3 Takeaways from Chelsea Women’s triumph over Real Madrid

Chelsea’s defense starting to build back reputation

When Chelsea let in two set-piece goals in the opening weekend in a loss to Liverpool there was no question the defense had a long way to go. With Buchanan coming in from Lyon, many people assumed that she would slide right in alongside Millie Bright and captain Magdalena Eriksson nearly seamlessly. That did not happen right out of the gate as the Blues were still trying to figure out her true position in the backline. The first four goals that CFCW gave up this season in the league were all from set-pieces, and since then no team has scored from a corner or set-piece.

The unity and collectiveness of the Blues’ defense have been evident in the past few matches, especially against Los Blancos under the lights on Wednesday. No goals were conceded through three Champions League contests this season compared to the four Hayes’ side let in within the first two European fixtures of the 2021/22 campaign.

The surprise of the season, Niamh Charles has emerged as a quality wingback for the Blues, continuously denying the opposition progress down the flank. Charles combined for the most tackles on the team and was tied for first in Hayes’ team for interceptions en route to a win over Real Madrid. Buchanan now feels more comfortable making those runs going forward, and sparking the Chelsea attack as one of the centerbacks on the wing.

The entire defense stepped in when they needed to in order to keep Ann-Katrin Berger’s job as simple as possible. Most of the time, there is not much work to be done on the defensive side of things for Chelsea, but when they are called upon, the Blues are now more than ready to confront the obstacles at hand.