Alexandra Popp is writing her own legend at the Euros. The 31 year-old debutant has been the unlikely protagonist for Germany. Injuries have been unkind to her, forcing her to miss out on both 2013 and 2017 edition and had this Euros not been postponed, she’d be unable to make it to the 2022 edition as well. Even beyond her selection, she was behind youngster Lea Schüller in the pecking order but a COVID positive result for Schüller meant Popp found herself in the lineup.
They say fortune favors the brave. Stars have aligned themselves for this to be her tournament after everything she has had to endure.
Alexandra Popp is currently the joint top goalscorer at the Euros, having scored in each of the 5 games so far, becoming the first ever women’s player to achieve this feat. She has scored 6 goals in the process and all of them have come from very similar areas inside the box. There are some consistent underlying traits that enable her to regularly get into good goal-scoring positions.
So, what makes Alexandra Popp? (get it, okay this is the last one, sorry.)
Step 1: Stay in the blindside
Staying in the blindside is one of the fundamentals of good striker movements. Good goalscorers often position themselves in defender’s blindside before attacking the ball. This allows them to make an unmarked run and also divides the marker’s attention between watching the ball and keeping track of the attacker. This dilemma often gives forwards the edge.
Popp is exemplary at this. She regularly positions herself in the blindside of the defender and uses a combination of double movements and start-stop movements to gain a vital edge over the defender. Look at this sequence of play, Popp can be seen drifting into the blindside of the defender and then uses double movements to attack the space in behind the marker. Although the cross is cleared on this occasion, this is a consistent part of Popp’s game.
She has found great success in scoring goals with these sort of runs. In the opener against Denmark, she scored using this exact type of movement. She swiftly moved into the blind spot of the defender, thus forcing her to regularly check over her shoulder to keep track of the ball and the player and then as the cross is about to come in, she finds herself in acres of space in behind the defender.
Against France in the semi-final, this was again on display. She slipped into the blindside of the far side defender as the move developed and then used her acceleration to get in front of the defender as the cross was about to be played in. These runs help her to consistently hide in the shadows and attack when the time is right, enabling her to score lots of goals.
The sequence of play on the first goal against France, is a well rehearsed move that completed it’s evolution in that game. These wide combinations are a staple of Germany’s attacking style.
Don’t believe me? watch this sequence of play against Spain in their 2nd game of the tournament. Giulia Gwinn’s comfort on the ball allows for plenty of positional rotations between the fullback, winger and near-side midfielder.
Step 2: Keep your opponents at arms length
They say “keep your friends close and your enemies closer”, not in football though. The art of gaining valuable yards on your opponent is an extremely valuable skill in football, especially for goalscorers. Using one’s body to create separation or putting the opponent off-balance is a key element in achieving this feat.
Popp is great at using her body to achieve this. She can be dominating but the subtleties of some of these actions are the difference between a half chance into goal or not.
Let’s look at her goal against Spain. Another header but the way she manages to just gain a slight yard on her marker using her body to her advantage makes all the difference. Spain have assigned Patri Guijarro to mark Popp closely, Popp initially keeps her at bay using her arm. A slight nudge of the arm as she is about to make a run to attack the corner delivery helps her gain a second over her opponent that enables her to reach the ball ahead of her. This small shielding tactic is just right to not commit a foul while also helping her gain a valuable yard to reach the ball first.
Step 3: Art of not moving
Movements are arguably one of the biggest assets in a striker’s toolkit. An important aspect of this is the subtle art of recognizing when to stop moving. This is very much a disguise tactic to catch your marker off guard, in a lapse of concentration.
Look at her goal against Finland that comes from the second phase of play from a German corner. As the ball goes out wide after the initial clearance, Popp is quick to adjust her positioning to be in line with the defenders and then she does something really interesting. She stops moving momentarily. This allows her to create the separation from a defensive line that is falling back, thus giving her space to run and attack the ball in.
This ability to consistently generate space for herself in order to attack the ball makes her such a lethal aerial presence despite being 1.74m. She is able to run and jump, giving her a higher reach that she’d have when jumping from a standstill position. This is what makes Popp such a potent threat from crosses and set-piece situations.
Step 4: Follow the coaching instructions
Germany’s goal against Austria was a result of very specific coaching instruction. Their opposition analysis team had pointed out that Austrian goalkeeper, Manuela Zinsberger, has a blind spot on her left when building from the back. Germany were alert to this throughout the game.
Popp was relentless when pressing her, curving her run to arrive from the left hand side as Zinsberger looked to build from the back. As soon as the ball was played back to the goalie on restarts, Popp would pounce on it applying pressure and forcing a decision from Zinsberger. This resulted in turnover and very close calls throughout the game.
And in the 86th minute, this happened. There is a sense of purpose in Popp’s chaos, she can execute the heavy metal press in a very methodical manner that plays into the opposition’s weakness. This also highlights Popp’s ability to execute certain tactical instructions on the field, making her a vital asset for any team she plays in.
Step 5: Disengage and attack
This is another one from a goalscorer’s toolkit. To disengage from the initial crowd and create separation so as to attack the ball with momentum is a very valuable skill. Maintaining a separation from your marker gives you leeway to then attack the delivery in various different ways in various different zones in the box. This also forces the defender to multitask, splitting their attention between the ball and the runner.
Look at her 2nd goal against France. As the ball goes wide, she doesn’t stay close to the French defenders, instead she retreats. This movement creates a run-up track for her to attack the incoming cross with momentum, thus overpowering her marker. This quality also gives her to freedom to target and attack different vulnerable spaces between defenders, increasing her threat exponentially. The ability to identify and execute these movements at the right time adds to her aerial threat in the box.
A Lioness takes two steps back not because it is scared but to create a momentum to attack. Popp is a lioness who knows how to attack and she has mastered the art of goalscoring.
Step 6: Immaculate badass vibes
This is the the most important step, there is no Popp-star without the badass vibes and this is where most players fall short but not Popp.
I mean nobody passes the vibe check like Popp does. She is a Kaiserin and a Kaiser at the same time.
Popp, a trained zookeeper, is also a natural leader on the field. She leads by example. Her commitment and drive is infectious and she pushes her teammates to give their 200% on the pitch. She has the physical endurance and mental fortitude to overcome difficult situations and that makes her a figure to look up to.
She has managed to find parallels between the animal kingdom and football and it’s truly fascinating to hear her interpretation.
“It’s a bit like a football team. The solidarity between the mongooses is primordial. In nature, everyone has to sacrifice themselves for others, and they communicate a lot, that’s the secret of group success. When you communicate with animals, body language is important, just like on the pitch. Sometimes if others aren’t correcting their mistakes on the pitch, I can get quite loud.”
A combination of these skillset has allowed Popp to score loads of goal throughout her career. She will remain in the blindside, disengage from her marker before attacking the ball with every ounce of energy in her body. Watching her goals is like reading a guide on “how to be a better goalscorer” in real time and she’ll be hoping to score more in the final.
This is your 6 step guide on how to be a Popp-star!
There are nutmegs, there are filthy nutmegs and then there is this…