Women's Champions League tactical analysis: Lucy Bronze earns Chelsea third place
Thursday, December 18, 2025
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UEFA Technical Observer Lluís Cortés highlights Lucy Bronze's decisive influence after Chelsea claimed a 2-1 win at Wolfsburg and secured third place in the league phase after Matchday 6.
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With a top-four place in the league phase of the UEFA Women's Champions League at stake, the first half of Chelsea's 2-1 comeback win at Wolfsburg remained tightly contested. Wolfsburg's early pressing intensity disrupted the visitors' build-up and was rewarded with the opening goal, as the home side capitalised on moments of Chelsea instability in possession.
After the break, however, the Blues adjusted their approach, managing space more effectively and limiting Wolfsburg's ability to apply pressure with the same consistency. This growing dominance on the part of the guests was underpinned by a series of authoritative individual performances, most notably that of defender Lucy Bronze, whose Player of the Match display embodied Chelsea’s second-half control.
Bronze shines going forward
Offensively, Bronze's impact "was defined by her ability to appear in decisive moments and turn them into concrete advantages – she influenced the game through high-impact actions", according to Technical Observer Lluís Cortés.
Bronze's 45th-minute goal showcased "one of her strengths, her aerial ability", Cortés continued. "Her presence in these situations highlights her completeness as a player. Being able to contribute goals from set pieces, especially in high-pressure moments, makes her an invaluable profile for any coach."
Of Chelsea's second goal from Sam Kerr, Cortés explained: "Bronze demonstrated exceptional game reading and anticipation, sensing Wolfsburg's pass and stepping in front of her opponent to regain possession. What followed was a subtle but intelligent off-ball movement.
"Bronze moved away from her team-mate, dragging her direct opponent with her and deliberately isolating Johanna Rytting Kaneryd in a 1v1 situation. This action reflects a high level of tactical awareness."
Bronze's attacking contribution was also linked to her emotional and tactical leadership, with her intent and body language helping shift the momentum at a key moment in Chelsea's comeback. "From a coaching perspective, her performance highlighted how elite players decide matches through timing, anticipation and leadership."
Bronze's offensive contribution
- Decisiveness in key moments
- Reading the game: anticipation
- Vertical mentality: arriving, not standing
- Emotional and tactical leadership
Bronze equally adept at the back
Defensively, Bronze's "contribution was defined by her ability to respond correctly in moments of structural breakdown," said Cortés. "These were not actions executed within a perfect defensive organisation, but emergency situations, where individual decision-making and execution become decisive."
About the clip below, Cortés elaborated, "Bronze initially executes the fundamentals of defensive marking. She maintains a clear reference of ball and opponent, uses physical contact to avoid losing her marker, and stays goal-side.
"However, the decisive moment comes when she recognises that the cross is not directed to the player she is marking, but toward the attacker arriving at the penalty spot. At that instant, her priority shifts: she abandons strict player-marking and switches to protecting the goal. This ability to change objective mid-action is critical at the elite level."
And again in the following video, Bronze's first strength is recognition. "She immediately identifies the danger and commits to a full recovery sprint to support her team-mate. Bronze shows outstanding agility and body orientation, rapidly changing her defensive profile to recover toward the ball and block [Kessya] Bussy's shot."
Coaching observation: Resilience at the highest level
According to Bronze, speaking to UEFA post-match, the essential take-home from this game was resilience. "In the last five minutes, Wolfsburg were really pushing, people were just putting their bodies on the line, sticking their faces in front of the ball, anything to make sure we'd get the win, knowing how important it was to finish in the top four in the Women's Champions League."
Cortés enthused: "At this level, resilience is not an abstract mental quality but a defensive behaviour. In the final minutes, as fatigue increases and the opponent commits more players forward, defending becomes less about structure and more about sustaining concentration under pressure: reading crosses, judging distances, knowing when to engage or delay.
"It also requires accepting discomfort. Long spells without possession, repeated defensive actions, second balls and clearances are unavoidable – the key is executing them with discipline. At this level, matches are often decided not by what teams create, but by what they are able to resist."
Cortés led Barcelona to unprecedented success, including a UEFA Women's Champions League title in 2021. He has since continued to make his mark internationally as a progressive and sought-after coach and is currently in charge of the Saudi Arabia women's national team.
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