UEFA Women's Champions League tactical analysis: OL Lyonnes' control in midfield
Thursday, December 11, 2025
Article summary
UEFA Technical Observer Gemma Grainger explains how the movement and rotation of the OL Lyonnes midfield three proved decisive in their 3-0 win at Manchester United on Matchday 5 of the UEFA Women's Champions League.
Article top media content
Article body
OL Lyonnes extended their impressive unbeaten run with a composed 3-0 win over Manchester United on Matchday 5 of the UEFA Women's Champions League.
Their fluidity in the centre of the pitch allowed them to dominate the first half, setting the platform for Tabitha Chawinga's opener and, later, two moments of brilliance from eventual Player of the Match Melchie Dumornay.
"It was a very dominant performance from OL," says UEFA Technical Observer Gemma Grainger. "Manchester United came out with some intensity and speed in the second half, and that is where Dumornay in particular stood out for me."
"We played a very good game against a very difficult team," enthused OL Lyonnes coach Jonatan Giráldez. "We deserved the victory; we were trying to create chances in different ways as we knew they were going to adapt to our shape. We put some players inside and tried to get in behind. We had 15 or 20 minutes in the second half when we were not aggressive enough but we got control back and, in general, I am very happy with the performance."
Grainger explains: "OL Lyonnes' game is about how to get their three midfielders on the ball, so they keep their wingers out of the way until the point when they go higher and then they push a full-back high and the winger goes inside; that happened on the right-hand side with Tarciane and [Jule] Brand. They really do work to get those three midfielders on the ball – that is their game.
"The three midfielders rotate: [Damaris] Egurrola is predominantly the No6, [Lindsey] Heaps is more of a No8, a box-to-box midfielder and Dumornay more of a No10. Egurrola dropped into the back three on occasions, into the middle of the two centre-backs, but they keep their wingers wide because they want to get the ball out to them to create those one-vs-one attacking opportunities."
Grainger continues: "As well as narrowing the opposition, with movement they drag the midfielders out of position, which allows for central penetration too. The timing and the rotation of the three of them, with the purpose to play into the wingers, like the deep runs from Heaps — she made a couple of deep runs from behind — meant the purpose to penetrate through the middle narrowed the United midfield a lot of the time.
"When you play centrally, it narrows the opposition's midfield, which means you run in the spaces and it leaves the opposing full-backs defending one-vs-one, which is exactly what OL Lyonnes want. There are no covering midfielders a lot of the time if you can get your wingers on the ball in those situations."
Coaching observation: OL Lyonnes' midfield chemistry
"It's about the understanding of each other's roles and playing with each other," says Grainger of OL Lyonnes' midfielders. "They complement each other and know what to expect. Egurrola is so predictable in terms of how she is in the build phase and the consistency of her offering; the way she is complemented is how they open up passing lines.
"If Egurrola dropped into the middle of the two centre-backs, for example, Heaps was coming to take the space in the middle and then Dumornay would take a place in one of the No10 pockets. They are constantly looking for the spaces, whether that is in midfield or the runs from deep."
Gemma Grainger began her managerial career in women's club football with Leeds United and Middlesbrough before moving into international coaching with The Football Association, where she spent over a decade leading various England youth teams. She is a former Wales women's national team coach and now coaches Norway's women.
More like this
