Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor commended Lucy Bronze’s mentality ahead of the right-back’s return to a match-day squad.
Chelsea will host a rejuvenated Tottenham Hotspur at Kingsmeadow on Sunday, with the Blues hoping to take one step closer to a record 33-match unbeaten run. They face a Spurs team with a new manager at the helm, who look a world away from the side who flirted with relegation last term. Whilst the visitors should provide a tough test, Kingsmeadow will be buoyed by the return of legendary right-back Lucy Bronze.
Sonia Bompastor spoke to the media ahead of the London derby on the weekend and The Halfway Line was there to here from her.
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Bompastor praises ‘tough’ Lucy Bronze
One of the most electric stories from this summer’s European Championships came after the final whistle. England’s veteran right-back Lucy Bronze revealed that she had played the entire tournament – and the end of Chelsea’s domestic season – with a fractured tibia. Following the quarter-final where Bronze scored the decisive spot-kick, England head coach Sarina Wiegman was emphatic in her views on Bronze: “Lucy Bronze is just one of a kind, I have never ever seen anything like this before in my life. What she does and her mentality and how she does it, the penalty, the goal, that’s not what defines her,” Wiegman continued, “What defines her is that resilience, that fight. I think the only way to get her off the pitch is in the wheelchair.”
The wheelchair comment almost came to fruition this summer, however Bronze was able to see the tournament through before returning to England for treatment. Chelsea began their season with new signing Ellie Carpenter excelling in her place, and Bronze may face a fight to reclaim her spot in the Blues’ starting line up. As she returns to the matchday squad this Sunday, Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor echoed Wiegman’s earlier comments: “I have never had someone in my squad with her mentality. She’s very tough and yeah, I think it’s good to have these leaders back in the group.”
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Sonia Bompastor say Chelsea needed to show ‘more desire’ in FC Twente draw
Whilst Chelsea are still unbeaten since the Champions League defeat to Barcelona back in April, there has been some frustration amongst fans that the Blues are experiencing a dip in performance. Following two draws – to Manchester United and more unexpectedly to FC Twente – there have been concerns about a lack of goals and over-rotation within the team. Reflecting on the result against the Dutch team, Bompastor shared that the team have reviewed the match, and the head coach is confident that the review provided the reflections needed for improvement.
“We know exactly what we need to take from that game going into the next two before the international break” Bompastor said. “And yeah, good learnings the reflection is always important.”
Asked to clarify what her team had identified, the French coach was direct, suggesting Twente wanted the win more. “Yeah, in possession especially I think we just need to show more desire” she explained:
“I think we created some really good opportunities, but we only scored in the PK but I think when you reflect on the game, we created a lot of opportunities where we should have shown more desire to be first on the ball and to put that go in near the net.
“In our game will the mentality is the foundation, the base. And I think we need to go back to that.”
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Spurs a ‘good challenge’ for Chelsea says Sonia Bompastor
From facing relegation last season and finishing eleventh in the league, Spurs have turned a corner under new head coach Martin Ho. Whilst some pundits suggested the London side would continue to struggle after a lacklustre summer transfer window, Bompastor sees their opponents differently: “I think even from last season Tottenham always had a good team” Bompastor said.
“I think last season they didn’t get the results they wanted to get, but yeah, I know right now they are in good form, so it will be a good challenge for us to face them on Sunday.
“And yeah, we know what to expect. Again, we will have to be at our best level if we want to get a good result so it will be an exciting game.”
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On World Mental Health Day Sonia Bompastor says ‘the door is always open’
Bompastor was asked about World Mental Health Day, particularly regarding improvements in the women’s game. She suggested the need for a whole staff’ approach, and an open-door policy to talk about mental health. “We can make a big difference” Bompastor said.
“It’s important to have the staff as a Chelsea club to make sure the players have all the support they need in that aspect.
“We always take care of that and I think also as a manager I will always give the opportunity for my players to mention anything they want to mention to us.
“The door is always open for them to come and to express how they feel.”
Earlier this year, Chelsea captain Millie Bright withdrew from contention for England, missing the Lionesses’ victory in Europe. She cited her mental and physical health both as contributing factors. Bompastor endorsed seeing her players as people rather than just footballers: “Physically, mentally and yeah in football, there also sometimes in their personal lives. We are part of a family and that’s important for the players to understand. They have the opportunity to express themselves when they need to.”
Given the latest England squad is due to be released in three days, the head coach was also quizzed on Bright’s future with her national team. Bompastor was enigmatic, stating that “we have a lot of conversations with Sarina. We have a really good communication. She knows exactly where my players are.” She continued, “we always make decisions together on the England players. So that’s great. That’s how it should work.”