“One of the most complete technical players in women’s football”: Why Lieke Martens’ role adjustment at PSG has not affected her performances – scout report

When PSG Féminine announced last summer that they had acquired the services of Barcelona Femení winger Lieke Martens, there were many who felt that it was a signing of intent and that the Netherlands star could be the one to take the French club to the next level, both domestically and in Europe. As one writer commented previously, she is “one of the most complete technical players in women’s football”, and yet, at the Spanish giants, she didn’t often get the recognition that her performances merited during her five years with them.

Martens has tended to play in a free-roaming role at Barcelona, with her often seen on both sides of the pitch and in central areas too, and that was one reason that she was such a good fit for their style of play. At PSG, things have been a little more structured, which some might have thought would hinder Martens’ creativity and would potentially hold her back.

However, the reality has been quite the opposite, with the Dutch forward adapting well to her new surroundings and making adjustments to her game that have enabled her to deliver what head coach Gérard Prêcheur has asked of her.

This tactical analysis will look at those tactical alterations, highlighting what has changed in Martens’ game and why they have yet to phase her. The scout report will also show how Netherlands head coach Andries Jonker has taken note of those changes and how he has started to implement them into his own tactics, with regard to Martens’ role in the national side, ahead of the World Cup this summer.

Barcelona Femení

Before looking at her performances in Paris this season, the analysis will begin by setting out the basic aspects of her role at Barcelona last season, providing a series of comparison points to build the remainder of the breakdown on.

The keyword associated with Barcelona last season was rotations (and, to an extent, it still is). However, whilst many people will instantly recall those made by Jennifer Hermoso, Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí, there were other examples of positional changes on show, with the wide forwards and full-backs constantly working together to create problems for opponents in the wide areas, with one drifting infield whilst the other held the width.

This was more noticeable on the right of the field, with Marta Torrejón a little more attack-minded than now-Manchester City Women defender Leila Ouahabi, but that doesn’t mean that Martens and Ouahabi didn’t link up. Here, for example, the latter has the ball on the wing but has been closed down by Atlético Madrid Femenino right-back Sheila García, meaning that she is unable to advance any further up the pitch.