Chelsea Women: 3 takeaways from first leg UWCL defeat to Barcelona

1. Emma Hayes’ side started the match far too slow against a top side like Barca

Right out of the gate, it was evident Hayes and the west London outfit gave the Spanish powerhouse far too much respect. The goal by Graham Hanson was a perfect example of that. The Blues watched the Norwegian international glide from the wing into shooting position at the top of the box. Not much resistance was thrown her way as Erin Cuthbert’s last ditch tackle came in just a fraction too late.

As the game progressed, the home side made their presence known in the middle of the park with the physicality of Cuthbert and Melanie Leupolz. That is the energy Hayes’ team must come out with in the second leg. It was as if Chelsea backed off for the first four minutes, observing the quality that Barca has on the ball. A 0.3 xG for the home side may be a little bit deceiving, but it is without question that putting more emphasis on the attacking side of things will be a priority on Thursday.

The Blues made 29 tackles in total with Leupolz executing seven, three more than any of her teammates. Seeing Lauren James on the bench to start the match was a clear indication that Hayes was more focused on preventing a goal than scoring on from the opening whistle. Hayes needs to find a happy medium between providing more of a threat going forward and defending the most potent side in European football in the second leg. Barca is used to breaking down defenses that tent to bunker down, but if the west London outfit can flip the script and assert themselves early on in Camp Nou, the second leg could get interesting.