General Thread

[OhForAGreavsie 5,775]

Had a great day yesterday. Borehamwood for the women's semi-final at Arsenal. Celebrated with the players afterwards, a quick McDonalds then to Wembley for the men's game.

The girls now face Manchester City in the final looking to avenge their League Cup final loss against City back in March. Interesting how that exactly matches the situation the men are in viz Liverpool in the men's Cup Final.

 

[Vesper 27,310]

Lyon is doing to Barca what Barca did to us in the CL Final

crushing them nil 3 after 30 minutes

[OhForAGreavsie 5,775]

The women are going to open their league season  against West ham at The Bridge on Sunday 11th September. I'm curious to know how many, if any, here will be tempted to the game?

[OhForAGreavsie 5,775]

So far this summer CFCW have signed: -

A top player

A very good player

A good player

And a young prospect from Sheffield United.

 

[Vesper 27,310]

boom

nil 8

[Vesper 27,310]

Sonia Bompastor, the single-minded manager Chelsea want to replace Emma Hayes

https://theathletic.com/5277883/2024/02/16/sonia-bompastor-Chelsea-lyon-profile/

Life works in mysterious ways sometimes. In 2010, Emma Hayes took on a football consultant role at Washington Freedom, a team in the Women’s Professional Soccer championship in the United States, having been sacked by Chicago Red Stars. The squad she helped coach included Homare Sawa, Abby Wambach and a certain France international called Sonia Bompastor, who was named WPS All-Star player of the year in 2009 and 2010.

Bompastor, the Lyon head coach, is Chelsea’s chosen candidate to succeed Hayes, who will leave at the end of the season to manage the U.S. women’s national team (USWNT), and the club are negotiating a deal to appoint her. Bompastor, who is of Portuguese descent and speaks English, is under contract until 2025, as is her long-term assistant Camille Abily.

So who is Bompastor and why have Chelsea made her an offer?

“Wow! What a brilliant player, honestly an unbelievable left-back with an unbelievable wand of a left boot,” recalled Hayes, speaking before Chelsea’s Champions League quarter-final with Lyon in March last year.

“A cultured and brilliant footballer, very quiet, cheeky, funny — the media might not always see that about her. It’s of no surprise to me that her and Camille have done well working together.”

As a manager, Bompastor has been described by one French agent as “strict” and “hard”. She wants things done well and knows what she wants, characteristics reminiscent of her playing career. Bompastor’s experience for club and country — she earned 156 caps for France and captained Lyon to Champions League titles in 2011 and 2012 — has served her well in her managerial career. She is no stranger to the pressures at the highest level, is fully aware of the nature of this results-driven business and knows exactly what will be expected at Chelsea.

The club spoke to a handful of senior players to get a sense of the most important qualities they wanted from an incoming manager. While there is a natural preference for female coaches within the women’s game, that did not rule out a male coach getting the job and the sense from the players was that appointing a winner was the most important thing. Given the dearth of female managers at the elite level of the game, there are not many obvious candidates. Ultimately, Chelsea want someone who will bring them success.

On the surface, you can understand why they have made Bompastor their preferred option to replace Hayes. The 43-year-old is a title-winning manager, including the trophy that eludes them, the Champions League, defeating Barcelona 3-1 in 2022. Bompastor, who played alongside commanding characters herself, also knows how to manage big personalities such as Lindsey Horan, Ada Hegerberg and Wendie Renard. There are obvious parallels to be drawn with Chelsea’s squad, which includes two of Bompastor’s previous players, Kadeisha Buchanan and Catarina Macario.

Having retired in 2013 — her penultimate game was at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League final — Bompastor became Lyon women’s academy director. There she built a reputation for nourishing young talent and, after eight years, she took over as manager of Lyon’s first team in April 2021 following Jean-Luc Vasseur’s dismissal.

At the time, Lyon wanted to integrate young players such as Selma Bacha into the senior team, which consisted of a star-studded squad of internationals from France and elsewhere, players of the calibre of Renard, Hegerberg, Lucy Bronze and Alex Greenwood. Bacha, 23, has spent her whole career at Lyon and has progressed through the ranks. Equally, Bompastor has been a key part of 20-year-old Alice Sombath’s development. Although Bompastor has never been scared to trust younger players, there is an argument that some have not maximised their potential at Lyon. Given the age profile of Chelsea’s new signings, one of the next manager’s strengths should be someone who can develop players in first-team environments.

It is hard to tell how good a manager Bompastor is, however, because she inherited a squad that had dominated Europe for so long. Perhaps more than at any other major club, the players make the team at Lyon. For a long time, the team relied heavily on stars who were at the top of their game but they have had very few standout managers.

Lyon won two league and Champions League titles during Reynald Pedros’ reign from 2017 to 2019 but, despite that record, he did not really generate a reputation as one of the game’s elite managers. Similarly, Bompastor’s predecessor Vasseur won the treble with Lyon in 2020 but was sacked by Everton after just 10 games in charge. Managers who have gone on to pastures new have not covered themselves in glory elsewhere, a sign of how large a role the squad has played in Lyon’s success.

The impression in France is that Bompastor’s record is mixed because Lyon are no longer the juggernauts they once were, crushing European opponents, even if they are still winning all the same. That is not necessarily down to Bompastor — other teams have invested and closed the gap.

When Bompastor took on the role in 2021, she spoke of wanting to find the “Lyon DNA”, alluding to the fact they had somewhat lost their identity. It is difficult to say whether she has rediscovered that DNA today.

There have been occasional criticisms of playing style and there is a sense by some who watch Lyon that she has not stamped her own identity on the team. By comparison, Paris FC manager Sandrine Soubeyrand has succeeded in instilling a playing identity with a recognisable system over six years.

Hayes’ shoes are huge ones to fill. When asked on Thursday about the possibility of Bompastor replacing her, she evaded the question, doubtless conscious that no agreement has been signed yet. If a deal is reached, Chelsea will undoubtedly be getting someone with a winning record. The question will be whether that translates to success away from Lyon.

[ZAPHOD2319 3,873]

Bompastor deal about done.

 

[Vesper 27,310]

Emma Hayes goes 'full Eric Cantona' reciting poem over Jonas Eidevall spat comments

Chelsea boss Emma Hayes has responded to Jonas Eidevall's comments about her "irresponsibility" in a bizarre press conference ahead of the FA Cup semi-final

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/emma-hayes-Chelsea-eric-cantona-32575371

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes recited an American poet's quote in a wacky retort to Jonas Eidevall's jibes post-League Cup final spat.

The Blues' boss went all literary, citing Robert Frost and playing it cool with a "no opinion" stance on Eidevall's beef over her supposed "irresponsibility" after last month's fiery cup showdown. The drama hit boiling point at the final whistle when Hayes seemed to shove her managerial rival and gave him a piece of her mind.

Earlier sparks flew as Eidevall got into a tiff with Chelsea's Erin Cuthbert, who wanted to use a different football when both teams had agreed to only play with one ball before the match. Hayes had previously lashed out at the Arsenal manager for his "inappropriate" sideline shenanigans during Chelsea's Conti Cup tumble, accusing him of "male aggression" that she reckoned should've seen him sent off. Eidevall hit back, branding her remarks "irresponsible", but the FA didn't slap Hayes with any sanctions.

[OneMoSalah 8,614]

2 hours ago, Vesper said:

Emma Hayes goes 'full Eric Cantona' reciting poem over Jonas Eidevall spat comments

Chelsea boss Emma Hayes has responded to Jonas Eidevall's comments about her "irresponsibility" in a bizarre press conference ahead of the FA Cup semi-final

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/emma-hayes-Chelsea-eric-cantona-32575371

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes recited an American poet's quote in a wacky retort to Jonas Eidevall's jibes post-League Cup final spat.

The Blues' boss went all literary, citing Robert Frost and playing it cool with a "no opinion" stance on Eidevall's beef over her supposed "irresponsibility" after last month's fiery cup showdown. The drama hit boiling point at the final whistle when Hayes seemed to shove her managerial rival and gave him a piece of her mind.

Earlier sparks flew as Eidevall got into a tiff with Chelsea's Erin Cuthbert, who wanted to use a different football when both teams had agreed to only play with one ball before the match. Hayes had previously lashed out at the Arsenal manager for his "inappropriate" sideline shenanigans during Chelsea's Conti Cup tumble, accusing him of "male aggression" that she reckoned should've seen him sent off. Eidevall hit back, branding her remarks "irresponsible", but the FA didn't slap Hayes with any sanctions.

No idea what shes playing at with that poem and the rest of the shit in the press conference re a lesson learned and her son and whatnot. Just baffling. 🤣 

Headline is maybe right mentioning Cantona moment. Utter dross. 

[Vesper 27,310]

6 hours ago, OneMoSalah said:

No idea what shes playing at with that poem and the rest of the shit in the press conference re a lesson learned and her son and whatnot. Just baffling. 🤣 

Headline is maybe right mentioning Cantona moment. Utter dross. 

Emma Hayes quotes Robert Frost poem in response to Jonas Eidevall clash after Conti Cup final

https://theathletic.com/5411126/2024/04/12/emma-hayes-poem-uswnt-eidevall/

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes recited a line from a Robert Frost poem in response to questions about her Arsenal counterpart Jonas Eidevall after the two clashed after last month’s Conti Cup final.

Hayes — who will leave Chelsea at the end of the season to start her job as USWNT boss — and Eidevall disagreed on the touchline during the final at Molineux, before she appeared to push the Swede away from her after the match had concluded.

In her post-match press conference immediately following the game — in which Arsenal’s Stina Blackstenius scored the final’s only goal in extra time — Hayes, 47, criticised the “male aggression” shown by Eidevall, who described her comments as “very irresponsible” and rejected her version of events.

Hayes was asked about the incident on Friday and recalled a conversation with her son that took place following the Conti Cup final fallout.

“My son said to me after the game, ‘Mummy, when you push someone in school you’re asked to go and take time out’,” Hayes said.

“I said to him, ‘You know what darling, you can’t meet aggression with aggression, all you can do is tell the teacher, all you can do is go and explain why you think something’s unfair. That’s all you can do.’

“You cannot meet aggression with aggression. I thought it was a really good conversation to have with my son after the final.”

GO DEEPER

Hayes, Eidevall and a final chapter in the WSL's most intense managerial rivalry

Hayes was then pressed on whether she stood by her post-match comments following the final, which the Chelsea boss responded to by reading four lines from Robert Frost’s poem Choose Something Like a Star. Frost’s 1943 poem is the narrator speaking to a star in the night sky, in which they are urging it to speak to them and provide clear answers.

“So when at times the mob is swayed, to carry praise and blame too far, we may choose somewhere like a star, to stay our minds on and be staid,” Hayes quoted.

When she was asked what she meant by reciting the poem, Hayes responded: “I’ve had a fantastic break, I’ve already explained an important analogy with my son and the lessons learned and my focus is on moving forward. I’ve had time to look at my star.”

“I’m very happy with the way I conducted myself. Emotions are high in football,” Eidevall said earlier on Friday when asked about the incident.

“There are two really competitive teams and they want to win so sometimes one team tries to stretch the rules and that’s fine — that’s what we have the referees for and they made sure we stayed to the agreed rules. From my perspective, I wouldn’t change anything.”

The English FA confirmed last week Hayes will not face further action over the incident. “I thought the comments that I heard after the game were very irresponsible,” Eidevall added. “They were not mirroring the conduct that I had in the technical area. That I thought was irresponsible, but that’s all I basically think about it.”

Concluding her press conference, Hayes was asked why she had recited poetry on this occasion.

“I’ll lean on lots of things, not just poetry,” she responded.

“I’ve got different mentors. I’ve got different spiritual leaders, I’ve got great family. I’ve got all of those things. Being in my position is not easy. So, I need to keep my sanity. And I’m grateful that things like that help.”

GO DEEPER

USWNT managed uncertainty to win trophies while waiting for Emma Hayes

[Vesper 27,310]

How Chelsea stunned Barcelona: ‘We got the shape and execution absolutely bang on’

https://theathletic.com/5431393/2024/04/21/Chelsea-barcelona-champions-league-cuthbert/

“My dressing room believes a lot more in our ability after these two games,” said Chelsea manager Emma Hayes after her side lost 2-1 on aggregate to Barcelona in last season’s Champions League semi-final. “They believe (Barcelona) are beatable.”

One year on and Chelsea have turned belief into reality.

They knew they needed to take a scoreline back to Stamford Bridge that kept the tie alive. An away first leg was Hayes’ preference, but they had to make it count. And they did, recording their first win against reigning champions Barcelona, a side who have not lost at home in more than five years.

Starting games off well is always a key factor for Chelsea and in the vast amphitheatre of Barcelona’s Olympic Lluis Companys Stadium, their defensive efforts were Herculean. Barcelona failed to register a single shot on target in the first half and went into half-time behind for only the second time this season. Chelsea grew into the game, too, becoming more aggressive and winning more individual duels (53.7 per cent to Barcelona’s 46.3).

Hayes’ decision to play a back five with Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Ashley Lawrence at right and left full-back allowed Chelsea to have a very effective low block out of possession and a high press. Lawrence and Kaneryd had a licence to push up on the wings but defended astutely, while player of the match Jess Carter timed her sliding challenges perfectly to nullify the usually electric Salma Paralluelo.

Hayes was more animated than normal on the sideline, clapping every ball won and urging her players to keep fighting.

Given how Barcelona dominate possession, the temptation is to chase the ball, but in the first half, Hayes’ side were disciplined, maintained their shape well and denied Barcelona space. It was a marked improvement from last year’s semi-final.

“We were more disciplined this year,” said captain Erin Cuthbert. “We weren’t chasing spaces. As a midfielder, you can have somebody in front of you, to the side, left (or) right, but I wasn’t drawn out of position. We weren’t drawn out of areas that we didn’t want to be in because I know they want to exploit the spaces we then leave.”

The Chelsea midfield trio of Cuthbert, Sjoeke Nusken and Melanie Leupolz remained compact. In Barcelona midfielder Keira Walsh’s words, they were “intense” and “made it really difficult in midfield”. Cuthbert, much admired by Barcelona head coach Jonatan Giraldez, said she felt “comfortable” playing in the 5-3-2 and being so disciplined, which is quite a statement when Barcelona’s style of play usually suffocates you.

“Even if I made a mistake, I jumped out or I didn’t quite get to the ball, I knew my team-mate was behind me,” Cuthbert said. “It didn’t matter if anybody made a mistake today. We all backed each other up and were comfortable in the spaces. We got the shape and execution absolutely bang on.”

For all of Chelsea’s discipline, however, they knew they had to be clinical in front of goal. “Emma wants discipline, but sometimes you just have to take a chance if you see it,” said Cuthbert.

Cuthbert and Nusken combined for the only goal of the game in the 40th minute, but it started with Chelsea’s aggressive press. They penned Barcelona in, pressing them deep onto their own byline. Lawrence intercepted the ball and played it to Cuthbert, who made a first-time pass to Nusken. Last summer’s signing just managed to control the ball, spun out of trouble and squared it to Cuthbert.

“I’ve made the one-two with Sjoeke, it’s kind of my signature, I like to go again after the ball,” said the Scotland international, who listened to a congratulatory voice note from national team-mate Lisa Evans before speaking to reporters. “Sjoeke picked me out really well. I was going to take it early but I think (Ingrid) Engen blocked it really well. So I took the extra touch, I just created that half-yard and I’m delighted it went in.”

Barcelona’s chance came, however, in the 53rd minute when referee Stephanie Frappart pointed to the penalty spot after Kadeisha Buchanan handled the ball, but the video assistant referee (VAR) overturned the on-field decision as Paralluelo was offside in the build-up.

“The penalty incident really gave us a lot of energy,” said Cuthbert. “That can go one or two ways. It can then be an onslaught, but at that moment we stepped up, we looked each other in the eye and said, ‘We can do this. This is our game for the taking’.”

Chelsea disrupted Barcelona’s rhythm and used Mayra Ramirez as an outlet on the counter. Her physicality and pace rattled a Barcelona defence that does not like defending one-on-one. Having done all the hard work, muscling off Barcelona captain Patri Guijarro, Ramirez should have scored Chelsea’s second in the 75th minute but fired wide. Hayes put her head in her hands.

As Chelsea drew fouls and ran down the clock, the 36,428 Barcelona fans shouted “Fora!” in Catalan, a mark of disapproval. The piercing whistles grew ever louder as Chelsea eked out the seconds of additional time. Those could have turned to cheers in the 99th minute had Alexia Putellas, who was unmarked, converted from close range, but she missed the target. Much to Barcelona’s frustration, Chelsea managed the game to a tee.

“I’m not a fan of playing with these interruptions,” said Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati. “But we knew it, we talked about Chelsea playing like this, playing ugly. We have to learn to play like this, too.”

All attention now turns to the second leg at Stamford Bridge next Saturday. Chelsea have gained a huge psychological boost by defeating Barcelona, but “nobody should get carried away” said Hayes, who was disappointed her side did not get a second goal.

With only a 1-0 lead, it is still all for the taking.

After the game, Barcelona’s vociferous fans chanted: “Si, se puede” (“Yes, we can”). “If anybody can turn it around, it is this team,” said Walsh.

“It is only halfway,” said Cuthbert. “Barca are going to come for us.”