Barcelona Femení: Which striker should replace Jennifer Hermoso in their starting XI? – scout report

Barcelona Femení may be one of the most feared teams in global women’s football, but they, like anyone, are susceptible to their biggest talents moving elsewhere after being offered attractive deals by rival sides. This summer, they have seen Spain left-back Leila Ouahabi join Manchester City Women, Netherlands winger Lieke Martens move to PSG Féminine and Spain forward Jennifer Hermoso, their all-time top scorer, depart for Mexican side Pachuca Femenil, whilst another left-back, Melanie Serrano, has retired.

This has left Barcelona with a number of gaps to fill in their team, the biggest of which is in their forward line, with questions already being asked about which player might be the best option to take Hermoso’s place as the figurehead of their attack. In order to find a solution, this tactical analysis will identify three likely candidates and assess their chances of appearing in the starting XI. The scout report will break down what each currently brings or would bring to the team’s tactics and will reach a final judgement on which is the best replacement and why.

Asisat Oshoala

The first player to consider is Nigeria captain Asisat Oshoala, who has been at Barcelona Femení since 2019 and has generally been Hermoso’s understudy. However, she is a high-quality striker in her own right and is widely regarded as one of the greatest African female players of all time, so she has a good chance of stepping up and taking over from her former teammate.

When analysing her and Hermoso’s styles of play, there are notable differences. Hermoso tended to drop back much more, drawing opposing defenders out of position and allowing Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí to move forward (as was the case against Chelsea Women in the 2021 Champions League final), and this made the Spanish side more unpredictable and harder to defend against.

In contrast, former Liverpool Women and Arsenal Women player Oshoala tends to stay further forward and lead the line, meaning that she opens up spaces behind her and allows Putellas and Bonmatí, as the team’s key attacking midfielders, to operate much more as creative playmakers. As a result, this situation shows Putellas simply sending the ball through for Oshoala here, with the latter already between the Atlético Madrid Femenino defensive line and providing the 2021 Ballon d’Or Féminin recipient with a simple pass into the space behind.