Olympique Lyon Feminin are currently in a predicament regarding their forward line. Star striker Ada Hegerberg has been ruled for the rest of the season with an ACL injury and that will certainly see Lyon alter their tactics to replace her. The French club are embroiled in the closest title race in recent years. The team has been extremely dominant and their performances have been down to a mixture of clinical finishing and exquisite midfield play. With half of the season and UEFA Champions League knockout matches to come, Jean-Luc Vasseur has a decision to make on who replaces the talismanic forward. At first glance the squad does not possess a like for like replacement; however, there are in-house options that he could use to compensate for the qualities the Norwegian centre-forward brings to the table. For this analysis, we will examine players from the Lyon squad to assess who can replace the prolific striker.

This data analysis will look to explore the different player options at Vasseur’s disposal and how these players can fit into Lyon’s style of play. To understand how these players can adapt to Lyon’s system, it’s important to first understand Hegerberg’s style of play within it.

Olympique Lyon & Ada Hegerberg

Hegerberg can be classified as a complete forward. This type of number nine can score goals, create space, assist in the build-up, and is proficient at holding up the ball. The Norwegian striker is proficient at almost every part of her game. From aerial duels to driving runs, Hegerberg is able to score all types of goals. The player is essentially a focal point between the midfield and the forward line, giving her team a point of attack.

Not only is she a clinical finisher, but is equally proficient in the build-up. Hegerberg is extremely important to Lyon’s build-up play because she allows the two wingers to drift inside. Le Sommer, Nikita Parris, and Amel Majri all look to rotate between staying out wide and moving into central areas. Le Sommer tends to drift in more while Majri prefers to stay on the outside. Nikita Parris will choose based on the situation at hand. What is common is that Hegerberg’s movement between the lines is critical to the way Lyon play football.

Last season Reynold Pedros utilised a 4-2-3-1, using it 41% of the time, with his successor following the same system and using it a colossal 71%. Much like the previous season, Lyon have tended to play in pockets of space near the opposition penalty area. They use Saki Kumagai and Amandine Henry to control possession and play passes into the forward line whilst protecting the back four. Once received by one of the attacking players, they look to play quick, interchangeable passes between each other to draw players in and create space in behind the defensive line for an overlapping player. Usually, we’ll see Hegerberg combine with Dzsenifer Marozsán or Le Sommer and a third attacking player to create an overload in the wide channels. This makes how Lyon play in the final third extremely important and replacing Hegerberg becomes something more than finding a reliable goalscorer.

If the intricate play around the box doesn’t work out, Hegerberg is excellent at getting on the end of crosses from the two full-backs. Alex Greenwood, Majri, and Lucy Bronze are all excellent crossers and giving Hegerberg service she needs to score if passes into the box fail. 

Hegerberg’s statistics have always been impressive and this season hasn’t been any different. The prolific striker has averaged 1.3 goals per 90, 4.03 dribbles per 90, 5.51 shots per 90 (60% on target), 23.11 duels per 90, and 3.55 recoveries per 90. Putting up numbers remotely close to Hegerberg’s is tough and her replacement will need to output and show proficiency in their overall play.

So, knowing this information, Lyon’s replacement striker needs to have good ball-playing skills, competent link-up play and be a clinical finisher in the box. The supporting cast behind the forward is not short of quality, making service into the striker less of an issue. There are two obvious candidates at Vasseur’s disposal that I feel can fill the void.

Initial data comparison

It makes sense to look at the data and statistics and how the three compare. The purpose of this data analysis is to provide a holistic perspective of their profiles and see if the numbers give us a better understanding of who could replace the Norwegian. 

Now taking a closer look at their average xG, it’s easy to see that Hegerberg has the highest average. This is obvious because she plays as the central striker but it’s worth noting that Hegerberg is the only player to have converted and shots on goal and xG into a substantial amount of goals. Both Parris and Le Sommer have lacked that cutting edge in comparison and serves as an indicator of just how good Hegerberg is.