Sonia Bompastor's first six months in charge of Chelsea have yielded 15 wins, one draw and no defeats. It has been a hugely impressive start for the Blues head coach, who reflects on her time at the helm in an exclusive interview.
Bompastor and her players went into the winter break six points clear at the top of the Women's Super League and with a place in the UEFA Champions League knockout stage secured having won each of our six Group B matches against Real Madrid, Celtic and FC Twente.
And it was following our last game of 2024 that we sat down with Bompastor at Cobham to discuss her time in charge so far...
Sonia, it’s now time for a deserved winter break. How do you reflect on your first six months at Chelsea?
'First of all, time flies! I remember my first day here at the club. I was in a position where everything was new, but it was also the same for Cami (Abily) and Theo (Rivrin).
'We were obviously so excited because it was a new challenge for us. We knew we were coming to an ambitious club and what a journey it’s been since then!
'When I say time flies, we’ve played so many games and travelled a lot, but it’s been really exciting for us. We’ve so enjoyed it.
'When you reflect upon the results, we’ve only dropped two points. I think we could have done better in the game against Leicester but if we reflect on the bigger picture then we are really happy.
'We are in a good position in the league and in the Champions League where we have achieved our goals for this part of the season, but we haven’t won anything yet. That is the reality. The really important thing is to be aligned with reality.
'If you look at performances, we need to realise this has been a big transition for the club. For 12 years, Emma Hayes was here and now there is a new manager and new staff.
'The transition was big and I think we’ve succeeded, but there is still room for improvement. That’s a positive thing because we were able to get really good results, but we still felt like we had room for improvement in different areas.
'I’ll share my reflections with the staff because now we need to have a clear vision of what we need to achieve our goals in the second half of the season.'
You’ve had half a season to implement your style and philosophy, how is this Chelsea team different to the one six months ago?
'I remember perfectly my first game in charge against Gotham in pre-season. I was probably not expecting us to have a strong start in that game, but if we reflect on that aspect, it has been consistent from us.
'Most of the time, we have been able to make a good start in games and we had a strong start to the season. That’s something important for the mentality.
'In terms of the game model and how we want to play, I think we were in a good position until the end of November. We were progressing out of possession and I was happy with how we were defending and how the team performed in the defensive parts of the game.
'We improved as a team in possession of the ball, especially in the build-up. We were able to recognise individually and collectively the big principles we wanted to bring to the team.
'Maybe the last four games in December were a bit more difficult because the players were exhausted and we had some injuries.
'In terms of our style of football, it was more difficult, but we still found a way to win games and even though we dropped points against Leicester, we found a way to come back and tie the game.
When you joined the club, you spoke about wanting to make good memories. What have been some of your highlights so far?
'It is difficult to pick only one or two moments. I would say the Arsenal game because we were able to beat them at the Emirates Stadium where I know Chelsea’s record has not been too good. They are a good team and have a lot of talent, so that win gave a lot of confidence to the players and staff.
'I would also say the victory against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge. We showed how good we can be, especially out of possession, in that game.'
I’m sure there have been some challenging moments too…
'For sure. I remember some of the press conferences where the journalists were telling me how easy it looks to them on the outside, but it was definitely not easy for us.
'After the Leicester game, I told my players that it is never easy to win. It takes a lot of energy, a lot of focus and making sure we bring the good elements to our game to get the win.
'We have a mentality where we want to make sure we have a hard-working environment. We want to make sure we practice and train every day with a lot of intensity because you play the way you practice.
'I want the players to realise that we all have to be aligned with the ambitions and the visions that we have as staff. This is something important.
'When we speak about tough moments, we have had some injuries. We lost Kadeisha Buchanan with her ACL and had Sophie Ingle at the end of the pre-season. We didn’t have Lauren James for most of the first half of the season.
'It’s not been easy, even if we had some really good results which does bring a lot of positive things to the environment.'
If we had a player sitting with us now, what do you hope they would say they have learned from you and your staff this season?
'I hope they would say the winning mentality. I want to make it clear the club already won a lot of trophies without me and the new staff at this club has a lot of ambitions.
'They know how to win titles, but maybe, we made a difference with us being able to beat all but one of the teams we played in the league and every game in the Champions League this far.
'That’s maybe the difference between before and now. But it is hard because this league is so competitive. We need to realise that to be competing in the league, the cups and the Champions League is not easy.
'I hope the players are in a place now where they at least know what the bare minimum is for us to make sure we get the victory and the three points.
'It’s also our behaviours on the pitch and outside of the field which make sure we all go in the same direction and have the same vision.'
You have previously spoken about the WSL being one of the most competitive leagues in the world. What have you learned about yourself as a coach during your time in England?
'I’ve learned a lot about the league. I knew the league was competitive even before I came here, but when you start playing games you realise how competitive it is.
'There are good teams, squads with lots of talent and good managers. Every game is really difficult to win because of this.
'I’ve had to adapt my game model and philosophy a little bit from my previous environment at Lyon. The reality of the WSL is you have teams who can build up under pressure and you have teams who have enough quality in their squad to create opportunities to score goals.
'These are the biggest learnings from my time in the league. We want to be a dominant team and be in control of the game, but it is difficult.
'We know how much potential the other teams have and that means we must adapt the way we play sometimes.'
In our last few games, you spoke about the players feeling fatigued. How important is it that they use this break to rest up and be ready to come back in January?
'It’s so important. We play so many games and they travel a lot, so this break is so important for them mentally and physically.
'Mentally, it gives them a chance to refresh and to spend time with their family and friends. Especially at Christmas time, it’s the best moment of the year to do that.
'Physically, the players are human and when you play so many games and travel so much, sometimes your legs don’t respond how you want them to anymore. Your body just gets so exhausted.
'Sometimes you need a bit of space from the environment because when you’re coming in every day and have the same routine you can get into a bit of a rut.
'The break is an opportunity to reset and then they start to miss being with the club. It’s important because when you create that missing element then they want to come back and be ready to start again.
'For me, I’ve been enjoying so much living in London. It’s such a nice city and we’ve settled so well, but like any foreigners, we have missed home. This is a good opportunity for us to also enjoy Christmas with our friends and family.'
Are there any Christmas traditions you’ve learned in England that you will be taking to France during the festive season?
'What I have realised is London is such a nice city to live in because it has a lot of diversity and for a human, it’s really good to be open-minded and to share experiences with lots of different people. I feel lucky for that.
'Christmas time in London is wonderful. You really feel the Christmas atmosphere and with all of the lights in the city, it’s great.
'London has been one of the nicest places to be at Christmas time, so I wanted to bring this joy back home.'
You can read the second part of our interview with Sonia, where she will look ahead to the second half of the season, in the New Year on the official Chelsea website and app!