The WSL has experienced a number of firsts this season, with Everton Women’s Aurora Galli the first Italian to feature in the top flight after signing from Juventus Femmenile last summer, whilst the league also has a Russian player now, with Chelsea Women recently acquiring Alsu Abdullina from 2021 Russian Women’s Championship winners WFC Lokomotiv Moscow. An exciting player who can operate at left-back, left wing-back or as a left winger, her arrival has attracted plenty of attention from fans and analysts, with many feeling that she is the last piece needed to complete Chelsea’s wing-back formation puzzle.
In this tactical analysis, we will look in closer detail at Abdullina’s game, focusing on where she will fit into Chelsea’s attacking and defensive tactics, as well as how she links up with teammates in different areas of the pitch, all of which will provide a clearer picture of what Chelsea fans can expect from her.
In the final third
The first section of this scout report will focus on Alsu Abdullina’s attacking abilities, looking at her positioning and roles in the final third and seeing why she will compliment Chelsea’s current forward players.
One of Abdullina’s key strengths is her natural pace, which allows her to run up the pitch at speed and unlock opposing defences, taking them by surprise and creating ways for her team to move the ball up the field. Here, WFC Krasnodar are in the process of tracking back to prevent this happening, but Abdullina often wins these races, and that is something that Chelsea will undoubtedly benefit from, as their style of play relies on the wing-backs moving into the spaces left by opposing full-backs running forwards (a key factor in their 2021 FA Cup final victory against Arsenal Women last year). Therefore, this is one clear way that the Russia international suits the way Emma Hayes’ side like to play.
However, this is not the only way that she influences her side’s attacks, as she can play in different roles when needed. She normally stays close to the wing and maintains the width when her team are in the final third, but she is also capable of cutting inside and playing in the half-spaces, as is happening here against ZFK Zenit St. Petersburg. For Chelsea, their change to a wing-back setup has seen individual players improve, none more so than Denmark star Pernille Harder. Last season, she played as a winger or a striker, but was often restricted positionally and lacked the impact many expected her to have. However, the change to play with wing-backs has enabled her to move into the half-spaces, just as Abdullina is doing here, so the Russian’s ability to get into the same areas is another reason that she will suit Chelsea’s style of play.
