María León (who goes by Mapi) is a center back for FC Barcelona and the Spanish Women's National Team. She is a key piece for both of the teams and is part of the reason why Barcelona has become the best team in the world and why the Spanish national team is on the uptick. It is becoming more common for her to be recognized for her play as she made the UEFA Women's Champions League Best XI for the 2020/2021 season. However, I don't believe she get nearly enough attention or credit because for me, she is the best in the world at her position. In this post I will talk about the aspects of her game that make her so good.
León is the perfect blend of asshole (excuse my language) and elegance. It is a purely subjective observation, but whenever she plays she has a killer instinct in everything she does on the field. Barcelona and Spain both play a heavy possession based style. Often times for club and country she is positioned on or inside the halfway line of her team's attacking half. This means that her team can be vulnerable to counterattacks and offensive transitions from the opposition. She is usually the one who cleans up the mess and sacrifices her body to do so. It is quite amazing how she gets it right almost every time, but she has to, because otherwise she would put her team at a disadvantage with a free kick and most likely earning herself a card. The videos below are some examples of her tackles in transition.
Video taken from Women's Football Replays YouTube Channel
Video taken from Women's Football Replays YouTube Channel
Another knock on affect of the set up of Spain and Barcelona is that León has to cover a lot of ground. Both set ups push the left back higher up to add numbers to the attack. This means that in possession and on transitions, León takes up the role of left center back and left back. This can be seen in the image below.
León is also great at defending even when her team are in their set defensive shape. Her ability to make recovery runs when opposing have successful attacking moves is fantastic. In the photo below, she makes a run to catch up with a PSG forward after the PSG defender played a great through ball between the seam between León and her left back. León slides to prevent an attempted cross.
Her ability to read play to intercept passes or time tackles is unmatched. In the video below against the US in the 2020 She Believes Cup, León is dropping with her backline, but has the awareness to see the play develop and step into the midfield to regain possession.
Video taken from Ross Duncan YouTube channel
As mentioned before, León's tackling is excellent whether she slides or decides to stay on her feet. In the photo below, she distorts her body so that she prevents a cross with her back (and weaker leg).
In the rare moments where opposing teams work out good offensive opportunities, León is often there to sacrifice her body and prevent a goal or shot on goal. The first photo below León stretches out to block a possible shot on goal to keep Barcelona ahead in their Champion's League semifinal against PSG. In the second photo, Arsenal created a rare chance on goal in their Champion's League group stage game, but again León is there to prevent the goal.
Not only is León a world class defender, she is also a playmaker for the best team in the world. She initiates play for both Barcelona and Spain, and can often be seen doing so in the left half space as seen in the photo below.
One of the most impressive aspects to her game is her passing range and decision making. León's has the ability to start Barcelona's buildup play and also create offensive opportunities from a deep lying playmaking position. When she is in her own defensive third, she is great at making sense of dense numbers in front of her and choosing the right pass. The photos below are a few examples of this.
León is also very accurate with her long range passes. In the first photo below, she chips the ball to her midfielder making a forward run. In the second photo, she sees that Arsenal's shape has shifted to the left side of the field and she picks out an open teammate on the right side.
The technical ability to get out of pressure situations is important for a center back, and León does it brilliantly. The videos below show scenarios where she uses her body shape and touches to get out of less than ideal situations and either advance the ball or switch the field.
Video taken from Ross Duncan YouTube channel
Video taken from DAZN UEFA Women's Champions League YouTube channel
One thing that I noticed when watching Barcelona this season is her relationship with the left back has slightly changed. Regardless of who plays at left back for Barcelona, they are always asked to push higher up the field. But even in possession, León looks to pass her left back the ball less frequently. In the photo below, it at first appears that León's left back is the most open option for her in this situation. But her body shape is closed off to that option, and she doesn't even consider it.
In the following photo, León is in a situation where she is facing her left back and is shaped like she could play her. However, she was doing that to bate the opposition because the player she wanted to play, and did play, was Alexia Putellas in the midfield.
This reminded me of the dialogue that occurred over Arsenal men's center back Ben White and right back Takehiro Tomiyasu.
León and Barcelona understand the principles that opposition presses try to trap teams out wide and use the sideline as an extra "defender." There is also more incentive for León to try to play more central passes when her midfield options are Alexia Putellas, Patri Guijarro, and Aitana Bonmatí, some of the best midfielders in the world.
As mentioned previously, Mapi León's recognition as one of the best in the world is growing, but still not where it should be. She is fantastic to watch and epitomizes everything a center back should be in a possession based game.
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