Futebol Feminino Internacional / Selecções 2019/2020

[anarcos]

Women's Champions League last-eight team guides – No 7: PSG

Olivier Echouafni's youthful side ran Lyon close in the league in 2019-20 and have a chance to go all the way in Spain


PSG's Formiga celebrates after scoring against Braga in the Women's Champions League.

Overview

PSG are not getting used to playing in Europe. The coach, Olivier Echouafni, has a lot of experience, particularly in the 42-year-old Formiga, but other than the evergreen Brazilian only two players (the midfielder Nadia Nadim and the goalkeeper Ariana Criscione) are in their 30s.

The core of players are between 22 and 25 years old, which has led to excitement building in the capital. The Parisiennes are talented but lack experience, as they showed when they lost the Coupe de France final against Lyon on penalties.

Echouafni prefers his team to play in a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation, depending on the players at his disposal. PSG have a solid defence led by the captain, Irene Paredes, often ably assisted by Paulina Dudek. Echouafni has opted for Ashley Lawrence at right-back since the restart to replace the departing Hanna Glas and Eve Périsset. In midfield, Formiga is still a formidable asset with her ball recovery and she is set to have the 23-year-old Grace Geyoro next to her.

Up front, the Parisian potential is impressive with Kadidiatou Diani and Marie-Antoinette Katoto's speed and skill terrorising opposing defences. Those two often form a lethal attacking lineup together with Nadim. "We want to continue what we did last season," Echouafni said recently. "The players know what is expected of them: to win and to play with style. We have a quality group and good players who have joined us. We also have two wild cards, Signe Bruun and Sara Däbritz, back from injury."


Paris Saint-Germain's Sara Däbritz holds off Lyon's Saki Kumagai during the Champions Trophy final in September 2019.

Which players have the club signed this summer and can use from the quarter-finals?

PSG has strengthened this summer and the biggest-name arrival is without a doubt Switzerland's Ramona Bachmann (29) who arrives after three seasons at Chelsea. "She will bring to the group experience, her individual quality, her technique, her speed, and her eye for the goal," said Echouafni. He also secured the return of the goalkeeper Charlotte Voll to replace Katarzyna Kiedrzynek. Bénédicte Simon, on the other hand, compensates for the departure of Périsset to Bordeaux, though she is unlikely to be in the starting XI.

Head coach

The 48-year-old Echouafni's first job in women's football was right at the top: with the French national team. He was in charge for a year before being replaced by Corinne Diacre after losing to England in the quarter-finals of Euro 2017. He rebounded quickly though and was appointed PSG coach in 2018. He likes to see young players progress and wants his team to express his attack-minded playing style on the field. He likes the 4-3-3 formation because it "brings density" to the middle. He is innovative, though, and not stuck to a particular formation.

Star player

Since her arrival at PSG in 2017, Diani has continued to grow as a player. At club level she has become more and more consistent and is now an essential player for the national team too. Diani has just signed a new contract which keeps her at PSG until 2023 and which has made her one of the highest paid players in league with a salary of €450,000 (£405,000) a year.

Did you know?

The defender and captain Paredes has joined the Common Goal movement, started by Juan Mata, which invites footballers to donate 1% of their salary to the charity of their choice. It was her teammate in national team, Ainhoa ​​Tirapu, who convinced her to become part of the initiative. She then introduced the goalkeeper Arianna Criscione to the project and since then the Canadian Jordyn Huitema has also joined.


Grace Geyoro is likely to feature in midfield.

Which player could surprise everyone in Spain?

In the two official matches she has played since the restart, Geyoro has shown that she is in very good shape. The French international is a clever reader of the game and does not hesitate to go forward. She has improved in front of goal and scored a career-best seven last season. "I have worked a lot on my finishing. The coach insisted that I improved that area of my game," she said.

What is the realistic aim for PSG in the WCL?

Frustrated to have finished the championship in second place and then to have lost the Coupe de France against OL (0-0 after extra time, 3-4 in penalty shootout), the Parisians are hugely motivated to end the season with victory in the Champions League. It is a tough ask, but not an impossible one.

European Pedigree

PSG has never won the Champions League but have been in two finals, losing 2-1 against Frankfurt in 2015 and on penalties against Lyon in 2017.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/aug/20/womens-champions-league-last-eight-team-guides-no-7-psg

[anarcos]

Women's Champions League last-eight team guides – No 8: Wolfsburg

In Pernille Harder, Wolfsburg have one of the best players in the world, but will it be enough to topple Lyon this time around?


Wolfsburg's Pernille Harder runs with the ball against Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

Overview

The Wolfsburg head coach, Stephan Lerch, is keen for his team to be unpredictable. The more unpredictable the better. There is always the possibility he and his coaching team will come up with something new, whether it is suddenly a change in tactics mid-game or a player making a surprising positional switch.

Wolfsburg often start in a 4-2-3-1 formation with two attacking full-backs pushing very high but, depending on how the game develops, they often switch to three at the back and two strikers.

Die Wölfinnen won their fourth league title in a row – the sixth in their history – in the summer along with a fifth straight German Cup. While leagues in other countries were cancelled, the Frauen-Bundesliga returned following a three-month break because of coronavirus. Wolfsburg then played the Cup final against SGS Essen on 4 July, which they won on penalties, and after a short break the team returned to training on 28 July. Lerch said: "It's a big challenge, because there's barely any time to integrate our new players and explain our tactics in detail. After all, the truth will be found on the pitch in Spain."

The two-times Champions League winners head into the tournament injury-free, with Almuth Schult the only absentee, having given birth to twins in April. In their only friendly before the tournament, VfL beat Eintracht Frankfurt 5-2 last Friday. "We approached it like a title game. We have to be spot on against Glasgow [in the quarter-final]," Lerch said.


Wolfsburg's Anna Blässe scores an equaliser against Essen during the German Cup final in July.

Which players have the club signed this summer and can be used from the quarter-finals?

Wolfsburg made a few, but selective, signings this summer and all are available. Pauline Bremer (Manchester City), Kathrin Hendrich (Bayern Munich) and Katarzyna Kiedrzynek (PSG) were free transfers while Lena Oberdorf, who arrived from Essen and is seen as one of the most talented young players in the world, cost a five-figure sum.

Bremer can play across the attack and will help Wolfsburg become even more unpredictable. Hendrich will help strengthen the defence while the versatile Oberdorf can play at centre-back or in midfield. The 18-year-old was the youngest Germany Women player to feature at a World Cup and is a formidable physical presence, wherever she plays. Kiedrzynek will be the favourite to play in goal but she is facing serious competition from Friederike Abt, who saved two penalties in the Cup final.

Head coach

Lerch has been with the club since 2013, first as coach of the reserves and then, from 2015, as one of Ralf Kellermann's assistants. Two years later he replaced Kellermann, who is now the sporting director. The players say he is a very good communicator and appreciate the way he educates them about the game. Last week he announced that the upcoming season will be his last in charge.

Lerch may not have had a career in management if his wife hadn't registered him for a coaching course as a surprise for his 21st birthday. He originally studied sport and biology and wanted to become a teacher.

Star player

There's only one answer: Pernille Harder. The Danish international is undoubtedly one of the best players the world has seen. The 27-year-old joined VfL in 2017 and has, in the past three years, developed into a world-class player.

Her reading of the game is almost unrivalled, her finishing ice-cool. The numbers speak for themselves: in 111 games for Wolfsburg, she has scored 101 goals. "There's no other player like her," Lerch says. Off the pitch she is positively vocal about LGBTQ+ issues, equal rights and racism.

Did you know?

Alexandra Popp is a trained zookeeper and, after joining Wolfsburg in 2012 she started working at Tierpark Essehof. Animals have always been a big part of the Germany international's life and while she has stopped working at the zoo since becoming a full-time professional player, she still visits it regularly.


Wolfsburg's Alexandra Popp challenges Lena Oberdorf, then playing for Essen, in the German Cup final in July.

Which player could surprise everyone in Spain?

Oberdorf is still a player unknown to many international viewers. You may have seen her in action for Germany but considering domestic games are still not shown in many other countries she is the player most likely to attract new admirers. She will make her Champions League debut and describes the competition to be the one "where you prove yourself and face the best teams in the world".

What is the realistic aim for Wolfsburg in the WCL?

They are among the favourites and cannot face their biggest rivals, Lyon, until the final.

European pedigree

Wolfsburg won the Champions League in 2013 and 2014, the start of a very successful time for the club. But since they lost to PSG in the 2015 semi-finals they have been eliminated by Lyon every year. The two finals, in 2016 and 2018, have been the closest they have come to winning, losing the first on penalties and the second after extra time.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/aug/20/womens-champions-league-last-eight-team-guides-no-8-wolfsburg

[anarcos]

Transmissão directa:

[Gradinni]

Transmissão directa:

Atlético - Barcelona vai dar na Eleven

[anarcos]

[Gradinni]

Quando ainda ha resultados de 9-1 nos 1/4 de uma Champions a UEFA ainda tem muito a fazer para desenvolver esta modalidade.
Esperemos que a fase de grupos em 21-22 ajude a melhorar isto. E ja agora com o Benfica la!

[anarcos]

Quando ainda ha resultados de 9-1 nos 1/4 de uma Champions a UEFA ainda tem muito a fazer para desenvolver esta modalidade.
Esperemos que a fase de grupos em 21-22 ajude a melhorar isto. E ja agora com o Benfica la!

O Glasgow City não é uma equipa profissional, ao contrário do Benfica.
Muito mérito em chegar até aqui.

[Gradinni]

Quando ainda ha resultados de 9-1 nos 1/4 de uma Champions a UEFA ainda tem muito a fazer para desenvolver esta modalidade.
Esperemos que a fase de grupos em 21-22 ajude a melhorar isto. E ja agora com o Benfica la!

O Glasgow City não é uma equipa profissional, ao contrário do Benfica.
Muito mérito em chegar até aqui.

De qualquer maneira ainda ha um gap muito grande entre as equipas das principais ligas e as outras, sejam profissionais ou nao

[anarcos]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLd3MUH3i7M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rY2Uy8FC0w

[seqmad]

Quando ainda ha resultados de 9-1 nos 1/4 de uma Champions a UEFA ainda tem muito a fazer para desenvolver esta modalidade.
Esperemos que a fase de grupos em 21-22 ajude a melhorar isto. E ja agora com o Benfica la!

O Glasgow City não é uma equipa profissional, ao contrário do Benfica.
Muito mérito em chegar até aqui.

A que nível estará o Benfica atualmente, comparado por exemplo com este Glasgow? Conseguiríamos ganhar-lhes?

[Gradinni]

Quando ainda ha resultados de 9-1 nos 1/4 de uma Champions a UEFA ainda tem muito a fazer para desenvolver esta modalidade.
Esperemos que a fase de grupos em 21-22 ajude a melhorar isto. E ja agora com o Benfica la!

O Glasgow City não é uma equipa profissional, ao contrário do Benfica.
Muito mérito em chegar até aqui.

A que nível estará o Benfica atualmente, comparado por exemplo com este Glasgow? Conseguiríamos ganhar-lhes?

Este Glasgow que levou 9 tambem foi a equipa que eliminou o Brondby e o campeao russo.
Acho que seria um jogo equilibrado e talvez a pender para as escocesas

[anarcos]

Transmissão directa:

[seqmad]

Quando ainda ha resultados de 9-1 nos 1/4 de uma Champions a UEFA ainda tem muito a fazer para desenvolver esta modalidade.
Esperemos que a fase de grupos em 21-22 ajude a melhorar isto. E ja agora com o Benfica la!

O Glasgow City não é uma equipa profissional, ao contrário do Benfica.
Muito mérito em chegar até aqui.

A que nível estará o Benfica atualmente, comparado por exemplo com este Glasgow? Conseguiríamos ganhar-lhes?

Este Glasgow que levou 9 tambem foi a equipa que eliminou o Brondby e o campeao russo.
Acho que seria um jogo equilibrado e talvez a pender para as escocesas

E aqueles 3-0 ao Twente o ano passado naquele jogo treino? Pode servir de comparativo do nosso nível com uma equipa que costuma ir à WCL ou foi mesmo por ser um treino?

[Pedro2910]

Quando ainda ha resultados de 9-1 nos 1/4 de uma Champions a UEFA ainda tem muito a fazer para desenvolver esta modalidade.
Esperemos que a fase de grupos em 21-22 ajude a melhorar isto. E ja agora com o Benfica la!

O Glasgow City não é uma equipa profissional, ao contrário do Benfica.
Muito mérito em chegar até aqui.

Goleadas de levar 8 ou 9 golos nos quartos de final da liga dos campeões, ridículo, só mesmo no feminino. Espera lá...

[anarcos]