Sonia Bompastor collected her first points as Chelsea manager with a 1-0 win over Aston Villa on the opening night of the Women’s Super League.
A left-footed effort from the edge of the area from Sweden winger Johanna Rytting Kaneryd opened the scoring. But Bompastor needed goalkeeper Hannah Hampton to be alert in saving from her opposite number Sabrina D’Angelo after a header from a free-kick in the 94th minute to ensure a first competitive win.
An impressive pre-season had given the impression that Chelsea would hit the ground running. Still, this display at home ground Kingsmeadow showed Bompastor has more work to do.
The performance revealed how many unknowns there are about Chelsea, who have a new manager for the first time in 12 years after Emma Hayes left to join the US Women’s National Team this summer.
Did attempt possession-based style work?
A switch to a more possession-based style was emphasised by Bompastor during pre-season as a key difference between her and Hayes. But Chelsea struggled to control the ball against Villa and the game finished with them having had 47 per cent of it. They only registered lower than that in four games last season — against Manchester United, Arsenal and Barcelona in both semi-final legs.
“We didn’t recognise during the game where we should have played,” said Bompastor in her post-match press conference.
“You need to take into account the scenario of the game, especially the second half. Aston Villa were trying to score. They put us under a lot of pressure.
“When the opposition put you under pressure, you have to find a more direct style of play. That’s the way it works sometimes because if you keep playing short when the opposition are pressing you, it can be difficult.”
Credit should also be given to Villa, who are a bit of an unknown under their new manager Robert de Pauw. De Pauw explained after the game that he had purposefully set his team up to disrupt Chelsea’s attempts to control the ball. Villa began with four midfielders.
“In the first ten minutes, Chelsea were ‘storming’, and the only way you can lower that storm is to keep the ball yourself,” he said. “That’s why I chose players that can hold onto the ball. After ten minutes, it calmed down.”
Bompastor herself pointed to Villa’s 2-1 pre-season win over Manchester City as evidence of her opposition’s competence. They will cause problems for more teams than Chelsea.
Did any old faces take their chances?
A new manager coming in gives a squad a clean slate and two players have looked like they are already thriving under Bompastor.
Goalscorer Johanna Rytting Kaneryd had fought her way into Hayes’ starting line-up by the end of last season but was still a little goal shy. Her finish on Friday night was far removed from the player who had only scored five goals in her first 71 appearances for Chelsea.
“We were talking with JoJo (Rytting Kaneryd) and trying to make her realise she is able to come inside and shoot with her left foot,” said Bompastor.
“She was practising that over the last week. I’m so happy because it worked tonight. A great shot, a great goal. It will give her more confidence.”
Kadeisha Buchanan was another player who impressed. The Canada defender previously played under Bompastor at Lyon. She left after Bompastor’s first year in charge of the club but has struggled to establish herself at Chelsea. Against Villa, she was used on the right side of a centre-back pairing with Millie Bright.
“I know Kadeisha really well, I know what she can bring to the team. She has so much experience. She’s a real defender, she likes to defend one-on-one. She’s so strong.”
With England defender Jess Carter having left over the summer to join Gotham FC, there is a centre-back position to be claimed, and Buchanan turned in an artful audition.
How did the Bronze Age start?
Chelsea’s ‘star’ signing this summer has been Lucy Bronze but the England right-back demonstrated some of the concerns around her recruitment in this match. At points, she looked out of her depth positionally as she tried to deal with impressive Villa fullback Paula Tomas.
Speaking at the WSL media day ahead of the start of the season, Bronze emphasised that how defensive or attacking her game is is always influenced by her manager.
“Maybe people think that I’ve only ever done one thing,” she said. “But I’ve always done what the manager has asked me to do. If that’s to defend for 90 minutes, I can defend. I enjoy it — that’s why I’m a defender!”
Bronze has shown, in recent appearances for Barcelona and England, that she cannot get up and down the line like she used to. But her role might have subtly altered over the past week anyway — and not by choice.
Bompastor revealed ahead of the Villa match that left back Niamh Charles had surgery on a dislocated shoulder sustained in Chelsea’s final public pre-season match against Feyenoord. This was a big blow for the club. Charles was one of the outstanding performers from last year. Hayes had wanted her to model her game on Bronze herself.
Canada full-back Ashley Lawrence started in Charles’ place but there was not the same purpose in her play when it came to pushing up the field that Charles had offered in pre-season. In those games, Bronze had tucked in more, either as part of a quasi-back 3 or to offer support in midfield.
Bronze’s influence at Chelsea goes beyond football, with her experience and leadership crucial in a dressing room with plenty of young players. But Bompastor will have to adjust to make sure she gets the best out of her.
(Top photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
