This tactical analysis will assess Alex Greenwood of Olympique Lyonnais.
The England international has endured a rough debut campaign in France since her move from Manchester United Women.
The purpose of this Alex Greenwood scout report is to identify potential landing spots for the 26-year-old left-back should she decide to move on, as her position with the French champions has been taken by Selma Bacha.
We will first analyse the player herself and discuss her difficulties in adapting to Lyon’s tactics, before using data analysis to compare her to other top left-backs in the women’s game.
Lastly, two clubs will be discussed as potential destinations where Greenwood could relocate and find success.
Alex Greenwood Player Profile
To get an understanding of the type of team that would utilise Greenwood most effectively, we must first know the type of player she is.
The 26-year-old is a marauding full-back who does her best work in the attacking third.
Lyon typically opts for a 4-2-3-1 set-up.
The double pivot in midfield gives the French side a lot of flexibility, allowing their full-backs to drive forward in support of their wingers in the wide areas, where their attacking focus lies.
When in possession, the wingers are the target to get into positions where they are able to take the ball forward and look to create opportunities.
The full-backs play a crucial role in this, as they provide the most direct support to these players.
Below you can see Alex Greenwood’s heat map from the 2019-20 campaign.
The attacking focus of her positioning is extremely apparent in this, as she represents a mainstay in the wide areas.
She is at her best playing on the touchline, where she can force the opponent’s defence to stay wide with her.
This gives the wingers the ability to move into the half-spaces and find room to inflict damage on the opposition.
Alex Greenwood Heat Map
The England international possesses the quality to play on the inside and out.
While her preference tends to be to hold her side’s width, she is extremely intelligent in identifying space in behind the opponent’s backline through the inside half-space.
