Kheira Hamraoui 2019/20

In a team like Barcelona Femini, there is an abundance of quality. With players such as Lieke Martens, Caroline Hansen, and Alexis Putelles, there are a host of names that require the spotlight to be placed on them due to their incredible ability and performances.

A player that does not always get her share of that spotlight is Kheira Hamraoui. The French midfielder plays the sole holding role in Barcelona’s midfield and is responsible for keeping the side ticking throughout matches. In this tactical analysis scout report, we will take a look into Hamraoui in Barcelona’s side. We will discuss the role itself, and why her specific abilities make her so well suited for the Spanish league leaders and their tactics.

Role in Barcelona’s side

Hamraoui is Barcelona’s first choice in the number six role. Here, she sits as the deepest lying midfielder in a single pivot. I wrote a piece looking into the advantages and disadvantages of single and double pivots a couple of weeks back. In this, we took an in-depth look into these types of midfields and looked at Hamraoui specifically for a part of it. However, we will go into a general explanation of her role here as well before going into the key parts of her game.

The French midfielder sits in front of the two Barcelona centre-halves and acts as a shield. Below you can see her heat map from the 2019/20 campaign thus far. Here you can see her tendency to move closer to the right side of the pitch. She does this to act as protection for the super attacking Marta Torrejon at right-back. This positioning gives the full-back the freedom to get forward and combine with teammates, and this has resulted in her recording two goals and four assists in the league.

Hamraoui 2019/20 - scout report - tactical analysis tactics — Hamraoui heat map 2019/20 [Credit: Wyscout]

Hamraoui averages 70.96 passes per 90, with 87.2% accuracy. This number only trails Mapi at centre-half and Alexia Putellas at central midfield for most passes in the side this season, emphasising her major impact on the side from a deep position. Of these passes, she also makes over two passes forward for every one she makes backwards. This shows her want to move possession forward whenever possible, rather than having to recycle it back. She also boasts an 81.5% completion rate on these forward passes, proving that when she looks to move forward she is usually successful in doing so.

The pass map above is Hamraoui’s from Barcelona’s 5-0 victory over Madrid CF. Here you can see her focus on forward passes, as she completed 19 out of 21 attempts. She controlled the entirety of the match, completing 86 out of 97 passes she attempted, and recorded an assist as well as a second assist.

Role in possession

When Barcelona are in possession and looking to break down opponents, they will normally be facing a deep block. Because of this, the Catalonian side must be very calculated about how they move the ball in order to pull out the block to create opportunities to score. This analysis will look at why Hamraoui is important to this.