UEFA Women's Champions League Performance Insight: How Barcelona's varied attacking play trumped Roma

Barcelona advanced to their fifth UEFA Women's Champions League semi-final in a row in forceful fashion this week, putting five goals past Roma at Camp Nou.

Drawing on the energy of a crowd of over 50,000, the rich variety of their attacking play impressed the UEFA Technical Observer panel, as this analysis explains.

Goals

1-0: Fridolina Rolfö (11)

Centre-back Mapi León has registered more completed crosses (23) in this European campaign than any other Barcelona player and her pinpoint ball from the left found Asisat Oshoala in the box. The Nigerian's excellent lay-off duly set up Rolfö who showed terrific technique with a first-time strike.

2-0: Mapi León (33)

León's previous goal in this season's competition was a free-kick against Rosenborg. This one was from outside the box again but from open play as from 30 metres she arrowed a left-foot shot past Camelia Ceasar. Roma players may have been wary of stepping out to close her down for fear of leaving space behind yet not stepping out gave her time and space to pick her spot.

3-0: Fridolina Rolfö (45+2)

This was the product of fine combination play on the right that ended with Aitana Bonmatí feeding Caroline Graham Hansen, who delivered a low cross to the far post where Rolfö applied the clinical finish.

4-0: Asisat Oshoala (46)

The Nigerian's fifth goal of the campaign followed another good move as Lucy Bronze picked out Bonmatí's run behind the Roma defence on the right. Of all the players in quarter-final action this week, Bonmatí produced the most passes in the attacking third (38) and her accuracy was perfect once more as, angling her run towards the five-metre box, she clipped the ball across goal where Oshoala tapped in.

5-0: Patri Guijarro (53)

From a Hansen corner, Guijarro rose unmarked at the near post to send a glancing header over Ceasar. UEFA's match observer noted the part played by Salma Paralluelo in blocking off Annamaria Serturini, who was unable to step out to challenge Guijarro.

5-1: Annamaria Serturini (58)

From winning the ball in their own half, Roma needed just three passes to open up Barcelona as they broke with speed. Key to the move were the crossover runs by Valentina Giacinti and Serturini, with Andressa Alves feeding the latter on her diagonal run from left to right. She duly got the ball out from under her feet before placing a precise low shot inside the far corner.

Player of the Match: Fridolina Rolfö

So far in this season's Women's Champions League, the 29-year-old has registered the most crosses from open play: 56. Yet the Swede switched from supplier to scorer on Wednesday, notably with her fabulous opening strike. UEFA's Technical Observers panel said: "She was very offensive in her role as left wing-back, scoring two goals from inside the box, and creating a lot with combination plays."

Formations

Barcelona

The hosts set up in their trademark 4-3-3 formation with two attacking full-backs in Bronze (15) and Rolfö (16) and a dynamic midfield trio comprising Keira Walsh (21) as the deep, central player, Guijarro (12) rotating on the left at times, and Bonmatí (14) in a slightly higher position. Hansen (10) gave width on the right while Paralluelo (17) moved inside to open up the space for Rolfö on the left.

When pressing upfield at Roma's goal-kicks, the shape shifted to 4-4-2 with Bonmatí next to Oshoala (20) in the front line. In the next line of defence, Guijarro or Walsh closed down the deep midfielder.

Roma

Roma's starting formation was 4-4-1-1 though without the ball they would shift to a low 4-5-1 – and this became a 5-4-1 at times due to Barcelona's attacks in wide areas. In these instances, Serturini (15) would drop down into the right-back position to help defend the rotations of Paralluelo and Rolfö.

Features

The video analysis above highlights the variations in Barcelona's attacking play – including combinations, 1 vs 1s, crosses, and playing through the lines. As the UEFA observer remarked, the goals they scored underlined the different ways they found of breaking down Roma's defence.

Yet despite the scoreline – and Barcelona's overall supremacy – there were times when Roma's counterattacks in wide areas created challenging situations for the hosts and the first part of the video focuses on the Italian side's efforts.

The first feature of their game, highlighted in Clips 1-2, is their bravery in the build-up. They had difficulties in playing out from the back in the face of Barcelona's high press, yet persisted in their efforts and produced some progressive play at times.

In Clip 1, it is worth noting the positions taken up by several Roma players. Right-back Elisa Bartoli comes right across the pitch to, briefly, give Roma numerical superiority in the area of the field where they are trying to progress the ball. Another player highlighted is Manuela Giugliano who makes a run to the right to ensure more space for winger Serturini, in a deeper position on the right. The sequence ends with Roma attempting a ball behind the high Barcelona backline – a recurring tactic.

Clip 2 provides another example of the Roma players' movement. After the ball is played up to their forward line, we see substitute Giada Greggi cut across to the right to provide support. Giugliano then makes herself available for the pass and though Greggi plays backwards instead, the No10's movement has opened up space. As the move continues, Giugliano does receive the ball, from left-back Moeka Minami, and has two midfield options – to her right and left – as she scans the scene. With Barcelona's Ingrid Syrstad Engen mindful of Alves to her right, she stands off, giving Giugliano time to size up her pass behind the high line.

Roma captain Manuela GiuglianoGetty Images

Clips 3 and 4 offer further illustrations of the way Roma sought to exploit space behind Barcelona's defence after winning the ball. With Roma sitting deep as Barcelona dominated possession (70.2% was the hosts' share), their plan with the ball was to counterattack with passes in behind Barcelona's backline – and in both these clips we see a quick transition after they regain possession. It is no surprise the goal they got followed a fast counter.

From Clip 5 onwards, the focus shifts to Barcelona and the diversity of their attacking play. "We have some of the best, most intelligent players in the world here," said Bronze afterwards, and their technical quality and game intelligence told in several ways.

Clip 5 shows their combination play as clever rotations draw Roma players out of position and open up space for Paralluelo on the left. Barcelona excel at creating space – and finding a team-mate in it – and they ended the week with the highest pass-completion percentage in the attacking third (84.8%)

Another point about this clip is the concentration of numbers in and around the box when León crosses. There are four home players in the area plus another in the D (and as the video shows, nine in total within 30m of the Roma goal). Crucially, Oshoala has Rolfö in close proximity for the lay-off.

Clip 6 begins with red arrows tracking the movement of first Rolfö and then Paralluelo as each, in turn, makes a run in behind, highlighting the constant questions Barcelona ask of opposition defences.

Fridolina Rolfö's movement was a constant threatGetty Images

We then see a triangle of Blaugrana shirts on the left side – a 3 vs 2 as they look to create space to cross. And though Roma clear, the accumulation of Barcelona players in the final third means there is a home player there to pick up the ball and try again. As the sequence ends we see eight Barcelona players circled inside 25m of the Roma goal – and two more not far behind.

Clip 7 illustrates another feature of Barcelona's attacking, namely their central progressions. First we see highlighted the central overload – four players in a ‘diamond' – as they bypass the Roma centre-forward. It is worth watching the movement of Guijarro, in particular, who finds a pocket of space between the lines and is able to receive the ball from León on the half-turn and move it on to Oshoara who breaks into the box. Another detail worthy of comment here is the position of Oshoala whose closeness to Carina Wenninger means the centre-back does not feel able to step up to Guijarro until it is too late.

In Clip 8, we see the move for the fourth Barcelona goal – pertinent as it highlights their ability to get behind a higher defensive line. With Oshoala occupying Wenninger and left-back Minami drawn out to Hansen, Bonmatí makes the run from deep into the space between the centre-back and full-back. With her assist, incidentally, she moved level with Roma's Giugliano at the head of the assists' table with five each.

The focus of Clip 9 is Barcelona's passing 'diamonds'. Twice in quick succession we see a quartet of players close together – in a diamond formation – as they create a numerical superiority to ensure a variety of options for the player on the ball.

The sequence ends with a reminder that it is not just passing patterns but individual talent which Barcelona have in abundance as Hansen produces a weaving run between four white shirts before another cross. For the record, Hansen ended the evening with seven take-ons (and an 85.7% success rate) as well as four completed crosses.

The video analysis concludes with an example of Barcelona counterpressing and regaining possession. Before this match one of coach Jonatan Giráldez's instructions to his players was "no relaxation" and Clip 10 shows them at their aggressive best in response to an interception by Roma's Bartoli (one of 15 interceptions – the week's highest figure – by the Italian side).

Barcelona excel at getting numbers around the ball in possession and this brings benefits too when they lose it – we see five players circled who are in close proximity to the Roma player in possession, all helping limit Serturini's options. Thus Guijarro is able to stick out a toe and nick the ball away to spark another menacing advance.

Patri Guijarro celebrates after scoring against RomaNurPhoto via Getty Images

Coaches' assessments

Jonatan Giráldez, Barcelona coach: "That was one of the most concentrated and focused team performances for some time. It's great to be playing like this: a top match, in front of so many of our fans in this great stadium, and I'm pleased to have sealed our passage to the semi-finals.

"We had to be very focused, very complete in our performance because Roma have very good attacking players who produce good transition play. For that reason I'm almost equally pleased with how we played in an attacking sense and defensively."

Alessandro Spugna, Roma coach: "I'm not only very proud of how we've tested and pushed them across these two games but very proud of the road Roma have travelled in order to reach the quarter-finals for the first time.

"There's no doubt that we can, and must, learn, gain experience and benefit from playing a great side like this. There are many years of difference in development between us so we've achieved a lot – now we must develop using this experience."