger but has since evolved into more of a midfielder; it’s more common to see her in central spaces than further out towards the sidelines.
The result is that PSG have been able to bring her accuracy with the ball at her feet into play more often.
She is not only relied upon now to deliver balls into the middle from wide with unerring precision but is also able to involve herself even more in build-up play and aid her side in both offensive and defensive situations.
Her excellent movement and spatial awareness have also been really strong features of her play.
This role change has benefitted both her and PSG as a whole, enabling them to use her as part of their flexible midfield unit and, therefore, again making it as difficult as possible for sides to contain them.
It has also allowed her to test opposing defences with greater regularity, with her now not only able to get shots away when cutting inside from the wing.
In this case, she has managed to evade the attempt made by Fleury 91 Féminines’ Jamaica international Chantelle Swaby (who this summer moved to Leicester City Women) to tackle her and has successfully tried her luck from a central position.
The fact that she scored six times last season and assisted seven more shows how dangerous she can be when given this freedom to get on the ball and to affect the game.
Therefore, whilst London City’s recruitment has been focused on adding what they didn’t have beforehand and filling gaps that had become apparent in past campaigns, it would not be a surprise to see Prêcheur playing around with individual roles and positioning players in unorthodox positions at times, with it clear that he will always act if he feels that it benefits an individual player and that it is in the best interests of the team to do so.
Jocelyn Prêcheur Defensive Tactics
There is certainly a lot of hope among the London City Lionesses fanbase that Prêcheur’s ideas develop their attacking play, but where they will need him to really have an impact is in the defensive side of things, with that being where they struggled last season and which led to them fighting to stay in the Championship.
Fortunately, their new coach’s key messages of efficiency and unity extend to those moments when his sides don’t have possession.
PSG largely matched their attacking threat last time out with solidity at the back, and so it can be expected that London City will be more secure without the ball this time around.
Once again, a lot of what they have done well in these situations is the result of their ability to read the play and react accordingly, with PSG continually adjusting to meet different threats and shut down attacks as efficiently as possible.
In this case, Montpellier Féminines’ Canada defender Marie Levasseur has the ball inside the goal area, and France left-back Sakina Karchaoui has moved across to close her down.
However, the player to really look at here is Samoura.
She made the decisive contribution by recognising the supporting run of midfielder Cyrielle Blanc and arcing inside her to prevent her from shooting at goal.
This was not the only time that potentially dangerous situations were neutralised in this manner.
Last time out, PSG succeeded in 71.2% of their defensive duels, proving to be a tough nut to crack whenever they came under pressure.
It is the awareness of those on the field which allowed them to be that resolute, and there will be a strong hope among London City fans that their team can be just as watertight when the new English season gets underway.
That ability to adapt to different circumstances really came into its own when PSG were faced with counterattacks.
They were here trying to keep Stade de Reims Féminines at bay following one of their typical transitions down the wing, knowing that they were on the back foot due to the vast amounts of territory that had been left unprotected around them.
However, they didn’t lose their composure and instead showed strong teamwork and understanding.
Le Guilly forced Nigeria international Rofiat Imuran into passing the ball inside to Léa Notel and Australia centre-back Clare Hunt (who this summer completed a move to Tottenham Hotspur Women), then took a small step out to entice her into running towards the goal line rather than attempting to cut inside the field.
By doing so, she allows the rest of her teammates to get into a position to end the attack.
It is now obvious what Notel will do once she gets into space, and her attempted pass into the middle is therefore intercepted with ease by Élisa de Almeida at the near post.
Whilst Reims did still manage to get a shot away at goal, with de Almeida’s pass out being loose and therefore inviting them to keep their foot on the accelerator momentarily, they didn’t have the same time and space as they could have enjoyed had they succeeded in finding a way past PSG at this point.
The reason they didn’t, though, was the way Prêcheur’s side managed the situation.
The fact that just 43% of their opponents’ shots were on target last time out highlights how they generally nullified anything that their opponents threw at them.
It is because of that that Prêcheur was never too concerned about his now-former side being too spread out when inside their own third.
He knew that his players would be able to shift themselves around the pitch as required and adapt to whatever they came up against.
In this case, Lille Féminines are in the process of building an attack and are trying to fashion a gap in the middle for them to make a run through, with Naomie Bamenga passing towards Agathe Ollivier in a bid to make the pitch as big as possible.
However, that was as far as they were able to go here, with the next pass from Ollivier into the middle being met once again by de Almeida, who had read the promoted team’s intentions early and who had positioned herself to ensure that she could regain the ball for her side.
With de Almeida winning 72.4% of her individual defensive duels and making five interceptions per game as the campaign went on, there is no doubting her importance to PSG’s play and her value as soon as they were put under any kind of pressure.
Prêcheur really came to rely on her unwavering defensive qualities in each game, and London City will be hoping that they, too, operate with the same robust attitude under their new coach and that his methods help eradicate those moments last season when their defensive vulnerabilities became significantly exposed.
London City Lionesses Key Players
As mentioned at the beginning of this London City Lionesses scout report, it is not only a new coaching appointment that has given London City Lionesses hope of finally reaching the WSL but there have also been significant upgrades made to the squad.
As the summer has gone on, there have been many new faces moving to Hayes Lane (home of EFL newcomers Bromley and, from this season, London City) and with a wide range of experience, with Kang searching for a blend of young players who are untested at this level and more established names who will bring specific qualities to the team.
The undoubted marquee signing has been that of Asllani, who was the first new arrival of the summer and the one that made supporters of the English game (and specifically the Championship) sit up and notice what she is building.
She might have played in just 17 games for AC Milan Femminile last season, scoring six goals, but she is someone that no one expected to be featuring for a second-tier side.
In many ways, she paved the way for others to see London City as an attractive place to live.
Her goal threat has been obvious throughout her career, and she will bring a lot to the championship side.
However, there is more to her game than simply having an end product.
She is also capable of creating chances in a playmaker role and of fashioning opportunities for others around her.
As this graphic shows, she tended last season to frequent the areas behind the main forward line and to be a pivot point whenever they were on the attack.
That will help London City settle into Prêcheur’s passing-orientated style and play through lines, as PSG were shown doing earlier in the analysis.
She will also bring a lot off the field, too.
Her tactical knowledge and vast experience will rub off on those she works closely with simply by training alongside them each day, and she knows what it takes to succeed at the highest level.
The Championship is not the same calibre as Spain’s Liga F or Italy’s Serie A Femminile, but it is no less competitive.
It has always been a division in which fine margins can make all the difference.
Having someone like Asllani available to call upon could, therefore, be critical in helping London City finish at the top of the pile.
She is not the only Swedish player to have joined the Hayes Lane outfit, with another being Julia Roddar.
Having helped Hammarby Dam to the 2023 Damallsvenskan title last year and being a key part of their strong form so far in 2024, she, too, has been tempted by the project that Kang has laid before her and feels that it is a challenge that she can’t turn down.
With her acting predominantly in a free-roaming defensive or box-to-box midfield role, Roddar is undoubtedly the perfect player for Prêcheur to have available as he looks to implement his preferred tactical principles.
The defensive side of her game has never been in doubt, with her succeeding in 69.6% of her defensive duels and averaging 3.77 interceptions in the Swedish top flight this year, but what is key to see in this graphic is that she will also look to use the ball whenever she does win it back.
As can be seen, she has been a major reason for Hammarby maintaining their passing style of play despite losing key names during their close-season break.
A number of her progressive passes traverse the halfway line and create chances for those ahead of her.
With 86.1% of them finding their intended target during her half-season with the Swedish champions, there is no doubting the problems that she will cause opponents from deeper areas.
In short, she could be a key asset for Prêcheur to have in the midfield unit that he will no doubt seek to construct.
Her instinct for rotating between roles is critical in allowing his team to be as unpredictable as possible.
She could be one of the more underrated players in the team as the season goes on.
Kang has been shopping in more than just the international market, though.
She is also keeping a very close eye on the domestic scene to find some as-yet-unproven players with the potential to develop into future stars.
Amelia Ajao certainly fits into that category.
She moved to London City from Chelsea Women’s U21 side, where she featured on the wing and demonstrated her ability to offer width and drive inside to support her side’s attacks.
This graphic provides an illustration of what she offered her academy side last time out.
It is clear to see how she crossed into the middle from different angles and depths and accessed the half-spaces on plenty of occasions.
The fact that she had a 56.9% dribble success rate, averaged 3.93 touches inside the penalty area and managed to get 44.4% of her shots on target shows how much she likes to penetrate central spaces and cause problems for opposing defensive lines.
It has already been mentioned that Prêcheur likes wide attackers, and Ajao is someone that fans could really like as the campaign goes on.
London City did have New Zealand international Paige Satchell offering a threat from wide last season as a result of her pace and ability to break behind opposing defensive lines, whilst Lucy Fitzgerald was another to cause problems and registered 16 shot assists from a range of positions.
With Satchell departing the club at the end of the last campaign and the impact that she made clear for all to see, it was always likely that London City would need a replacement for her, and Ajao could be just that.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this tactical analysis has taken a closer look at London City Lionesses as they enter a new era on the field, highlighting the changes that could be made tactically under new head coach Jocelyn Prêcheur and the impact that some of their new arrivals could have on their overall performance levels.
As has become apparent throughout the analysis, London City are a side with major aspirations to compete at the top of the English game, and it is something that they have come close to achieving on a number of occasions.
However, with Kang’s backing and the quality of players they have brought in this summer, it does feel like this could be the season when everything falls into place for them.
There will be arguments that they have bought their way to promotion, with it hard to see the Prêcheur or the players that have joined London City this summer doing so without Kang being the one running the show, and that is a fair point to make.
The counterargument to that, though, would be that it is genuinely refreshing to see someone investing significant amounts of money into the women’s game at all levels, seeking to both increase the standards that current female players are able to operate under and ensure that the women’s game as a whole continues to be sustainable for future generations.
London City will soon need to block out the noise and focus on the on-field game.
Due to the calibre of personnel now at the club, they are likely to command a lot of attention as the weeks go on.
Everyone connected with them is hopeful that it will result in promotion to the WSL, and it seems likely that their wait to taste life in the promised land will end sooner rather than later.
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