Red-hot Lionesses star Lauren Hemp is showing why all-conquering Barcelona wanted to sign her with superb Man City displays

When Lauren Hemp was linked with a move to Barcelona last season, it was hardly a surprise. While the Catalans are known for the tiki-taka style that has helped them dominate Europe in the last couple of years, they also love pattern-breaking players who add a different dimension, players like Caroline Graham Hansen or Asisat Oshoala. Hemp would certainly fit that mould.

Fortunately for Manchester City, nothing materialised on that front. Instead, the England star put pen-to-paper on a new contract, one which will keep her at the club until the summer of 2027. “This is a special team,” she said. “I want to take my game to the next level and I feel like I’m capable of doing that here.”

It felt like Hemp did that last season, improving the quality of her touches and becoming more clinical in front of goal, things that will have no doubt attracted the interest of Barca even more. Her form at the start of this new campaign suggests she can go up another notch, too, and she’ll certainly hope to keep that up as the Catalans arrive in Manchester for the start of the Champions League group stage this week.

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  Superb start to the season

  One could make a convincing case for Hemp having been the single most impressive performer in the Women’s Super League through the first three weeks of the season. She leads the league in chances created by quite a distance, with her total of 14 some seven clear of any other player in the division. No one has had more shots on target or completed more dribbles either.

  Were it not for a rather impressive performance from West Ham goalkeeper Kinga Szemik on Sunday, she’d surely have more than just one goal to her name as well, the Poland star producing two particularly outstanding stops to deny Hemp at the Joie Stadium. “She’s so good,” City head coach Gareth Taylor said with a smile after the 2-0 win. “She just brings so much to the team with and without the ball.”

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    New levels

    There have been some clear improvements that have made Hemp even better in the past 12 months or so, too. Last season, she herself noted how she had become more clinical, something that was certainly reflected in the numbers. In the 2022-23 season, her shot conversion rate stood at 10.8 percent. In 2023-24, it jumped to 17.74%. That was despite her taking fewer shots, too. She was making better decisions in the final third, resulting in more shots on target, more goals and more assists.

    “She’s so intelligent now, which I think is something she’s added to her already huge attributes,” Taylor noted at the weekend. “She’s so clever in understanding how we play. Previously, she would receive the ball and try and take four players on and then lose it and try her hardest to win it back, whereas now she assesses every situation. She knows exactly when the right time to go is, she knows exactly when it’s not the time to go and she also has real quality in her passing and her technique – and of course, she’s such a goal threat.”

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      Using her experience

      It’s not just in Hemp’s obvious footballing talent that she’s taken steps forward, either. When Man City announced Alex Greenwood as their new captain last month, following the retirement of Steph Houghton, they also revealed that Hemp would be part of the leadership group that supports the England defender. Taylor says that is about trying to give her “more responsibility”.

      Sometimes it can be easy to forget how young Hemp still is, because of how early in her career she burst onto the scene. The winger was only 16 years old when she debuted for Bristol City and just a few months short of her 18th birthday when she signed for Man City. Still only 24 years old, she’s accumulated plenty of experience since her breakthrough, for club and country, and Taylor is keen to use what she has learned to benefit this group.

      “I think she’s really relishing that [leadership role],” he said. “From a young player who’s also got the ability now to be able to help maybe younger players or be a voice in the dressing room, I think it’s magic for us to have.”

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      Crucial business

      That Man City were able to keep hold of Hemp while Barcelona were sniffing around last season, then, was a huge boost. This is a club that has lost a number of top players in recent years, watching the likes of Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway and Caroline Weir opt for new challenges abroad. It’s forced a bit of a rebuild in the centre of the pitch in particular, albeit one that is now starting to bear fruit. The current project is clearly one that the players at the club believe in too, as Hemp is one of seven key names to sign new contracts in the last couple of seasons.

      “Lauren’s such a dream to work with,” Taylor added at the weekend. “I’ve enjoyed my time with her so much and it was so crucial that we got her to re-sign last season. That was a real positive for us, because I’m sure there are many clubs that would love to have a Lauren Hemp, and so they should, because she’s really coachable, she’s really honest, she gives everything for the team. She is such a team player and to have that at your club is amazing.”

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        Huge test

        All that quality Hemp brings to the table will be a real test for Barcelona on Wednesday. It’s likely that she’ll be matched up with the former Manchester United defender Ona Batlle, with whom she had some engrossing duels when they were both in the WSL.

        Backing up the Spain star, and giving Hemp big reason to also focus on her defensive duties, will be Graham Hansen, a genuine contender for the Ballon d’Or this year after her otherworldly 2023-24 season. She is the perfect example of the kind of player that adds another dimension to Barcelona, telling GOAL previously: “I think I was brought in to bring diversity, to break out of the passing style. I’m a very vertical type of player that goes fast in transitions. I can dribble, get out of closed spaces when there’s no space, to create unbalance in the opposing team.

        “When you have a style of play where it’s all about controlling the game with passing, you need some players who can break out of that pattern. That’s why I’m playing on the wing and I enjoy it so much because I also get put into a lot of situations where I get to contribute with the best parts of my game.”

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        Proving herself against the best

        For a while last season, as the end of the campaign neared and Hemp still hadn’t agreed a new deal, it looked like Barca could be set to add a similarly devastating player to the opposite flank. Instead, the two flying wingers will be going toe-to-toe with each other on Wednesday in what could be a fascinating element of an already intriguing contest.

        Barcelona are heavy favourites to come out on top. They are back-to-back reigning European champions and without a doubt the team to beat on the continent. The only defeat the Catalans have suffered since the start of the 2023-24 season was in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie with Chelsea last term – and even then, they bounced back from that 1-0 loss with a 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge to ensure progression to the final. It’s fair to say that City will be up against it.

        It’ll be a good test to see just how far off, or close to, the very best in Europe the English side are, though, and if they are to lay a glove on this incredible team, be it with her electric attacking play or the defending she will be required to do against Graham Hansen, one would imagine that Hemp will be a central figure.