#004 - Secret Superstars in WoSo - EUROs edition (Group A)
It's the summer of secret superstars!
International tournaments are spectacles that catch the most eyes. Everyone is hooked on football to beat the summer heat. Recent trend in women’s football, international and domestic, has been one of breaking attendance records and setting the tone for the future. Although there is still a long way to go in achieving the goal of making women’s football self-sustainable.
As women’s football continue to build on its own successes, new players become the face of the takeover. The young prodigal ones, the understated ones, the veterans of three-oh somethings, they will all gain a new set of eyes and “with more eyes, we all rise”.
In the 3rd installment of Secret Superstars in WoSo series, we will be looking at players at the Euros this year. I will be splitting it into four parts, one for each group.
Group A
Alessia Russo (23, England/Manchester United, Striker)
The Lionesses have an incredible depth in the attacking areas, as they walk into this home tournament as one of the favorites. This depth provides them with variability in the ways they can hurt a team.
Ellen White has been scoring goals for England and will likely be the player that spearheads that attack at the Euros but Sarina Weigman can spice things up with Manchester United’s Alessia Russo.
The 23 year-old forward was a pillar in attack for United during the 2021-22 season, scoring 9 goals and assisting another 4.
Russo is a physically imposing figure upfront. She has shown versatility to be of use from out wide providing crosses and making those inward diagonal runs. Her movements to drag players to create space for her teammates is great. She has showcased great synergy playing with teammate Ella Toone. Her ability to link play or provide support by drifting wide is brilliant. This allows for fluidity in attack, enabling players like Beth Mead to operate from the inside zones.
When in the box, her ball striking is clean and she can pack a lot of venom in her shots with minimum backlift. She is good at attacking aerial balls as well, making her a threat from crosses.
Keira Walsh (25, England/Man City, Midfielder)
Walsh has been around forever now, she is a mainstay for both club and country. One might argue she isn’t really a secret anymore and maybe that’s true but I think her importance is understated.
Playing as the pivot when England line up in a 4-3-3 or recently partnering her best mate, Leah Williamson in a double pivot under Wiegman, Walsh is tasked with circulation. She brings the calm to the storm, often able to release pressure with her passing.
She is an excellent distributor of the ball, showcasing great range and ability to switch point of attack from deep. She scans her surroundings well and shows up for the ball, behind the first line of pressure, during the buildup phases. Her body orientation when receiving is great as well, helping her press resistance. She helps her side retain possession and control the tempo of the game.
Her reading of the game shines in defensive situations, where she is able to position herself in right areas to disrupt opposition attack. She will be the lynchpin in midfield for the Lionesses.
Chloe Kelly (23, England/Man City, Winger)
Kelly’s move to Manchester City from Everton in the summer of 2020 was a massive success. She hit double-double in the league, contributing 10 goals and 11 assists for the sky blues in 2020-21. An unfortunate ACL injury at the end of the season meant she had reduced involvement in 2021-22 season but she picked things up from where she left.
Kelly gives the Lionesses an option of utilizing a more of a traditional front 3 with wingers high and wide. She has great synergy with teammate Lauren Hemp on the LW. She is very direct and excellent in 1v1 situations, frequently able to get generate space and go past her marker using her pace and skill. An adept ball carrier, she’s also good in tight spaces near the touchline.
Her positioning stretches the opposition backline laterally and allows for switches of play, making her an excellent outlet. She likes to cross the ball and can put in really good deliveries. She has displayed qualities to play across the front line, making her a well rounded forward.
Laura Feiersinger(29, Austria/Eintracht Frankfurt, Midfielder)
Remember the best player from Euros 2017? well she wasn’t given the award exactly, but she arguably had one of the strongest cases with her performances. She played every single minute for Austria in 2017 Euros and was critical in everything they did in possession.
Feirseinger is a positionally versatile player, who can play as a midfielder in a 3 or as a wide playmaker, depending on the needs of the side. She is a creative presence, who can regularly break lines with her vision and passing. She can effectively circulate possession and offers a lot of verticality with her positioning, regularly taking up positions in between opposition lines.
She has great close control and her body orientation when reception is amazing, allowing her to receive on half-turn. She is great in 1v1 situations and constantly threatens the opposition box with her carries and passing. She offers a perfect link between a team’s offensive and defensive lines.
With role changes at both club and country level, Feirseinger has become more tactically astute in the defensive phases as well. She will be absolutely key for Austria.
Nicole Billa (26, Austria/Hoffenheim, Striker)
The 2020-21 season was a memorable one for Nicole Billa. She scored 23 goals and assisted another 6, helping her side qualify for the UWCL while also bagging the “Women’s Footballer of the Year” award in Germany. She will be the focal point for Austria in attack, having scored 43 times in 79 international appearances.
A lethal presence in the box, Billa is equally adept at creating and scoring chances. Her box-awareness is brilliant and she has a great eye for goal. Her movements are what makes her such a big threat in the final third. She regularly drops off to linkup play in the final third, this disrupts the opposition shape while also bringing in her teammates into the play. She is able to use her body really well to shield possession before laying it off for her teammate or finding another in space.
She can operate from out wide as well from where she can demonstrate her crossing ability. At 168cm, she isn’t the tallest forward out there but she is decent in the air, able to control her headers well.
Julie Blakstad (20, Norway/Man City, Winger)
Blakstad is a mercurial talent. Blessed with a left foot of the gods, she has the potential to be one of the most differential players in football. Blakstad’s trajectory in football has been one of constant rise. After scoring 10 goals in 17 appearances for Rosenborg, she earned a big move to Manchester City in 2022.
Blakstad is a winger by trade but is often used as the LB (or worse RB) for Norway. She is really explosive going forwards but has the discipline and the workrate to put in defensive shifts for the team. She holds her own in physical duels as well and her pace comes in handy to keep track of opponent. She is skilled in 1v1 situations and has the pace to beat. She has got an incredible shot on her.
She is an excellent crosser of the ball from her left foot and has good vision to spot passes into open space in behind. She is direct when she gets on the ball, often looking to carry it forwards.
Even from a position that isn’t primarily hers, Blakstad is able to influence games. As she readies herself to deliver on her promise at the tournament, I ready myself to make any holy sacrifices necessary to see her in an advanced role.
Elisabeth Terland (21, Norway/SK Brann, Wide Midfielder)
Norway have a plethora of attacking options. The 21 year-old has been making waves for a while and was voted the best Norwegian Talent in 2019. She has scored 10 goals for Brann this season and already has 13 caps for the senior side having debuted in April of last year.
Terland can play up front but is more comfortable playing as the wide midfielder. She is really good at offering herself as a passing option in midfield before turning with the ball. She is direct in her passing, often looking to release players into space quickly. She has a good cross on her from wide areas.
Blessed with great close control, she can wiggle out of tight situations and her ability to use her body to shield from challenges is good too. Her positioning in between the lines is great and she makes some really well timed runs in behind. She has a good shot on her and an affinity to try her luck from range.
While there is a lot of competition for her spot, Terland can still offer value off the bench.
Thea Bjelde (22, Norway/Vålerenga, Midfielder)
Bjelde missed out on initial call up but following an injury to Lisa Naalsund in the friendly against New Zealand, the 22 year old was included in the squad. Bjelde’s talent has been closely monitored through her youth days in the national team, unfortunately injuries have hampered her slightly but she can maintained her reputation.
Bjelde is a very tidy midfielder on and off the ball. She is excellent at turning away from incoming challenges, her first touch and body orientation is really good. She has good close control in tight areas allowing her to retain possession. She has good range on her passes, allowing her to circulate the possession.
In attack, she has the ability to target space in behind or pick out players in advanced positions. The weight on her passes is good more often than not and offers verticality with her passing. Sometimes she scores bangers as well.
Off-the-ball, she is excellent at closing down the receiver denying them space on the turn and then nudging the ball away. She is a good tackler in 1v1 situations. Her ground coverage is decent as well. Her reading of the game allows her to block passing lanes and make interceptions.
Sophie Roman Haug (23, Norway/AS Roma, Striker)
Haug moved to Roma in January and scored 4 goals in 7 appearances, having scored another 9 for Lillestrøm earlier in the season. She has showcased potential for years, having scored 49 goals for Lillestrøm in her time there since 2015.
Haug is a player capable of playing as a striker or in front 2, where she can drop off or drift wide complementing her strike partner. She can serve as a reference point being able to receive with her back to goal. She is great at laying off passes for her teammates before turning to attack the box. Her movements in and around the box are good, allowing her to get into good areas for shooting but taking a shot from range doesn’t faze her.
At 176cm, she is dominant in the air and gets a lot of power in behind her headers using a combination of well timed jumps and her runs to attack the crosses. This makes her an excellent threat from set-piece situations as well. She isn’t the most creative forward but she gets the goals.
Nutmegs during the summer will have an international touch
Stop that Rafaelle🫣
Part 2 out in a couple of days! Happy footballing summer!