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Lucy Bronze is one of the biggest names in women’s football. At age 30, she has carved out a legacy as one of the most renowned right backs of all time, having won league titles in England before capturing three successive European crowns with Lyon.

In light of this, it is scarcely believable that her free transfer to FC Barcelona generated absolutely zero rumors; no one knew this was going to be a reality until the very second the signing was announced on Twitter (or until Barcelona accidentally leaked the news on their website a few minutes beforehand).

Understandably, Culés are still reeling from the shock of it, trying to process how they should feel about this. There are question marks over her recent injury and age, while some have long had their hearts set on different targets, such as Manchester United’s Ona Batlle or Real Sociedad’s Emma Ramírez.

However, as the atmosphere of surprise begins to subside, it should become abundantly clear that this transfer makes sense for La Blaugrana.

Let’s dive into why.

Scouting Report

Offense

Concerns with Bronze’s quality have mainly stemmed from a knee surgery she underwent in the beginning of the 2021/22 season. She returned to training in late November before finally making it back into the XI against Birmingham on December 12th. This certainly hampered Bronze’s rhythm in the early going and led to perceptions that she had dropped off a level from prior years, perhaps bolstered by worse passing accuracy and a noticeable decline in her take-on totals (all numbers in this piece are from fbref, unless otherwise stated).

Nevertheless, the rest of her statistical portfolio stood intact, even showing improvement in an array of categories. Here is how she ranked in select WSL stats1 (per 90 minutes) across 13 appearances and 1,148 minutes:

Passing:

Progressive passes: 1st (9.77)
Passes into final third: 7th (6.56)
Passes into penalty area: 6th (2.66)
Crosses into penalty area: 8th (0.63)

Carrying:

Progressive carries: 2nd (8.98)
Progressive distance carried: 4th (242.5 m)
Carries into final third: 1st (3.91)
Carries into penalty area: 25th (0.86)

These types of progressive actions represent the bread and butter of Bronze’s game. She is an entire build-up unit unto herself, capable of repeatedly bringing a team into the final third like an elite central midfielder. Once in range, she contributes to chance creation at rates that few of her contemporaries can match; Bronze ranked 9th in shot-creating actions2 p90 from live passes3 in the league, putting her first among fullbacks.

The best teams tend to contain the best players and, therefore, those with the best progression numbers. That being said, these great individuals benefit from dominant environments that give them lots of the ball to work with (forging a sort of symbiotic feedback loop between team context and player quality), meaning that there could be some who benefit more than they contribute.

So, what does Bronze’s general output look like when you normalize for the amount of touches she gets and the volume her team passes at?

Click on the image to zoom in; viz courtesy of @Odriozolite

Click on the image to zoom in; viz courtesy of @Odriozolite

Still extremely good, it turns out.

A typical Bronze possession will involve her driving into open space, where she looks to play a pass between the lines or loft a ball in behind.

These types of actions often came after City had switched play; they would attract the opposition to their left prior to hitting Bronze on the far side.

The former FIFA Best winner loves to test defenses with dinked deliveries and has the license to attempt Hollywood balls again and again. She also has an affinity for the line-breaking diagonal into a forward.

Bronze supplements her preferred methods of progression and penetration with strong passing versatility, showing off a neat one-touch pass to set Raso free vs. United in the above GIF.

Additionally, Bronze is a powerful ball carrier and uses her athleticism to put opposition blocks under relentless pressure, forcing defenders to commit and opening up passing windows.

Her meandering runs often veer inside, setting up her interior passing and fomenting general confusion over who has to pick her up.

Bronze’s tendencies to invert make her one of the more unique fullback profiles in women’s football.

Lucy Bronze’s heat map, showing how much she likes to drift into central zones; Wyscout

She doesn’t just drive into those areas with the ball, but roams into them without it.

Most fullbacks do this to create situational back threes and overload the first phase of build-up — Bronze does that and some, positioning herself in advanced pockets to destabilize defensive structures. The sheer variety and unpredictability of her movements are astonishing and were a major source of tactical creativity in an otherwise one-dimensional possession scheme under City boss Gareth Taylor.

In one moment, Bronze could be receiving in the halfspace and looking to thread a through ball. In the next, she could be charging down the touchline in traditional fashion:

Bronze running in behind and assisting on the cutback.

Defense

Bronze’s strongest defensive attribute is her ability in the air.

When matched with her aggression and ability to judge the flight of the ball, there are very few wingers that can get the better of the Berwick-upon-Tweed native (the United Nations should ban the English from naming things); Lucy won 71.2% of her aerial duels in the WSL, which ranks in the 95th percentile for fullbacks.

Lucy Bronze’s aerial duel stats (p90) for the 21/22 WSL season; fbref scouting report

Bronze relishes stepping forward and making contact with attackers and, thus, marks very aggressively when the opposition tries to play vertical passes to feet.

Bronze’s aggression stepping up when attackers receive back-to-goal.

Her body control, physicality, and targeting of the ball make it very difficult for receivers to get comfortable, much less turn and face goal.

Granted, this tendency can sometimes leave Bronze exposed should she get it wrong or her rival gets the better of her. On such occasions, she relies on her recovery pace, which is a strong safety valve for her side, especially in defensive transition.

Be that as it may, Bronze can be over-reliant on her explosiveness to cover for lax positioning or lapses in concentration. She is a reactive defender when covering depth, waiting for the pass to be launched instead of anticipating and trying to get ahead of the play. As a result, she can sometimes hurtle back from disadvantageous positions, betting on herself to pull off a spectacular save in scenarios with very little margin for error.

It must also be noted that Bronze, while quite quick, is not generationally rapid and, hence, loses the cushion of her pace vs. the swiftest of forwards.

In 1v1’s, Bronze is poor; her hips get turned far too easily and she is quite susceptible to subtle shoulder drops, let alone sharp changes in direction. The stats don’t help her case: she was successful tackling dribblers only 25% of the time in the WSL, which would place her in the 8th percentile.

Bronze also struggles to control her distance to the carrier, likely fearing that she’ll get blown by if she gets too close, thereby making it harder to intercept passes in her rough vicinity.

Bronze leaving too much space for a pass.

The best tacklers close space aggressively before decelerating in the final few yards, allowing them to spring in either direction while blocking off the pass and rushing their opponent’s decision-making. Although Bronze lacks the length to be flawless at this, she has the physical tools to be a much more challenging assignment. This is a question of problematic technique and execution rather than one of inherent limitations.

How Does Bronze Fit in at Barcelona?

The Immediate Positives

To put it simply, Bronze is a significant offensive upgrade over Marta Torrejón in all phases of play. The former is a better passer, superior athletically, and more dynamic in her movement — both in midfield and on the overlap. In Bronze, Barcelona get guaranteed production and another threat to throw at defenses.

The ex-Lyon star is also a step above Torrejón defensively. Bronze’s aggression on the ground and skill in the air suits high-pressing sides, which often have to repel long balls and radically constrict space in order to prevent adversaries from building out.

In the rare moments that Barça get exposed in behind, Bronze has the recovery pace that Torrejón doesn’t to save broken defensive sequences.

The 1v1 issue remains unsolved, but its value is regularly overestimated for fullbacks in elite teams. The amount of times wing isolations occur (particularly the kind where a dribbler has time to face up their mark and take them on) is already lower than you think — forget about in contexts where that fullback plays for a team with 70% of the ball.

Counterpressing, tracking back, and spatial awareness are the most relevant defensive traits for fullbacks plying their trade for contenders. While Bronze has her weaknesses in these respects, she is a strong and willing counterpresser thanks to her aggressive mindset and the amount of times she finds herself recovering from central positions.4

In regard to the overall picture, Bronze will probably be an adequate defender for Barcelona’s needs.

Potential Complications

Strangely enough, Bronze’s offense is what fans should be more worried about. Her quality is undeniable and her numbers are mind-blowing, but the latter is derived from a floor-raising role that will be less necessary at Barcelona. With City, Bronze was given massive responsibilities as the primary ball progressor and playmaker. In return, she was rewarded with great freedom in her movement and decision-making.

Consequently, it’s telling that Bronze’s passing accuracy of 77.3% was one of the worst in the team (only Jess Park, Chloe Kelly, Hayley Raso, Janine Beckie, and Lauren Hemp — all attackers — recorded lower figures). This is not to say that Bronze is a bad passer — merely that she took tons of risks with her passing. At times, it appeared as if there was nothing that could dissuade her from trying to force a ball through, and it was clear that she had an obsession with flighted deliveries into the forward line.

Bronze forcing the issue with her passing.

As you are well aware, Barça possess a generational midfield trio in Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmatí, and Patri Guijarro. What makes them so good is the way they deploy their technical qualities in an unselfish, scalable manner. While someone like Alexia might shoulder the greatest load, she executes everything within the logic of a tactical system that emphasizes control, spatial balance, and the generation of numerical and positional superiorities. Little is done without consideration of the overarching objectives and the balance of the team.

The need for Bronze to be the star driving progression is drastically reduced in the face of this reality. Moreover, her instincts to force the issue run the risk of destabilizing Barcelona’s stranglehold over games. For every beautiful ball in behind, there is the potential for a turnover and a counter-attack coming the other way.

That applies to Bronze’s carrying and off-ball movement, too. The former serves to accelerate the tempo and induce a frenetic game state, while the latter is so free and unpredictable that it can be difficult for teammates to adjust around her in a way that maintains tactical stability.

Therein lies the true worth of Torrejón. Although far from being useless on the ball, it is her chemistry and understanding with those around her that stands out. Instead of trying to take control of the system, she becomes one with it, doing the job of a third center-back in possession before making timely runs into the final third — no more; no less.

The Pathway to Barcelona’s Tactical Evolution

The solution to all of this is for Bronze to accept a more limited role within the side. Whether she will acquiesce to that remains to be seen. In a certain sense, she might have no choice. The hierarchy within Barça’s dressing room is well established; Alexia is the top dog and leads by example, presenting a straightforward, professional figure who studies the game and doesn’t shirk the dirty work on the pitch. It’s hard for everyone else not to fall in line.

At the same time, Bronze has achieved more than any of her new teammates — not to mention that she won an award deeming her the best in the world first. It would be understandable if she walked into the Estadi Johan Cruyff and expected to be treated as indispensable.

How this will play out remains to be seen, but the potential for Barcelona to take a step forward is significant if coach Jonatan Giráldez is able to manage the situation.

Assuming that Bronze curtails her tendencies and plays to Barcelona’s tune, the permutations and combinations on the right side multiply exponentially. Bronze’s threat as a receiver and carrier inside could fabricate deadly interchanges with Aitana and Patri, making pressing and marking a near-impossible task for the opposition.

On top of that, Bronze’s capabilities as a traditional attacking fullback could pave the way for the return of Wolfsburg Caroline Graham Hansen, who was far more dynamic in her movement than the current version (i.e. sticking to the touchline and specializing in 1v1’s).

Essentially, the correct adaptation would see Bronze add another layer of complexity to an already stellar attacking unit. It would increase the amount of ways that Barcelona could deconstruct a block; the number of angles through which they could progress; and the range of tactically-sound spontaneity.

Comparing Bronze to the Alternatives

Emma Ramírez, as talented as she is, would not provide this, being a decidedly more traditional fullback than Bronze and of a lower offensive caliber.

Emma Ramírez’s fullack radar vs. Lucy Bronze’s (21/22); @StatsBombES

Ona Batlle, by contrast, would replicate this dynamic to a certain degree. She has not matured to Bronze’s heights as of yet, but her ceiling is lofty. If we take those same progression stats we used for Bronze, this is how Ona compares (per 90 minutes):

Bronze (again)

Passing:

Progressive passes: 1st (9.77)
Passes into final third: 7th (6.56)
Passes into penalty area: 6th (2.66)
Crosses into penalty area: 8th (0.63)

Carrying:

Progressive carries: 2nd (8.98)
Progressive distance carried: 4th (242.5 m)
Carries into final third: 1st (3.91)
Carries into penalty area: 25th (0.86)

Ona

Passing:

Progressive passes: 14th (5.63)
Passes into final third: 22nd (3.85)
Passes into penalty area: Tied 43rd (1.15)
Crosses into penalty area: Tied 32nd (0.38)

Carrying:

Progressive carries: 93rd (2.26)
Progressive distance carried: 11th (154.1 m)
Carries into final third: 6th (2.26)
Carries into penalty area: 33rd (0.67)

Now, Ona plays in circumstances that are much less ball dominant and, thus, less suited to boosting progression numbers, especially passing ones. If we normalize per touch and team context based on that scatter plot we saw earlier, she looks strong:

Another way to do this would be to remove Chelsea, Arsenal, and City players from the equation. Here’s how Ona ranks, now (per 90 minutes):

Passing:

Progressive passes: 2nd
Passes into final third: 4th
Passes into penalty area: Tied 12th
Crosses into penalty area: Tied 16th

Carrying:

Progressive carries: 61st
Progressive distance carried: 3rd
Carries into final third: 2nd
Carries into penalty area: 17th

Given her current age (23) and ability, Ona would be the ideal signing for Barcelona. Her quality meets the standards for the present and her potential could transform her into a long-term solution. As a bonus, she is an expert duelist, sitting in the 95th percentile for dribblers tackled and 92nd percentile for success rate.

The club wouldn’t have to think about the right back position for awhile, not to mention that she would be a more seamless dressing-room fit.

That’s all well and good, but Ona Batlle is not returning to Spain this summer. United have the right to extend her contract for another year and will opt to do so absent a crazy transfer fee (for women’s football), since they’re not utterly incompetent (only somewhat).

Bronze presents a handy short-term solution in this reality. As Barcelona wait for Ona, they get proven quality and an upgrade over one of the “weaknesses” of last season. In 2023, Ms. Batlle could replace Torrejón and gradually adjust to the rigors and pressures of trying to win every single game. The following year, Bronze’s contract would expire and Ona could take over.

Things rarely work out so perfectly and there will be hitches along the way; nonetheless, given the reality of the market and the tactical growth that Bronze could engender, it is clear that Barcelona made the correct decision in bringing the three-time UWCL champion to Spain.

1

Compared to those with a minimum of six nineties played.

2

The two offensive actions directly leading to a shot (think pre-assist plus the assist). A single player can receive credit for multiple actions and the shot-taker can also receive credit (per fbref).

3

“Live” passes exclude attempts from set-pieces.

4

Counterpressing is improved by tight connections between players in possession, as this makes it easier to close down threats immediately after a ball loss. Inverted fullbacks aid in this, which is why they are a popular choice when trying to create a stable structure to stop counter-attacks.

Tactical Rant

How Does Lucy Bronze Fit in at Barcelona?