Chelsea answered their critics from a tight 1-0 win on the opening day in emphatic fashion as they put seven past WSL newcomers Crystal Palace. Sonia Bompastor faced the media afterwards with a smile as she looked not only at the positives from the night, but also where her side need to improve early on in her reign.
What did Sonia Bompastor say?
Embed from Getty Images“Tonight it was a great win, three more points and a good performance, even if in the first half it was difficult because Crystal Palace was playing a back five with a low block and compact lines.
“It’s a work in progress and we still have room for improvement for sure in playing out of possession and in possession with the ball.
“I am new and some players are new as well, and even if at the highest level it’s about getting results, it will take time to get the right chemistry and I think that we are getting there but there’s still lots of work to be done.”
It took Chelsea until the 38th minute to break down Palace’s defence with Aggie Beever-Jones’ opener. The hosts were probably relatively happy to go into halftime only 1-0 down – but Chelsea got fully into gear in the second half, adding six more to their tally.
Embed from Getty Images“Going into the second half in terms of fitness, it was harder for Crystal Palace to be consistent in the game. They left more space in the wide areas and the good point for us was that we were able to exploit them, and I always tell my players that it is important to scan the spaces in the block and to be able to play where we have to play.”
Summer signing Sandy Baltimore was impressive again tonight after coming on as a substitute. Though she wasn’t on the scoresheet, Bompastor was full of praise for her fellow Frenchwoman and the role she played in the victory.
“I played many times against her in the French league and when she was younger she played that position, she has some skills to do that. As you saw during this game, she had a great chemistry with Lauren (James) … it’s very good to have those versatile options.”
Embed from Getty ImagesThe notable thing about last night’s win was of course the sheer amount of goals. Chelsea are no stranger to heavy scorelines, having famously put eight past Bristol City and six past Manchester United at the end of last season – ultimately winning them the league on goal difference. However, after last week’s narrow win over Aston Villa, a return to these kind of scorelines bodes well for Bompastor.
“It’s always good to score many goals and to have different scorers; it brings some confidence for the individuals. When you’re able to score goals with different players it makes it unpredictable for the opposition. Tonight we were able to score great goals, the one from Lucy (Bronze) was a great shot, while Guro (Reiten’s) first goal was a great team goal where we were really patient and being able to move the ball very quickly with one or two touches very close to each other. Being able to finish that action is something i’m really proud of.”
But with that huge win on the books, Bompastor will not rest on her laurels.“You always can ask for more, there’s always room for improvement. Especially in the first half we created some opportunities and had good chances but only scored one when I think we should’ve probably scored two or three. When you’re clinical you’re able to kill the game and this is the mentality we have to have, I know players tried very hard and didn’t not score on purpose, but it’s something mental that we need to make sure they have the confidence for it.”
Chelsea are not in midweek action, having not yet entered the League Cup due to their Champions League participation. They next face Manchester United on Sunday at Kingsmeadow, and you can follow the game here on FromTheSpot.
