In the final part of our series, looking at the WSL relegation battle, we have a tactical analysis of Bristol City Women. At time of writing, they sit tenth in the table, two places clear of Liverpool Women at the bottom, and a whole three points above them. However, they cannot be complacent with this, as we have seen how much a single point can change a team’s fortunes, especially in this series when we have looked at what each team can do to help them survive relegation.
This scout report will look at the same factors as we did for Birmingham City Women and Liverpool Women; their attack, defence and key players who can help them to survive. We will look at the positives and negatives of their tactics in these areas too.
In Attack
Beginning the analysis with their attack, we need to look at two points. They usually line up with both Charlie Wellings and Ebony Salmon as a front pairing, giving them more options in the final third.
The first thing it allows them to do is play in wider attacking positions, as we can see below.
This image illustrates a front three in attack, but what it tells us is that, because Bristol have spread the attacking line into very wide positions, they have much more control over the Liverpool defence. In fact, if you look at Liverpool’s Niamh Fahey in the middle of the pitch, she has been isolated by this move, because whilst the ball is currently with the middle Bristol attacker, it can be shifted out to either wing at ease. This formation therefore makes it harder for opposing defences to stop Bristol’s attacks when in these situations.
The fact that all three players are roughly in the same line shows you that this is not just coincidence that this has come about either. As we mentioned above, Bristol like to play with wide attacking forwards, and this is a perfect example of how they organise it so that it gives them the advantage.
