Sonia Bompastor’s first European night under the lights at Stamford Bridge was always going to be special, and a 3-2 victory over a tough Real Madrid side left the former French international very pleased.
Her primary goal coming into the this UEFA Women’s Champions League season will be to bring some of her previous European pedigree with her to bring the club their first title in this competition, so getting their campaign underway with three points was vitally important for her – even if there aspects of their performance she was less pleased with.
What did Sonia Bompastor say?
“I’m happy with the result, it’s always important to start at home with three points. I think if I reflect on the performance, I wish my team had been able to manage the game in terms of results. It’s not about slowing down the game, but instead, it’s about being smarter. When you lead the game by two goals, it’s good to keep that result as I felt like we conceded two goals where maybe we should have done better. Credit to Madrid, they were pushing and were confident.”
This is not Bompastor’s first Champions League game at Stamford Bridge however, as her Lyon side were knocked out on penalties there in 2022/23, and she also suffered a defeat ten years prior in the final against Wolfsburg in SW6. She hopes to have better luck as Chelsea boss and continue to build a winning culture.
“It felt really good playing this game in this stadium that has so much history, and I want to be a part of that history and bring my vision of the game to here to build on that legacy. Sometimes you just expect Chelsea to win every single game and that’s normal for everyone, but you need to realise that it’s very good when you win and to enjoy it.”
Embed from Getty ImagesTwo standout performers on the night were Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Sandy Baltimore, whose tactical discipline and bravery on the ball helped bring an energy to the team that las Blancas struggled to contain. Speaking on their roles in the team and the trust that she has in those individuals, Bompastor explained: “I’m a manager who really trusts my players and I want them to take responsibility on the pitch.”
“My job is to make sure before every game I give them the game plan and that they’re very prepared to play the game. Small details can make the difference in high-level games so I want them to be proactive in the game. With Sandy and Kaneryd they are both doing that. The most important thing is for them to understand what position they need to be when we have the ball and when we don’t have the ball.”
One player who had a more up-and-down performance was Lauren James. Appearing in a more free role in the midfield, James had a quiet first half and struggle to impact the game, but in the second really showed her quality and was responsible for a lovely assist for Ramirez to put the Blues 3-1 up. Sonia Bompastor acknowledged that the whole team’s first half wasn’t good enough, and emphasised what she needs out of her players.
“For me, LJ was not the only one in the first half not performing how I wanted them to perform, it was more something to do with the four midfielders we had in the game so we adjusted some things at half time and she was much better in the second half. I think especially after we scored the two goals we weren’t working as hard as I want them to on the pitch. When we had the ball we were just walking and that’s not enough, you need to have high intensity and if you want to keep the ball you need to run a lot.”