There are two sides in Sonia Bompastor. When she arrived in Chelsea for the first time, she was the cool and calm presence on the sidelines during her first months. Now we see the other side.
Watching her at Stamford Bridge in the victory of return to the Champions League against Manchester City, it was sometimes the opposite of calm.
A roar of frustration towards the bench while Chelsea failed to develop from the back in the first half, followed by an ear for civil servants while the penalty call of Erin Cuthbert was rejected. Then, intense applause and encouragement in the stop time to maintain the intensity of the team in dying moments.
“When you arrive in March, April and May, you start to feel my different voice,” explains Bompastor to Sky Sports.
“At the start of the season, I was trying to find the right ways to bring confidence to my team, so that they realize that it is possible to achieve a lot in this club.
“But now it is time for us to transform the words into actions on the field. And these are the moments that are really decisive in the season.”
We sit with Bompastor on the club’s training field the day after a classic Chelsea performance. Backs against the wall, with a doubt starting to slip via a two -way deficit in the first step, the blues found this other equipment to overcome the line.
It was the exact definition of the culture of the “Chelsea Way” that the predecessor of Bompastor, Emma Hayes, infiltrated the club. Damaged by his first defeat of the season in this first leg, the wardrobe players went deeper into each other and found a way to win.
Not just winning on Thursday evening, but also in the female Super League match at the Etihad stadium five days earlier – to keep this healthy breathing space at the top.
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Highlights of the Super League women’s match between Manchester City and Chelsea
The quadruple dream is alive again. For the second consecutive year, Chelsea has four trophies to play and we are in the last week of March. Quite simply, there is an aura in this team that even in adversity, there is an inevitability that they will have the last word.
“When you have to face a team that has lost only one match since the start of the season, I think you are entering the match by doubting a little,” said Bompastor.
“As an opposition, if you want to win and fight, you will have to be at your best. And I think it’s something great for us.
“I always say to my players: make sure that in each match, we have just harmed the opposition, make sure to play in a way we want to hurt them mentally and physically.
“Maybe it’s not the right word to say them, but mentally, we just want to be killers when we enter the game.”
The way Chelsea “killed” the hopes of the Man City Champions League was out of pure determination – but also figures. While their opponents had only five replacements, the stars turned from Chelsea provided this additional equipment to turn the tie on its head.
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Anton Toloui and Sam Blitz of Sky Sports discuss the discussion points of the quarter -final match of the female Champions League between Chelsea and Manchester City
The depths of Cuthbert and Wieke Kaptein of the midfielder bamboozé the half-adjustment Yui Hasegawa in the middle of the park.
The city defender, Gracie Prior, was interrupted the ball twice by Lauren James in the first half – once after only two minutes, then in the construction of the third crucial of Chelsea to take them.
After the match, the acting boss of City, Nick Cushing, wondered how his team could compete when Cuthbert, the winner of the Mayra Ramirez match and Keira Walsh played only 20 minutes on weekends for Chelsea, then started with fresh legs in the quarterfinals at the time.
The depth was crucial for Chelsea producing this elite mentality of being always a threat and never abandoning.
However, it has its disadvantage.
Bompastor spent Friday morning talking to the Chelsea midfielder Sophie Ingle who, like Sam Kerr on Friday, was not involved all season due to an LCA injury.
The Blues made 49 modifications to their team in the WSL this season, eight more than any other part, so imagine if these two were part of the image!
“It was a very good conversation,” said Bompastor about his conversation with Ingle. “She just said:” It’s difficult when you have so many players and this talented team to keep everyone happy. “And I said,” Yes, that’s the truth.
“Everyone is so happy to pass and qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions League.
“But in the end, as a human, as an individual, you also think about the fact that you have not played the game. And that’s what you want to do. You want to play in the biggest games.
“I just told my players: through this block [of games]You will have different statutes. Sometimes you will start the game. Sometimes you will not be in the team. Sometimes you will be a finisher.
“And whatever the status you have, you are here to help the team. And I sometimes know, in terms of emotion, it’s difficult. But the most important thing, it is the club, the team and what we are doing together at the end of the season.”
Bompastor should rotate his pack before another big test: a home match against a Ham West Rajenis in the WSL, live on Sky Sports.
Sunday March 30 4:00 p.m.
Discover 4:30 p.m.
With an eight -point lead and only five games to play, the Blues know that three victories will be sufficient to be champions again. It could even be two, if Arsenal and Man utd drop points in the coming weeks.
No matter when Chelsea ends the work, there are still many reasons to continue their winning mentality, namely the available files.
Win Sunday and they will set a new club record for the most consecutive home victories (19). They are also 12 points to thwart the total record points for a single WSL season, while it is also the target of being the first team to make an undefeated high -flying campaign.
“For some people, these are probably details, but for me, they are really important,” said Bompastor, who herself aims to become the second manager to win the title of her first WSL campaign.
“We want to be part of the story. To be part of the story is to make sure to win titles, we make our ambitions, but also we are breaking records.”
Watch Chelsea vs West Ham in the female super league on Sunday from 4 p.m.; Kick -off from 4.30 p.m.
