If this is Chelsea in a new era, it seems they are heading in the same direction as their previous one – towards more success.
Sonia Bompastor could not have hoped for a better start to life in charge when taking over from Emma Hayes.
A 2-0 victory over Manchester City at Stamford Bridge lifted Chelsea above their rivals to top the table and make it 10 wins out of 10 in all competitions.
Bompastor becomes the first WSL manager to win their first seven games in charge – a record she says is “there to be broken”.
“It’s not about me,” was the response from Bompastor afterwards but there was no hiding her enjoyment as the full-time whistle was blown in London.
“When you are on the touchline as a manager you have a lot of emotions – sometimes frustration, sometimes happiness,” said Bompastor.
“When I saw the two great goals, I really enjoyed it. I know how difficult it is to score against a really good Manchester City team.
“I just wanted to enjoy it. You don’t get that many opportunities in these great environments to get a victory and a clean sheet against Manchester City – one of the best teams in Europe.
“Everything is almost perfect. If you don’t enjoy it now, you will never enjoy it.”
‘I love to embrace the pressure’
City had arrived in London unbeaten, with memories of their stunning victory over European champions Barcelona earlier this season still fresh in their minds.
But the loss of England forward Lauren Hemp harmed them and in “a game of errors”, as Manchester City boss Gareth Taylor described it, Chelsea showed their ruthless streak.
A cagey first-half affair was turned on its head when Mayra Ramirez shrugged off Alanna Kennedy and Alex Greenwood to slot in Chelsea’s opener, and four minutes later Guro Reiten made it 2-0.
It was a significant result, albeit so early on in the season, with Chelsea’s game in hand giving them a wildcard in the title race.
They sit two points clear at the top having already played City and Arsenal – a scary prospect for those hoping to disrupt their pursuit of a sixth successive Women’s Super League title.
“Maybe at the moment the opposition can think [we are the team to beat] because we have had seven wins in a row in the league,” said Bompastor.
“Joining Chelsea, I was really aligned – and still am – with the vision and the ambitions. We are the holders in this competition.
“If everyone thinks we are the team to beat, that’s fine for us. As a manager, I love to embrace the pressure. That’s the job.”
‘Good results is not enough’
It was by no means a complete performance by Chelsea, though.
Both sides had spells of pressure, with neither taking control.
Manchester City striker Khadija Shaw was gifted a chance to make it 1-0 in the first half when Sandy Baltimore’s wayward back pass played her in, but the WSL’s top-scorer did not take the opportunity.
The second half continued to be riddled with errors but Chelsea eventually took advantage and were able to wrap up victory when not at their best.
Bompastor said on Friday they “had a plan to deal” with Manchester City’s domination of possession and it worked, despite their visitors having 63% of the ball.
“It was a different type of performance,” said Chelsea midfielder Erin Cuthbert.
“We have dominated a lot of games possession-wise but tonight we were happy to sit behind the ball, be compact.
“It was more of a traditional performance – but Sonia is a winner and will do whatever it takes to win. We got the tactics spot on.”
With key players still set to return – strikers Sam Kerr and Mia Fishel are recovering from anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, so too now has defender Kadeisha Buchanan, while England forward Lauren James and defender Niamh Charles have also been missing – Chelsea are only likely to get better.
And perhaps the scariest thing is that they still remain far from their best.
“Maybe one of my strengths – and the staff’s – is that we know exactly how we have to perform. We have a clear vision on what we have to do to achieve our goals,” said Bompastor.
“At the moment we are performing, getting good results, but there is still lots of room for improvement. We have players injured who can come into the squad.
“Sometimes people think because you have the good results, that’s enough. For me, that is not enough. I know exactly what we have to do to get even better.”
