Women’s World Cup teams emulating Guardiola and Klopp in pursuit of trophy

04 August 2023 , 07:33

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Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola are influential tacticians (Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have been credited with changing the face of the Women’s World Cup.

The two decorated Premier League managers were feted as FIFA’s technical group reported its findings from the group stages. One of the most striking statistics to emerge from the debrief involved the rise in the number of ‘push-crosses’ – or passes into the penalty box from wide areas.

Teams are blocking midfield areas and the number of ‘overloads’ out wide – a hallmark of Guardiola’s teams – has been a notable addition. Women’s World Cup winning coach Jill Ellis, when asked about Guardiola’s influence, said: “I said 10 years ago that the women’s game was trending after the men’s.

“I think we’re at a point now where we are so keenly aware of what’s going on, so I think that it’s a fair comparison. As coaches, we are always looking behind the curtain from across the street and what other teams and coaches are doing because ultimately again, there are no secrets in soccer.

“When people start to do things, others are going to emulate them if they work. But again, the caution to that – all of us would love to play like Barcelona or Manchester City, but do we have that strength or skill set?

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England star Lucy Bronze is key to her team's build-up (Sarah Reed/Getty Images)

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“This is one thing with the national teams, you do see their true identity. I say this respectfully as well, you can go out and buy players. In a national team, you have a closed pool to select from.

“But yes, I think some of the tactical nuances, some of the adjustments you can see in all of these teams, are there. Suddenly, the wide full-backs are pinching in and one is becoming a double-pivot in midfield. You are seeing trends that are being evaluated globally. And yes, Pep has done that very well.”

Ellis also gave a nod towards Liverpool chief Klopp, who she said had a big bearing on how she set up her World Cup winners. She added: “I’ll say this, in 2019, how did I model my United States team?

“I watched Liverpool just crush it in 2017 with their pressing game using a flat midfield and I thought: ‘Hmm, that’s something I think could fit our DNA and our personality.’

“It might not be one-way, also. Some women might be doing things that male coaches are looking at but ultimately for a coach it's finding your identity, getting the best out of your players and maximising what you have got.”

Neil Moxley