Sonia Bompastor interview: Chelsea boss discusses ...

There are two sides to Sonia Bompastor. When she first arrived at Chelsea, she was the cool, calm presence on the touchline in her opening months. Now, we’re seeing the opposite facet.

Watching her at Stamford Bridge within the Champions League quarter-final comeback win over Manchester City, it was the alternative of calm, at instances.

A roar of frustration in direction of the bench as Chelsea didn’t construct up from the again within the first half, adopted by an earful to the officers as Erin Cuthbert’s penalty enchantment was dismissed. Then, intense clapping and encouragement in stoppage time to keep up the workforce’s depth within the dying moments.

“If you get to March, April and Could, you begin to really feel my voice is completely different,” says Bompastor to Sky Sports activities.

“Originally of the season, I used to be looking for the great methods to deliver confidence to my squad, for them to understand it is doable to realize a number of issues on this membership.

“However now, it is time for us to show phrases into actions on the pitch. And these are the moments which are actually decisive within the season.”

We sit down with Bompastor on the membership’s coaching floor the day after a basic Chelsea efficiency. Backs towards the wall, with doubt beginning to creep in by way of a two-goal first leg deficit, the Blues discovered that different gear to recover from the road.

It was the precise definition of ‘The Chelsea Method’ tradition that Bompastor’s predecessor Emma Hayes seeped into the membership. Broken by its first defeat of the season in that first leg, the gamers within the dressing room went deeper inside one another and located a approach to win.

Not simply win on Thursday night time, but additionally within the Ladies’s Tremendous League recreation on the Etihad Stadium 5 days earlier – to maintain that wholesome respiration area on the summit.

The quadruple dream is alive once more. For the second 12 months in a row, Chelsea have 4 trophies to play for and we’re within the remaining week of March. Fairly merely, there’s an aura about this workforce that even in adversity, there’s an inevitability that they may have the ultimate say.

“When you need to face a workforce who solely misplaced one recreation for the reason that starting of the season, I feel you might be coming into the sport doubting a bit of bit,” says Bompastor.

“As an opposition, if you wish to win and beat us, you’ll have to be at your finest degree. And I feel that is one thing that is nice for us.

“I all the time inform my gamers: ensure in each recreation we simply damage the opposition, ensure we play in a manner the place we need to damage them mentally and bodily.

“Perhaps it isn’t the precise phrase to say ‘damage’ them, however mentally we simply need to be killers once we go into the sport.”

The way in which Chelsea ‘killed’ Man Metropolis’s Champions League hopes was via sheer dedication – but additionally numbers. Whereas their opponents had solely 5 substitutes, Chelsea’s rotated stars supplied that further gear to show the tie on its head.

Cuthbert and Wieke Kaptein’s deep runs from midfield bamboozled the half-fit Yui Hasegawa in the course of the park.

Metropolis defender Gracie Prior was barged off the ball twice by Lauren James within the first half – as soon as after simply two minutes, then within the build-up to Chelsea’s essential third to take them via.

After the sport, Metropolis interim boss Nick Cushing questioned how his workforce may compete when Cuthbert, match-winner Mayra Ramirez and Keira Walsh performed solely 20 minutes on the weekend for Chelsea, then began with recent legs within the quarter-final second leg.

The depth has been essential to Chelsea producing that elite mentality of all the time being a menace and by no means giving up.

Nonetheless, it does have its draw back.

Bompastor spent Friday morning talking with Chelsea midfielder Sophie Ingle who, like Sam Kerr, has not been concerned all season because of an ACL damage.

The Blues have made 49 modifications to their workforce within the WSL this season, eight greater than some other facet, so think about if these two had been a part of the image!

“It was a very good dialog,” says Bompastor about her chat with Ingle. “She simply stated: ‘it is troublesome when you might have that many gamers and that gifted squad to maintain everybody completely satisfied.’ And I stated: ‘Yeah, that is the reality. It is troublesome.’

“Everyone seems to be so completely satisfied to undergo and be certified for the semi-finals of the Champions League.

“However on the finish of the day, as a human, as a person, you additionally replicate on the actual fact you did not play the sport. And that is what you need to obtain. You need to play within the greatest video games.

“I simply informed my gamers: via this block [of games], you’ll have completely different statuses. Typically you’ll begin the sport. Typically you will not be within the squad. Typically you’ll be a finisher.

“And it doesn’t matter what standing you might have, you might be right here to assist the workforce. And I do know typically, by way of emotion, it is troublesome. However a very powerful, it is in regards to the membership, the workforce and what we obtain collectively on the finish of the season.”

Bompastor is ready to rotate her pack once more forward of one other large check: a house recreation towards a rejuvenated West Ham within the WSL, reside on Sky Sports activities.

Sunday thirtieth March 4:00pm


Kick off 4:30pm

With an eight-point lead and simply 5 matches remaining, the Blues know three wins might be sufficient to be champions as soon as once more. It may even be two, ought to Arsenal and Man Utd drop factors within the coming weeks.

Regardless of when Chelsea full the job, there are nonetheless loads of causes to hold on their profitable mentality, particularly as a result of information out there.

Win on Sunday and they’re going to set a brand new membership file for probably the most consecutive house wins (19). They’re additionally 12 factors away from breaking the file factors whole for a single WSL season, whereas there’s additionally the goal of being the primary workforce to go a complete top-flight marketing campaign unbeaten.

“For some individuals, they’re in all probability particulars, however for me they’re actually vital,” stated Bompastor, who herself is aiming to change into simply the second supervisor to win the title in her debut WSL marketing campaign.

“We need to be a part of historical past. Being a part of historical past is ensuring we win titles, we obtain our ambitions, but additionally we break information.”

Watch Chelsea vs West Ham within the Ladies’s Tremendous League on Sunday from 4pm; kick-off 4.30pm