“One of Dutch football’s brightest hopes”: Why Ajax midfielder Victoria Pelova could be one to watch at Euro 2022 – scout report

After finishing as runners-up at their last major international tournament, the 2019 Women’s World Cup, the Netherlands will this summer turn their attention towards continental matters, as they aim to defend their Euro 2017 title. This will also be their first major tournament since former Portland Thorns manager Mark Parsons replaced Sarina Wiegman, following the latter’s switch to take charge of England last year.

There have not been many squad changes since 2019, with Arsenal Women striker Vivianne Miedema, Bayern Munich Frauen forward Lineth Beerensteyn and Barcelona Femení winger Lieke Martens all still regular inclusions. However, younger and newer players are also being given opportunities to shine, such as Ajax Vrouwen’s 22-year-old midfielder Victoria Pelova. This tactical analysis will look at why Pelova could be one to watch this summer, with a focus on her ability to work with teammates, her final third play and her defensive qualities, all of which have made her an essential part of the Ajax team.

Working with teammates

Ajax Vrouwen’s tactics revolve around keeping the ball on the ground and putting together long sequences of passes, which leads to plenty of attacking opportunities. However, this style of play only works if there is good teamwork and communication between all players.

Victoria Pelova is good at both, constantly dropping into holes during games and helping her team to maintain possession through her link-up play, and her 76.9% passing accuracy highlights how moving the ball around the pitch is one of her strengths. Creating these shorter passing options also means that there is less distance for the ball to cover whilst moving around the pitch, making it harder for Feyenoord Vrouwen, in this case, to intercept it.

As for the effect of Pelova’s positioning on her teammates, it allows the attackers to stay higher up the pitch and occupy opponents, whilst the defenders can remain further back and focus solely on not leaving any spaces open, so it benefits everyone when the 22-year-old gets into these areas.