UEFA Women's Champions League

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This Technical Report – the third of its kind to be published by UEFA – focuses on the top teamswho managed to qualify for the quarter-final stage of a competition which, in the 2016/17 season,continued its growth in stature.

The eight clubs corresponded to five of the 48 national associations that had booked places on thestarting grid when the ball started rolling in 2016. The objective of this Technical Report istherefore to reach out to the wider coaching community and to offer information which ispotentially helpful to those engaged in the development of players and the overall level ofwomen's football in Europe – where many clubs and national associations are involved instimulating projects aimed at equipping teams to compete with the best and to enlarge thecontinent's elite.

The Technical Report provides information, statistics, comment, analysis and debating pointswhich, it is hoped, will give technicians food for thought. It is based on the input from a team ofexperienced coaches who attended and analysed matches in the latter rounds of the competition

Introduction

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and who pooled their information and observations at the first UEFA Women's Champions Leaguefinal to be played in Cardiff, two days before the final of the equivalent men's tournament. Theteam of observers comprised Patricia González (Spain), Jarmo Matikainen (Finland), AnjaPalusevic (Germany), Hope Powell (England) and Monika Staab (Germany), all of them formernational team coaches and/or UEFA and FIFA instructors.

The final of the UEFA Women's Champions League, steadily acquiring a higher profile within thefootball calendar, was held at the Cardiff City Stadium in the Welsh capital, with current Walesnational team manager Jayne Ludlow – herself a winner of the trophy with Arsenal LFC in 2007 – acting as UEFA's ambassador for the showpiece game. The local profile of the event was raisedwhen, to herald the '100 days to go' milestone, 100 members of the Cor Glanaethwy (North WalesChoir) surprised the Cardiff public with a flash mob performance. This promotional activity alsofeatured heavily in the 'This is Welsh Football' photography competition which culminated in anawards ceremony and exhibition at the UEFA Champions League Gallery at the MillenniumCentre in Cardiff on the eve of the women's final.

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The road to Cardiff

Of the 36 teams who took their places on the starting blocks when the ball started rolling in August2016, 11 sprinted through the qualifying round unbeaten. But only the nine winners of the groupsof four earned the right to appear on stage when the curtain rose on the knockout rounds inOctober. The qualifying groups had yielded a healthy total of 256 goals at an average of 4.74 permatch. But the overall average blurred a picture of contrasting colours. Group 2 produced 46goals, for example; Group 6 only 15. Different stations on learning curves were signposted bystatistics. One-third of the contestants averaged in excess of 20 goal attempts per match – Breidablik (Iceland) and Medyk Konin (Poland) as many as 28 – whereas, at the other end of thescale, four teams fell below one tenth of that average.

Three of the successful contestants in the qualifying round went on to surmount the first hurdle ofthe knockout stage too, although it should be added that, among the last-32 fallers, Bosnianchampions SFK 2000 Sarajevo were edged out on a 2-1 aggregate by Rossiyanka of Russia,while Medyk Konin succumbed by an even narrower margin (the away goals rule) after fightingback from 3-1 down at home to Brescia to win 4-3 (the decider scored direct from a corner), onlyto be defeated 3-2 in Italy.

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BIIK take on Verona in the round of 32

Barcelona got the better of Rosengård

However, two of the three successful clubs hadthe misfortune to be drawn against the eventualfinalists in the following round of 16 while TommyStroot's FC Twente were again eliminated by FCBarcelona – the Dutch side's nemesis theprevious season. Although Paris Saint-Germaindispatched BIIK-Kazygurt by a comfortablemargin in the last 16, they had been made tosweat by Monica Knuden's LSK Kvinner theround before, Patrice Lair's team needing a 4-1victory in the French capital to overturn a 3-1first-leg loss in Norway.

The overall balance of the round of 32 was 16 wins for home teams and ten by visitors, with onlysix games drawn. The average number of goals per match was whittled down to 3.44, reflectingthe increasingly competitive complexion of the action. At the same time, the increasing pulling-power of the UEFA Women's Champions League was highlighted by an attendance of 9,127 atSan Mamés in Bilbao to watch Athletic Club beat Fortuna Hjørring 2-1 in the first leg of their last-32 tie.

However, the difference between the elite and the clubs aspiring to join them was sharply definedby a round of 16 where six of the eight ties were decided by aggregate margins of five goals ormore – with Olympique Lyonnais ruthlessly setting benchmarks with a 17-0 demolition of FCZürich Frauen in which, to underline the strength of Gérard Prêcheur's squad, ten players got onthe scoresheet. In the most closely-fought ties, Fortuna won in both Hjorring and Brescia toeliminate one of the previous campaign's quarter-finalists, while Nick Cushing's Manchester CityWFC made club history with a 2-1 aggregate triumph over Brøndby IF to earn a place among thelast eight. Their 1-1 scoreline in Denmark was the only draw in a round that otherwise yieldedeight home wins and seven victories for visitors.

The quarter-finals rumbled with the sound ofheavy metal. Eight games of extraordinaryintensity produced just 13 goals. Xavi Llorensopted for a 1-3-4-3 structure in Barcelona's tieagainst Rosengård's 1-4-4-2, laying foundationsfor composed combination play that allowed theSpanish side to dictate the tempo. JackMajgaard's team, hampered by waywardfinishing (none of the Swedes' ten attempts inBarcelona found the target), failed to breach awell-organised defence based on rapid transitionwork by the wing-backs.

FC Bayern München had the misfortune to take on Paris Saint-Germain while key players were ontheir injury list. Yet while the French outfit missed chances in Munich, a high ball-win by NicoleRolser followed by two crossfield passes enabled Bayern's Vivianne Miedema to score the onlygoal of the game. During the Paris return leg, the obdurate 1-5-3-2 defending by Thomas Wörle's

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Carli Lloyd helped see off Fortuna

Parc des Princes was the end of the road for Barcelona

charges was unstitched by three free-kicks and a ball loss in the defensive third, the hostsprevailing 4-1 overall.

A free-kick also initiated the demise of Germany's other representatives. Camille Abily struckdirectly into the Wolfsburg net to put Olympique Lyonnais ahead, with intricate combination playearning a well-worked second and a 2-0 first-leg advantage for the champions of France. To theircredit, Wolfsburg fought valiantly in Lyon, where a late penalty was enough to salvage a victorybut not the tie. Unusually, the quarter-finals signified the end of the road for the German clubs.

In the other quarter-final, Manchester Cityenjoyed possession and control in their away legin Hjorring but pierced the Fortuna defence onlyonce, when new recruit Carli Lloyd converted across from the left. The return was a similarstory, with a corner yielding City's sole reward foroverall domination. Brian Sørensen's last throwof the dice was to switch to a back line of three – but the ploy failed to pay dividends against thehigh pressing and impressive athletic qualities ofthe English side.

Although a slick counterattack yielded an equaliser after an early penalty, City struggled againstthe high pressing and composed possession play of Olympique Lyonnais, who operated in a 1-3-5-2 structure against the Mancunians' 1-4-4-2. A neat combination move and a swift counter-punch after a high ball-win resulted in two more goals for the visitors. But, although they restrictedCity to half-a-dozen goal attempts during the return leg in Lyon, Gérard Prêcheur's troops onceagain failed to offer the home fans a goal and suffered a second successive 1-0 defeat which,thanks to their impressive away form, inflicted minimal damage.

Barcelona, the first Spanish club to reach thesemi-finals, endured a similar fate against ParisSaint-Germain when they entertained them at apacked Mini Estadi. Llorens mirrored Paris's 1-3-5-2 formation but the home team struggled tomatch the visitors for power, anticipation andcomposed possession play through midfield and,more especially, the wide areas. Three crossespaved the way for an impressive victory. Unfazedby falling 3-0 behind early in the second half,Barcelona switched to a more direct, aggressiveattacking mode for the final phase of the game and bagged a consolation goal that permitted theflames of hope to keep flickering as they headed for the return in Paris.

Although they pressed with determination and strove valiantly to break Paris's stranglehold onmidfield, their ambitions were dashed by a penalty and by a wide free-kick delivered by EvePerisset, deflected by a Barça defender into her own net. The 5-1 aggregate scoreline took Lair'sside comfortably along the last leg of the road to Cardiff and a contest against his old team in thefirst final of any UEFA competition to be disputed by two clubs from France.

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The final

"In a final, it's the victory that counts." These words were uttered, with a degree of relief, whilepurple streamers rained down on the champions at the Cardiff City Stadium.

But Gérard Prêcheur's comment could equally have served as a pre-match forecast as OlympiqueLyonnais and Paris Saint-Germain lined up as opponents for the third time in as many weeks.When the German referee signalled for the ball to start rolling, it soon became apparent thatfamiliarity had bred respect. As Patricia González, one of UEFA's technical observers in Cardiff,remarked: "We saw a match that had been coloured by previous confrontations and which, inmany respects, was a repetition of what we had seen in the French Cup final."

Prêcheur, having fielded three at the back during Lyon's semi-final against Manchester City,reverted to the line of four he had deployed in the quarter-final against Wolfsburg, with theubiquitous Saki Kumagai the most frequent tenant of the holding position in front of the defence.Camille Abily and Dzsenifer Marozsán completed an elastic midfield triangle, while Alex Morganon the right and Eugénie Le Sommer on the left teamed up with striker Ada Hegerberg to formLyon's attacking trident.

Patrice Lair, on the other hand, remained loyal to the three centre-back structure that had servedParis well in previous rounds. In Cardiff, however, his wing-backs had their wings clipped by OL'sinsistent pressure, with the result that PSG spent long periods of the game in an overt 1-5-3-2formation.

"It was a surprise to see PSG obliged to defend so deep and rely on counterattacking,"commented UEFA observer Hope Powell. "The defending was so compact and so deep," added

Quality and equality: the final

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Jarmo Matikainen, "that there was no room for them to play their way out." The consequence wasa first half in which Parisian attempts to short-pass their way through the thirds almost invariablyled to high-ball regains by Lyon and relentless pressure.

On the other hand, their deep defending wasexecuted with sufficient efficiency to block routesto goal. Katarzyna Kiedrzynek, although on redalert, was not seriously troubled, her positioningand handling allowing her to deal comfortablywith attempts from long range. What's more,OL's cutting edge was further blunted whenUnited States international Alex Morgan – passed fit on the eve of the final – was obligedto limp off in the 23rd minute.

Concerned by the pace of her replacement Élodie Thomis, Lair ordered his full-backs tointerchange, Ashley Lawrence switching to the left as an antidote to the newcomer. The move wasa tacit admission that Paris's game plan was to counter the opposition rather than carry the gameto them. "I found it understandable," said Anja Palusevic. "Had I been the coach, I would havedone the same."

The investment in deep defence came close to yielding dividends when Paris created the mostdangerous chance of the half. With their frontrunners Cristiane and Marie-Laure Delie struggling tomake an impact as a partnership, the threat emerged from another source. Bypassing the area ofhigh pressure with a lofted forward pass, Paris's counter was based on a header by Delie into thepath of midfielder Shirley Cruz Traña , who capped a powerful run from deep by cutting insideand, teeing up a right-footed shot, forced Sarah Bouhaddi into a crucial save.

It was the highlight of an opening period in which the initial Lyon impetus gradually faded – to theextent that, during the closing minutes, Paris were able to hold a higher line and afford Cruz moreopportunities to display her playmaking abilities. Yet at half-time the goal that might have openedup the contest had still to arrive.

When the curtain went up on the second half, itrevealed no change of scenery. Another spell ofsustained pressure earned OL their bestopportunity when a wide free-kick invitedHegerberg, unmarked, to head at goal and, afterKiedrzynek had repelled that effort, to stab theball wide from close range. Struggling physically,she was then replaced on the hour by midfielderPauline Bremer, with Le Sommer taking thecentral striking role in a formation that gravitatedtowards 1-4-4-1-1.

Lair, meantime, had withdrawn Aminata Diallo from Paris's midfield trio, sending on VerónicaBoquete as a more attack-minded linking element in his team's middle-to-front play while Formiga,indefatigable at the age of 39, performed 'worker ant' duties in front of the centre-halves. Almost

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immediately, Paris again demonstrated their ability to combine the worse of the play with thebetter of the chances.

Again, Cruz was the protagonist, sliding a through pass into Delie who, with Bouhaddi at hermercy, poked the ball wide of the far post. However, Paris's creative stock was depleted whenCruz, extenuated, made way for defender Laura Georges after 80 minutes, signifying a transferfrom centre-back to midfield for Grace Geyoro.

As the action drifted inexorably into extra time, the final became more about patterns than events.Lyon had the ball; Paris had the game plan. Both teams remained loyal to their passing game,using their high levels of technique to twist and turn their way out of trouble and play their waythrough packed areas. There was quality in abundance. But the talent in both sides cancelled theother out. Paris, although aware that only victory would allow them access to this competition's2017/18 edition, could not drill deep enough to find fuel for their European dream. For the secondsuccessive year, the UEFA Women's Champions League title was to be decided by a penaltyshoot-out.

To the delight of the PSG fans behind the goal,Cristiane coolly dispatched the opening spot kickand there was even more delight whenKiedrzynek pushed the fourth penalty, by LeSommer, onto the bar. Anything you can do ...said Bouhaddi, decisive in the previous year'sshoot-out against VfL Wolfsburg. The OL keeperjudged correctly to save from Geyoro and heraldan equilibrium that lasted until the scoreboardregistered 6-6 after a series of penalties takenwith aplomb and mental fortitude.

Then, even though three outfielders – two of them fresh subs – remained in the pending tray,Kiedrzynek stepped confidently up to the mark, only to screw her shot wide of the keeper's rightpost. Anything you can do ... said Bouhaddi, as she placed the ball on the spot and beatKiedrzynek to secure a 7-6 victory and a successful title defence for Lyon.

Prêcheur, arms outstretched, led the stampede from the OL bench towards Bouhaddi while adisconsolate Kiedrzynek sought refuge on the touchline. While the podium was being assembledon the pitch, she made her way, waving team-mates aside, towards Paris's fans and, in a poignantmoment, begged forgiveness. As the purple streamers cascaded on the jubilant champions, andBouhaddi and skipper Wendie Renard jointly hoisted the trophy into the Cardiff air, Lair could onlyrue: "I wish things could have worked out differently at the end of a very tactical game." It hadbeen a cruel ending to a final between teams of great quality and equality.

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Technical Topics

"I would say that the season confirmed that levels of technique, relationships and collectiveunderstanding are these days much better," Hope Powell remarked when the UEFA technicalobservers met the morning after the final in Cardiff. "It also confirmed that the ability to maintaincontrol and play a passing game in tight areas is crucial if you want to compete among the topteams."

The champions, Olympique Lyonnais, demonstrated the value of an ability to play excellentpossession football based on neat, accurate combinations, which allowed Gérard Prêcheur's sideto dictate the tempo and direction of the game. Manchester City, who made club history byreaching the semi-finals on debut, were made to realise during their 3-1 home defeat by Lyon thatthey needed to scale another rung if they were to join the French club at the top of the continentalladder.

The same applied to City's fellow first-time semi-finalists FC Barcelona, pitted against Paris Saint-Germain and similarly adding further lessons to their learning curve. In a season where one of thesalient features was the absence of German teams from the last four, pride of place was grantedto the French challengers who combined high levels of technique, athletic qualities and tacticalmaturity.

Odd numbers not so odd

"If a structure proves successful," commented Powell, "the greater the temptation for othercoaches to try it." A reasonable debating point would be to ask whether Lyon's successful changeof team structure for the 2016 final was the trigger. Whatever the answers, the striking trend toemerge from the 2016/17 UEFA Women's Champions League was the move towards a systembased on a trio of centre-backs.

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As Jarmo Matikainen noted in Cardiff: "Five of the top eight teams operated with three at the backat some stage." UEFA's technical team took time to decide on the formation drawings to be usedon the team pages of this report. Not only because some of the top eight varied their structureaccording to the opposition; also because they operated in attacking and defending shapes withrapid transitions from one to the other.

Fortuna Hjørring, Rosengård and Wolfsburg were the exponents of a 1-4-4-2 with Manchester Cityalso adopting that template against Lyon, switching to a midfield diamond (with Carli Lloyd tuckingin behind the front two) when chasing results in the final stages.

Curiously, OL's Prêcheur, having sprung a tactical surprise by changing to three at the back in the2016 final against Wolfsburg, engaged reverse gear in Cardiff by reverting to a back four,excluding right wing-back Jessica Houara and withdrawing Amel Majri into a traditional left-backberth alongside the other three.

However, the trend towards a back line of three could be graphically illustrated by Barcelona. Inthe previous season, Xavi Llorens had opted for the club's traditional 1-4-3-3 structure. But whenthey travelled to Sweden for the first leg of their quarter-final against Rosengård, he set his teamup in 1-3-4-3 formation with Marta Torrejón and Leila Ouahabi operating in the wing-back roles.

As Patricia González observed: "The threecentre-backs were good at anticipating andintercepting the direct supply to the two strikersin Rosengård's 1-4-4-2, while the structure gavethem numerical superiority in the middle-to-frontzone and allowed them to create overloads in thewide areas. It also meant they had enoughplayers forward to make quick attack-to-defencetransitions with immediate pressure on the ball.They often capitalised on a 3v2 advantage in thecentral area of midfield, while high pressing allowed them to win the ball in advanced positionsand quickly head for goal while the opponents were in their defence-to-attack transitional phase.Both their goals in the return leg were scored this way."

Even so, Rosengård succeeded in posing questions to the Barça defence by trying to exploit thespaces behind the wing-backs. On the other hand Manchester City, also operating in 1-4-4-2formation, struggled to find answers when confronted with Lyon's 1-3-5-2 structure in the semi-final. Their narrow midfield enabled them to pressurise in numbers and disturb the opposition'sbuild-up through central areas but obliged Nick Cushing's team to do a lot of chasing when OLopened up the game in the wide areas.

Against Wolfsburg in the quarter-finals, OL had set out their stall in a 1-4-2-3-1 system, anxious tocounter the powerful wing play which represented one of the major weapons in Ralf Kellermann'sarmoury and to deny any exploitation of spaces behind the wing-backs. As Wolfsburg held a veryhigh defensive line – with goalkeeper Almuth Schult quick to sweep behind – Lyon created dangerwith rapid counterattacks based on direct passes in behind the Germans' back line.

In the other Germany v France quarter-final, Bayern München lined up in a 1-3-5-2 formation that

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mirrored the structure of Patrice Lair's Paris Saint-Germain. Katharina Baunach filled the holdingrole in front of the three centre-backs, with Sara Däbritz dropping deeper to lend assistance duringthe return match in Paris. Both teams tried to press high, but Paris's high level of technical abilitygave them an edge in terms of building with possession play, forcing Bayern to defend deep in 1-5-3-2 formation and look for counters via a direct supply to striker Vivianne Miedema.

"If three at the back has become fashionable," Matikainen remarked, "it is because the coacheshave given it a lot of thought and have taken conscious decisions about the benefits it might bringto their teams. The more or less adventurous play by the wing-backs allows you to balanceattacking and defensive considerations and the top teams showed that it can be productive incontrolling the game in midfield and getting an extra player forward to support attacks."

He and other technical observers agreed that Lyon's ability to switch comfortably and seamlesslybetween playing structures from match to match and during individual games set the benchmarkfor a season marked by high degrees of tactical flexibility.

Standing room only

"I'm not sure we can talk about the 'sittingmidfielder' any more," said Matikainen, "becausethe job description has become much moredemanding. For example, Saki Kumagai does abrilliant screening job for Lyon, but she alsocontributes much more." His comment sparkeddiscussion on the evolution of roles in the centralmidfield positions, with the trend towards three-at-the-back structures maybe more propitious totriangular relationships in the central area than,say, a classic 1-4-4-2.

"I think it's safe to say," opined González, "that we don't see traditional No10s any more – either inthe men's or women's games." The 2016/17 UEFA Women's Champions League demonstratedthat the top clubs no longer rely on a single playmaker. In the final, Shirley Cruz Traña providedthe nearest approximation because of her ability to spot and deliver game-opening passes. Yet asMatikainen pointed out, "she had other duties to perform and I thought that PSG worked extremelywell and in disciplined manner to contain Lyon through the centre. The final gave us goodillustrations of how the central midfielders have big defensive responsibilities and, at the sametime, must be prepared to take the No10 role".

Paris highlighted the importance of achieving the proper balance in central midfield. AgainstBayern, Lair fielded Grace Geyoro in midfield – hence her inclusion in that category in UEFA'sSquad of the Season – to balance the more overtly attacking qualities of Cruz and VerónicaBoquete. Geyoro, incidentally, became champion of Europe at the age of 19 – a fact thatprompted Powell to remark: "She is one of a number of young players who are copingmagnificently on the big stage. It's not only EUROs and World Cups but also the age-limitcompetitions and development tournaments for national teams that are helping the youngsters tomature as footballers. And this bodes well for the future of the game."

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In the final, Geyoro was switched to centre-back with Formiga and Aminata Diallo accompanyingCruz. "However, the understanding between the Lyon trio, their ability to play in tight spaces andtheir out-of-possession work were key to their success," said Powell.

"What they did so well," added Anja Palusevic, "was the constant positional rotation during thematch which allowed them to share workloads and pose lots of questions to the opponents." OLcertainly asked questions of Manchester City in the first leg of their semi-final – and Cushing'sresponse in the return fixture was to deploy a narrow 1-4-2-2-2 defensive block aimed at bluntingOL's edge in the central area.

"I think Lyon really emphasised that today’s central midfielders really need to be all-rounders,"said Palusevic. "What we also saw," Powell continued, "was the importance of linking players – rather than playmakers – in defence-to-midfield and middle-to-front construction. As an exampleof the latter, I would pick out Dzsenifer Marozsán. She was the creative leader of Lyon's attacksby linking the team together with excellent passing."

The back room

"Goalkeeping standards keep on going up, year in, year out," Powell observed. "It's legitimate toput this down to better coaching – and it's encouraging that more girls seem to want to play in goalthese days."

The level among the top teams was sufficientlyhigh for no fewer than five keepers to beshortlisted for UEFA's Squad of the Season.Barcelona's Sandra Paños was commended notonly for her handling but also for her readiness tosweep behind the back line; Bayern's Tinja-Riikke Korpela, after keeping a clean sheet athome to Paris, received praise for excellentreflexes and organisational skills; ManchesterCity's Karen Bardsley excelled at commandingher terrain, was quick off her line and reacted well to situations in and around the box. Paris'sKatarzyna Kiedrzynek played an important part in build-up play and, when opponents pressedhigh, accurately opened play to the wings with long passes. "I think she typified the generalimprovement," Powell commented, "because we now see goalkeepers who are good with theirfeet and contribute with accurate distribution of the ball."

The common denominator among the leading sides was the desire to build from the back. Lyon'sSarah Bouhaddi was composed in her distribution to the centre-backs or the holding midfielderwho, as in many teams, dropped deep to initiate construction while the full-backs pushed high.Bardsley was equally confident with, in the case of Manchester City (and Bayern), the centre-backs splitting and dropping extremely deep to receive at the sides of the box. This impliedresponsibility for centre-halves, whose passing ability was one of the key components in the initialphase of attacking play. In this respect, OL centre-back Wendie Renard and central midfielderKumagai were outstanding in their ability to open the game with accurate long passing to the wideareas.

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Goals win matches

Competitive levels as the tournament worked its way towards Cardiff were reflected by adecreasing scoring rate. After the autumn group stage had posted an average of 4.74 goals pergame, the first two knockout rounds yielded 3.58 and then the eight quarter-final matchesproduced just 13 goals at 1.64 per game. With the remaining five fixtures, including the goallessfinal, supplying 11 goals at 2.2 per match, the overall balance for the knockout rounds of theUEFA Women's Champions League was 3.21. This represented a modest increase of 5% on theprevious season and surpassed the average of 3.04 registered in the men's equivalent.

If the 54 qualifying round games are included, the overall balance for the campaign was 452 goalsat 3.93 per game.

2016/17 top scorersZsanett Jakabfi (Wolfsburg) 8Vivianne Miedema (Bayern München) 8Gulnara Gabelia (BIIK-Kazygurt) 7Alexandra Lunca (Olimpia Cluj) 7Aleksandra Sikora (Medyk Konin) 7Cristiane (Paris Saint-Germain) 6Eugénie Le Sommer (Lyon) 6

The season, however, threw up a paradox in thesense that Olympique Lyonnais successfully defended the title despite failing to score in three oftheir last four games – two of them at home. In each of those matches, Prêcheur's side dominatedand controlled, but without converting superiority into goals.

"If anything," commented UEFA's technical observers after watching the 1-0 home defeat byManchester City, "Lyon should have been more clinical in the final third, especially as theyenjoyed so much possession in useful areas and situations."

In this respect, the chart showing goal attempts is revealing. Lyon's attempts-per-goal ratio wasdistorted by the first two knockout rounds, in which OL converted 41 on-target attempts into 27goals. From the quarter-finals to Cardiff, 72 attempts – half of them on target – harvested just fivegoals. The table shows the quarter-finalists' ratios of the number of attempts required tomanufacture a goal.

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FC Bayern München 5.32

Olympique Lyonnais 5.53

FC Barcelona 6.29

Paris Saint-Germain 6.52

VfL Wolfsburg 7.46

Fortuna Hjørring 7.50

Manchester City 7.58

Rosengård 12.57

In individual terms, Wolfsburg's Zsanett Jakabfi had nine on-target attempts compared with twowhich went wide of the mark. Bayern's Miedema, her companion at the top of the scoring chartswith eight, showed similar efficiency with a 13-5 split between accurate and wayward finishes.Paris's Cristiane (14-7) and OL's Eugénie Le Sommer (15-6) scored six apiece while team-mateCamille Abily (10-2) contributed five goals and as many assists to Lyon's run to the title. Bycontrast, OL striker Ada Hegerberg registered an 11-14 balance in terms of on and off-targetfinishes.

FC Barcelona

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Opponent Attempts On target Off target Blocked Woodwork

ZFK Minsk (a)16 8 5 3 1

ZFK Minsk (h)19 10 5 4 1

FC Twente (h)16 3 6 7 0

FC Twente (a)10 7 2 1 0

Rosengård (a) 4 1 1 2 0

Rosengård (h)11 3 6 2 0

Paris (h) 4 2 1 1 0

Paris (a) 8 2 4 2 0

Total88 36 30 22 2

FC Bayern München

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Opponent Attempts On target Off target Blocked Woodwork

Hibernian LFC (a)22 12 9 1 2

Hibernian LFC (h)19 8 10 1 0

FC Rossiyanka (h)32 11 14 7 0

FC Rossiyanka (a)19 10 6 3 1

PSG (h) 5 1 3 1 0

PSG (a) 4 1 3 0 0

Total101 43 45 13 3

Fortuna Hjørring

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Opponent Attempts On target Off target Blocked Woodwork

Athletic Club (a)11 6 5 0 0

Athletic Club (h)16 7 7 2 0

ACF Brescia (a) 9 3 6 0 0

ACF Brescia (h)13 6 6 1 2

Manchester City (h) 6 1 4 1 0

Manchester City (a) 5 3 1 1 0

Total 60 26 29 5 2

Olympique Lyonnais

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Opponent Attempts On target Off target Blocked Woodwork

Avaldsnes (a)22 11 8 3 2

Avaldsnes (h)21 10 5 6 0

FC Zürich (h)35 14 11 10 1

FC Zürich (a)27 16 9 2 0

VfL Wolfsburg (a)13 7 5 1 1

VfL Wolfsburg (h)16 6 9 1 1

Manchester City (a)16 9 3 4 0

Manchester City (h)11 5 5 1 0

Paris (final)16 9 5 2 0

Total177 87 60 30 5

Manchester City WFC

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Opponent Attempts On target Off target Blocked Woodwork

Zvezda 2005 (h)19 7 12 0 2

Zvezda 2005 (a) 9 6 3 0 2

Brøndby IF (h)14 4 7 3 0

Brøndby IF (a)10 4 4 2 1

Fortuna Hjørring (a)13 4 5 4 1

Fortuna Hjørring (h)16 5 10 1 0

Lyon (h) 4 1 2 1 1

Lyon (a) 6 3 3 0 0

Total91 34 46 11 7

Paris Saint-Germain

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Opponent Attempts On target Off target Blocked Woodwork

LSK Kvinner (a)15 4 6 5 1

LSK Kvinner (h)15 9 4 2 1

BIIK Kazygurt (a) 9 6 1 2 0

BIIK Kazygurt (h)28 17 8 3 0

FC Bayern München (a)17 9 4 4 0

FC Bayern München (h)18 6 8 4 1

FC Barcelona (a)13 5 5 3 1

FC Barcelona (h)14 5 5 4 0

Lyon (final) 8 4 3 1 0

Total137 65 44 28 4

FC Rosengård

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Opponent Attempts On target Off target Blocked Woodwork

Bleidablik (a)19 10 7 2 1

Bleidablik (h)23 9 11 3 3

Slavia Praha (a)12 8 4 0 0

Slavia Praha (h)17 9 6 2 2

FC Barcelona (h) 7 4 1 2 0

FC Barcelona (a)10 0 8 2 1

Total 88 40 37 11 7

VfL Wolfsburg

22

Opponent Attempts On target Off target Blocked Woodwork

Chelsea (a)19 11 6 2 0

Chelsea (h)13 3 4 6 0

Eskilstuna (a)17 9 7 1 0

Eskilstuna (h)30 8 10 12 0

Lyon (h) 6 3 2 1 1

Lyon (a)12 5 3 4 1

Total 97 39 32 26 2

Note: attempts striking the woodwork are included in the on-target total if deflected by goalkeeperor defender and in the off-target total if the attempt strikes the woodwork directly.

Of the 196 goals scored in the knockout rounds, 88 hit the net in the first half; 107 after the break;and one during extra time. The chart hints at good fitness levels by revealing that the final 15minutes were not the most prolific – though the number of goals scored after the 75th minute wasinflated by the 11 goals notched in additional minutes after the 90.

23

MinutesGoals %

1-15 23 12

16-30 25 13

31-45 36 18

45+ 4 2

46-6028 14

61-7540 20

76-9028 14

90+ 11 6

91-105 0 0

106-120 1 1

The paucity of goals (24) scored during the matches watched by UEFA technical observers makesa search for trends practically a mission impossible. However, one-third came from dead-ballsituations and one-quarter stemmed from crosses or cutbacks from wide areas. A total of 106corners in those matches led to a single goal – Manchester City's winner at home to Fortuna whenan outswinging delivery from the right by Melissa Lawley was headed in by defender Lucy Bronzeat the far post.

Significantly, five of the 24 goals could be traced directly to losses of possession in the defensivethird – a fact which emphasises that, in today's increasingly competitive UEFA Women'sChampions League, mistakes are often ruthlessly punished.

24

Wendie Renard (Olympique Lyonnais) ©Sportsfile

Talking points from 2016/17

Let me entertain you?

While the match in Cardiff showcased enough positives to confirm the upsurge in technical abilityin the women's game, the after-taste raised questions about whether the final had tickled gourmetpalates. UEFA's technical observers were anxious not to appear negative about what had been agrandiose event played out before a crowd of 22,423.

At the same time, they expressed reservations. "I suspect," commented Hope Powell, "that thetactical approach didn't help the game to be more enjoyable as a spectacle, even though thesecond half was better."

"As a coach, I have to say that I would probably have adopted the same approach as they did,"added Anja Palusevic. "But I was a bit concerned that, in a game that had a big audience, theremight not have been enough to excite people who may have been watching women's football forthe first time."

Admittedly, the 2017 final was flavoured by special ingredients. The two teams, rivals in the samedomestic competitions and opponents in a national cup final a few days before travelling to Wales,knew each other inside out. Ditto the coaches – Patrice Lair having moved to Paris after winningten trophies with Olympique Lyonnais between 2010 and 2014 and the possessor, inconsequence, of profound knowledge about the opposing club and players.

As Powell reflected, "apart from the game itself, it was a final that generated a lot of nervousenergy." On the other hand, the observers recalled how the previous campaign's final in ReggioEmilia had been cut from similar cloth, with Lyon dominating and opponents Wolfsburg happy toplay from the back foot and prioritise compact defensive work to counter the opposition's virtues.

25

Élodie Thomis was among the stars who only started on thebench in the final

The fact that, when the two sides walked out at the Cardiff City Stadium, the respective squadshad jointly accumulated 973 appearances in the UEFA Women's Champions League, offeredpalpable guarantees of quality and experience. "The question to debate," Powell added, "iswhether we would have preferred the talent on show to be used for a more attacking approach."

Does the widespread desire to promote women's football, broaden fan bases and increaseaudiences give 'entertainment value' a more prominent place in the equation? If so, what rolecould (or should) coaches play in terms of offering the public an attractive 'product'?

Career or cash?

"Managing 26 international players is no easytask," reflected Gérard Prêcheur, looking backover his three years on the Lyon bench. The factthe squad lists in Cardiff featured players of 11different nationalities demonstrated that theUEFA Women's Champions League isapproaching the cosmopolitan parametersprevalent in the men's version.

But, evidently, there are major differences whenit comes to financial parameters. The presenceof Barcelona and Manchester City in the semi-finals, for example, illustrated the benefits of investing in professional structures. And transatlanticrecruitment – including some loan deals to exploit the close season in the United States – confirms that clubs regard the UEFA competition as a major prize and a major incentive tostrengthen squads.

But coins have two sides. The relatively limited number of fully professional clubs in Europeanwomen's football arguably makes it easier for the elite to operate as vacuum cleaners, sucking upthe best available talent. At the same time, this creates a dilemma for the players.

On the one hand, a survey would surely reveal that they would undoubtedly prefer to play regularfirst-team football at the highest possible level. On the other hand, opportunities to earn financialrewards are few and far between.

As a player who could walk into the first team at almost any club, what would you prefer? To sit onthe bench at a big club with a nice pay cheque at the end of the month? Or to play regularly forlesser financial rewards? If you had to choose one or the other, what is more important? A decentsalary or a career pathway? And, as a club or national team coach, what advice would you give toyour players?

An imposing question?

©Sportsfile

26

Milena Bertolini

Yet again, the coaches of the top eight clubs inthe UEFA Women's Champions League weremale. The trend has become so generalised thatit no longer raises eyebrows. In the last threeseasons, the only female coach among thequarter-finalist teams was Brescia's MilenaBertolini in the 2015/16 campaign. The rarity offemale coaches has become such an archetypaltalking point that it makes little sense toperennially rake over the ashes. On the otherhand, is it normal that, while the percentage offemale coaches at national team levels is steadily creeping up, Europe's premier club competitionseems to have settled into a rut?

In this day and age, there is no shortage of female coaches with the UEFA B diploma which is therequisite level for occupants of technical areas at UEFA Women's Champions League matches.And UEFA's ongoing projects aimed at encouraging former players to extend their activity in thegame by moving into coaching will, in all probability, deepen the pool of qualified femaletechnicians in a not-too-distant future.

As debating points, the issues could be, firstly, to question why there are so few female coacheson team sheets and, secondly, if anything could, administratively, be done with a view toredressing the balance. With regard to the first talking point, Powell said in Cardiff: "I thinkrecruitment could be an issue – and I suspect that sometimes the person or persons responsiblefor recruiting at clubs don't really have women's football all that close to the heart. I may be wrongbut I do wonder if female coaches are being offered the right number of opportunities."

The second question was debated by the technical observers in the light of FIFA's policy at thefinal tournaments of the world body's age-limit competitions. The regulations for these eventsstipulate that at least one member of the coaching staff must be female with the rider that "ideally,at least one half of the team officials should be female". Should similar stipulations be written intothe regulations for the UEFA Women's Champions League?

Among the technical observers, the matter aroused mixed feelings. On the one hand, FIFA'sstance was regarded as a bold move and a step in the right direction. But, on the other hand,there were doubts about whether imposing female coaches is the right way to address the issue.What is your opinion?

©Getty Images

27

Gérard Prêcheur (Lyon) ©AFP/Getty Images

Winning coach

"Now I'll be able to spend time with my family and friends, all the people who have supported meover the last three years. I have to give back all the love – the last few months have been verydifficult for me."

These are by no means the average post-match quotes that one would expect to hear from acoach who has just lifted the UEFA Women's Champions League title for a second successiveseason. But Gérard Prêcheur's comments in Cardiff highlight the stresses endemic to thecoaching profession and, in particular, the strain on a man who strives to attain the right balancebetween the professional and the personal. Like Josep Guardiola, he had decided that a three-year cycle provided adequate fulfilment and, whatever the result in Cardiff, had announced hisdeparture from the Olympique Lyonnais bench.

After the shoot-out victory, he was quick to congratulate Patrice Lair as, ironically, his swansongpitted him against the coach he had succeeded at OL in 2014 – Prêcheur having previously actedas director of the French national association's training centre at Clairefontaine. The developmentof women's football was among his responsibilities and vocations. "France has been working hardto nurture and develop women's football," he said in the Welsh capital, "so it was great to have twoteams in the final. I'm sure this will give a strong impetus to women's football in France."

Prêcheur reflects on Lyon success

28

Eight out of nine possible trophies rewarded the57-year-old's three seasons of total dedication tothe task at hand. "Everyday coaching at a club isdemanding because you have to invest all yourenergy in the job. From a personal point of view,I was happy that I found myself capable ofresponding to all the challenges. It was quitecomplicated at times."

In the context of life at Lyon, one of thesignificant challenges was to prepare a squad physically, technically and mentally equipped todeal with top-level UEFA Women's Champions League fixtures intermingled with match action inthe French domestic championship. In coaching terms, this meant setting up a team for gameswhere they could expect to amply dominate, while devising a less flamboyant, more pragmaticstyle for contests against highly competitive top-level opponents.

Prior to the previous season's final in Reggio Emilia, Prêcheur and his staff had meticulouslyprepared a side capable of blunting Wolfsburg's most dangerous weapons whereas, beforeCardiff, there had been less need for scouting work on highly familiar opponents. Among the keydecisions was a game plan based on a back four, rather than the three he had deployed in thesemi-finals, and a three-pronged attack aimed at pre-empting the menace from Paris's wing-backs. "It was a tough final," he admitted, "and there were some tired, end-of-season legs. But theplayers were outstanding."

Constantly prowling the technical area during the two hours of football in Cardiff, Prêcheur's stylewas to issue advice and instructions without stridencies or histrionics. "I have always said that youneed to be modest and to remember that the important ones are the players out on the pitch.Back-to-back trebles have been great for the club and great for the girls. I don't think anyone hasdone that in the past, so they deserve congratulations for an exceptional achievement." Afterrounding off a three-year cycle of success with victory against Paris, so does Gérard Prêcheur.

©AFP/Getty Images

29

1 KatarzynaKiedrzynek

Paris

16 Sarah Bouhaddi

Lyon

2 Lucia Bronze

Manchester City

3 Wendie Renard

Lyon

12 Ashley Lawrence

Paris

17 Eve Perisset

Paris

21 KadeishaBuchanan

Lyon

29 Griedge M'BockBathy

Lyon

The UEFA technical teamSquad of the SeasonGoalkeepers

Defenders

Midfielders

30

5 Saki Kumagai

Lyon

8 Jill Scott

Manchester City

10 Dzsenifer Marozsán

Lyon

14 Pernille Harder

Wolfsburg

23 Camille Abily

Lyon

26 Grace Geyoro

Paris

3 Zsanett Jakabfi

Wolfsburg

9 Eugénie Le Sommer

Lyon

10 Cristiane

Paris

10 Vivianne Miedema

Bayern

Forwards

31

The task for UEFA's team of technical observers, when they met on the morning after the final inCardiff, was to select a squad of 18 from a shortlist of 47 players who had caught their eyes alongthe road to Wales.

Inevitably, it had to be a ruthless selection process in which, in particular, players from semi-finalists Barcelona could understandably feel hard-done-by. Seven of their players had beenshortlisted but, in the final judgement, none was rewarded. No fewer than eight of the 2017 squad(Sarah Bouhaddi, Griedge M'Bock Bathy, Wendie Renard, Saki Kumagai, Camille Abily, EugénieLe Sommer, Cristiane and Dzsenifer Marozsán) had also been named the previous season – Marozsán as an attacker at Frankfurt in 2016, here as the occupant of a more withdrawn role withOlympique Lyonnais.

The two finalists inevitably provided the lion's share of the names on the team sheet at the end ofa season dominated by French clubs. That does not prevent the list from having a cosmopolitancharacter, with exactly half of the squad playing their football outside their native countries.

UEFA technical observers' squad of the season

Griedge M'Bock Bathy and Dzsenifer Marozsán both made the cut

©Sportsfile

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Club analysisResults

33

Match officials

34

Name Country Date of birth FIFA

Referees

Jana Adámková Czech Republic 27/01/1978 2007

Teodora Albon Romania 02/12/1977 2003

Linn Andersson Sweden 18/01/1982 2010

Esther Azzopardi Malta 12/12/1981 2007

Sandra Bastos Portugal 01/03/1978 2004

Lorraine Clark Scotland 12/06/1985 2013

Cristina Dorcioman Romania 07/08/1974 2002

Tania Fernandes Morais Luxembourg 12/09/1982 2011

Stéphanie Frappart France 14/12/1983 2010

Gyöngyi Gaál Hungary 29/06/1975 2002

Désirée Grundbacher Switzerland 16/08/1983 2012

Florence Guillemin France 04/12/1980 2006

Marta Huerta De Aza Spain 31/03/1990 2016

Riem Hussein Germany 26/07/1980 2009

Sofia Karagiorgi Cyprus 20/01/1981 2007

Zuzana Kováčová Slovakia 26/04/1979 2006

Katalin Kulcsár Hungary 07/12/1984 2004

Pernilla Larsson Sweden 18/09/1976 2010

Lina Lehtovaara Finland 23/06/1981 2009

Dimitrina Milkova Bulgaria 26/09/1984 2010

Efthalia Mitsi Greece 03/03/1980 2005

Kateryna Monzul Ukraine 05/07/1981 2004

Monika Mularczyk Poland 28/06/1980 2008

Elvira Nurmustafina Kazakhstan 07/08/1985 2013

Lois Otte Belgium 16/10/1986 2014

Petra Pavlikova Slovakia 22/05/1981 2007

Vivian Peeters Netherlands 29/09/1981 2011

Sara Persson Sweden 15/08/1976 2011

Anastasia Pustovoitova Russia 10/02/1981 2009

35

Viola Raudziņa Latvia 15/05/1985 2014

Marte Sørø Norway 29/04/1980 2008

Esther Staubli Switzerland 03/10/1979 2006

Bibiana Steinhaus Germany 24/03/1979 2005

Eszter Urban Hungary 03/09/1984 2010

Zuzana Valentová Slovakia 27/03/1985 2011

Carina Vitulano Italy 22/07/1975 2005

Olga Zadinová Czech Republic 16/04/1985 2011

Assistant referees

Lucia Abruzzese Italy 15/04/1976 2012

Anastassiya Akimova Kazakhstan 11/06/1986 2013

Kathleen Marie Alexander Scotland 29/05/1978 2017

Linda Andresen Norway 03/02/1990 2014

Alexandra Theodora Apostu Romania 05/06/1989 2015

Oleksandra Ardasheva Ukraine 20/01/1987 2012

Josefin Aronsson Sweden 13/06/1988 2017

Biljana Milanova FYR Macedonia 20/01/1985 2011

Emilie Aubry Switzerland 08/04/1990 2015

Nicolet Bakker Netherlands 13/03/1984 2008

Solenne Bartnik France 02/07/1980 2014

Christina Biehl Germany 15/04/1986 2010

Belinda Brem Switzerland 03/09/1987 2011

Elodie Coppola France 15/07/1983 2011

Anna Dabrowska Poland 15/08/1984 2008

Viki De Cremer Belgium 06/08/1993 2017

Ella De Vries Belgium 10/05/1977 2008

Francesca Di Monte Italy 30/08/1983 2016

Vanessa Alexandra Dias Portugal 15/08/1987 2015

Maria Etienne Belgium 12/01/1984 2016

Silvia Fernandez Perez Spain 07/07/1988 2017

Andreia Sousa Portugal 06/10/1986 2016

36

Nina Hammarberg Finland 19/09/1991 2015

Gabriela Hanáková Czech Republic 23/12/1986 2013

Fijke Hoogendijk Netherlands 04/11/1978 2013

Polyxeni Irodotou Cyprus 17/05/1982 2015

Hayley Irvine Scotland 14/01/1989 2015

Petruta Iugulescu Romania 20/09/1979 2006

Mirela Ivanova Bulgaria 22/12/1981 2014

Jelena Jermolajeva Latvia 16/04/1988 2014

Annica Johansson Sweden 11/11/1986 2013

Niki Karagiorgi Cyprus 18/02/1982 2008

Maria Kouparani Greece 29/12/1982 2016

Chrysoula Kourompylia Greece 29/07/1977 2008

Judit Kulcsár Hungary 27/04/1980 2004

Susann Küng Switzerland 19/03/1988 2012

Ekaterina Kurochkina Russia 03/04/1986

Angela Kyriakou Cyprus 08/11/1977 2008

Ivana Lesková Slovakia 01/04/1987 2011

Julia Magnusson Sweden 19/04/1985 2014

Jenni Mahlamäki Finland 14/08/1985 2016

Brigitta Makkosne Petz Hungary 30/03/1974 2002

Ekaterina Marinova Bulgaria 03/05/1979 2003

Veronica Martinelli Italy 20/05/1985

Miriam Matulova Slovakia 24/02/1994

Jennifer Maubacq France 06/06/1987 2015

Kylie Mcmullen Scotland 01/12/1988 2013

Catalina Nan Romania 15/03/1989

Manuela Nicolosi France 18/01/1980 2012

Anna Nyström Sweden 14/11/1973 1999

Michelle O'Neill Republic of Ireland 20/07/1978 2011

Sandra Österberg Sweden 18/03/1987 2016

Tonja Paavola Finland 25/03/1977 2007

37

Iuliia Petrova Russia 29/01/1989 2014

Bérengère Pierart Belgium 08/11/1980 2013

Guadalupe Porras Ayuso Spain 19/07/1987 2014

Natalia Rachynska Ukraine 14/08/1970 2004

Katrin Rafalski Germany 04/02/1982 2010

Lucie Ratajová Czech Republic 02/12/1979 2009

Vikki Robertson Scotland 03/11/1984 2015

Sanja Rodjak Karšić Croatia 16/12/1983 2009

Patricia Samsudean Romania 13/07/1989

Bianca H.P. Scheffers Netherlands 21/03/1979 2014

Linda Schmid Switzerland 02/04/1991

Kinga Seniuk-Mikulska Poland 25/06/1979 2003

Katarina Smolikova Slovakia 07/01/1992

Zuzana Špindlerová Czech Republic 18/07/1987

Maryna Striletska Ukraine 22/08/1983 2013

Maria Sukenikova Slovakia 16/11/1975 2005

Jilan Taher Sweden 11/01/1985

Mihaela Tepusa Romania 19/04/1983 2013

Elisabeth Thoresen Norway 14/12/1992 2016

Katalin Török Hungary 10/01/1985 2008

Anita Vad Hungary 29/06/1991 2017

Sabina Valieva Russia 28/09/1989 2014

Diana Vanaga Latvia 11/03/1988 2012

Veronica Vettorel Italy 08/11/1979 2015

Marina Wozniak Germany 07/09/1979 2008

Kristina Yanushkevich Kazakhstan 25/10/1988 2012

Jana Zaplatilova Czech Republic 21/12/1989 2016

Fourth officials

Mathilde Abildgaard Denmark 02/10/1987 2012

Elena Alistratova Kazakhstan 08/02/1985 2009

Linda Andresen Norway 03/02/1990 2014

38

Josefin Aronsson Sweden 13/06/1988 2017

Tone-Lise Sandvolt Norway 24/07/1989

Cindy Gosselin France 29/10/1979 2010

Cinzia Carovignia Italy 02/07/1976 2013

Elodie Coppola France 15/07/1983 2011

Solen Dallongeville France 22/04/1989 2017

Iuliana Demetrescu Romania 10/01/1990 2016

Jana Eleferenko Russia 30/01/1985 2011

Michaela Fritz Austria 14/03/1987 2016

Valentina Garoffolo Italy 16/02/1984 2014

Emmanuelle Hingant France 25/11/1980

Aida Jusufović Bosnia and Herzegovina 29/12/1988 2017

Alena Karas Belarus 07/12/1985 2012

Ifeoma Kulmala Finland 10/08/1988 2014

Susann Kunkel Germany 15/09/1983

Angela Kyriakou Cyprus 08/11/1977 2008

Maria Marotta Italy 23/02/1984 2016

Veronica Martinelli Italy 20/05/1985

Vera Opeykina Russia 21/06/1989 2015

Stacey Pearson England 07/04/1987

Iuliia Petrova Russia 29/01/1989 2014

Morag Pirie Scotland 27/06/1975 2009

Guadalupe Porras Ayuso Spain 19/07/1987 2014

Rocio Puente Pino Spain 25/12/1983 2008

Line-Maria Rasmussen Denmark 08/01/1983 2017

Vikki Robertson Scotland 03/11/1984 2015

Lindsey Robinson England 18/06/1980

Anastasia Romanyuk Ukraine 25/02/1984 2015

Michèle Schmölzer Switzerland 02/12/1991

Shona Shukrula Netherlands 24/05/1991 2017

Diana Henriques Portugal 15/03/1990

39

Angelika Soeder Germany 18/04/1989 2015

Rúna Stefánsdóttir Iceland 07/04/1988 2012

Jana Šauflová Czech Republic 03/08/1987

Lucie Šulcová Czech Republic 06/11/1990 2017

Jilan Taher Sweden 11/01/1985

Sara Telek Austria 08/08/1988 2016

Elisabeth Thoresen Norway 14/12/1992 2016

Karolina Radzik-Johan Poland 24/09/1980 2008

Cristina Trandafir Romania 01/03/1983 2010

Andromachi Tsiofliki Greece 14/01/1986 2016

Karoline Wacker Germany 19/02/1991 2017

Katarzyna Wasiak Poland 14/12/1988

Jana Zaplatilova Czech Republic 21/12/1989 2016

40

Fair play rankings

Pos. Club Points Matches played

41

42