For Chelsea Women fans, 2023/24 has been a season of heartbreak, firstly because of the announcement that long-serving head coach Emma Hayes will depart at the end of the campaign to take charge of the USWNT and then because of the weekends news that star striker Sam Kerr has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during a warm-weather training camp in Morocco and will miss the remainder of the season.
The fact that Kerrs injury has come during the winter transfer window has perhaps been a blessing in disguise, with Chelsea able to make an immediate move to sign a replacement if they can find the right player. However, whether they need to or not has been the subject of debate among their fanbase, with some arguing that there is no inherent need to enter the market due to Chelsea already having USA forwards Mia Fishel and Catarina Macario on their books, with both joining in the summer from Tigres Femenil and Lyon Féminin respectively.
As of yet, the club have not been linked with any new strikers and look set to trust their current options, and this tactical analysis will look at whether that is the right course of action to take, breaking down the qualities that both Fishel and Macario bring to the field and showing where Chelsea could trip up by leaving it to them to replace Kerr. Given that there are risks to not signing a replacement, the scout report will also suggest some players that could be good options for Hayes to target if she wanted to avoid them, highlighting where each could add to Chelseas play and how they would fit into the teams tactics.
Sam Kerr
Before looking at any potential solution to the conundrum currently facing Chelsea Women, though, it is essential to first gain an insight into precisely what they have lost as a result of Kerrs injury, providing a basic profile of what she gives them on the field and therefore what they now need to find in any replacement for her.
One of the key qualities that they will need to replace is the guarantee of goals that she brings, with Chelsea always looking more likely to score whenever she is on the pitch and often relying on her to turn tight matches in their favour.
She has been so potent for several reasons, but what has really stood out is the timing of her movement around the field, with her constantly seen on the shoulder of opposing back lines and yet only averaging 1.1 offsides per game during the first half of the campaign. Here, it would be very easy for her to stray over the line in her attempt to get on the end of Ève Périssets pass towards her, but she doesnt and instead waits until the France right-back has evaded the attempt of Colombia centre-back Jorelyn Carabalí to tackle her before moving between Norway duo Maria Thorisdottir and Guro Bergsvand to provide a passing option.
Even though her shot was thwarted by f
