Chelsea Women Thread

[OhForAGreavsie 6,077]

On 18/12/2023 at 16:22, Fulham Broadway said:

Yes was a good day there -capped by the stadium providing free mince pies ⚽

Some friends treated me to hospitality at this game. I thought the mince pies were a part of the package. Little did I know. 🙂 

[ZAPHOD2319 4,819]

 

[Vesper 30,219]

Sam Kerr: Chelsea and Australia striker out for the season after ACL injury

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/jan/07/sam-kerr-blow-for-Chelsea-and-australia-as-striker-suffers-acl-injury-in-training

[OhForAGreavsie 6,077]

55 minutes ago, Vesper said:

Sam Kerr: Chelsea and Australia striker out for the season after ACL injury

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/jan/07/sam-kerr-blow-for-Chelsea-and-australia-as-striker-suffers-acl-injury-in-training

A blow without doubt and one which might impact Sam's plans for next season. Her current deal expires this summer but, with her fiancee moving to England for the next 18-months, it looked like Sam would have been seeking at least a one-year extension. Will Chelsea be prepared to give her a new 12-month deal while knowing she'll play half of it at the very most? Perhaps Sam will have to commit until summer '26, or beyond, to get a new contract out of the club now.

As for the cover we have within our squad, we'll miss Sam in some ways but not in others. Sam is nothing special in general play and is outright hopeless in one-on-one situations. For instinctive finishes, movement in the box, and aura on the pitch, she has no equal in the WSL. All of which adds to saying that we have backup for some aspects of her play but not for others. My choice would be to promote Aggie Beaver-Jones but Emma's selection and substitution policy suggests that she is more likely to rely on Mia Fishel. We'll get a clue from her line up against West Ham next weekend.

[OhForAGreavsie 6,077]

... Speaking of the 4th round FA Cup game with West Ham next weekend (Sunday 1:00pm). There are more tickets on sale because The Hammers didn't take up their full allocation.

Buy Women's Tickets | Tickets | Official Site | Chelsea Football Club (chelseafc.com)

[ZAPHOD2319 4,819]

 

[Vesper 30,219]

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.

[Fulham Broadway 17,332]

Man City women 1 up 🤮

[Fulham Broadway 17,332]

Ramirez is good for us - but Lauren James has been anonymous so far

[Fulham Broadway 17,332]

We cant lose to Citeh twice in one weekend

[Vesper 30,219]

We are now only up over Citeh via more goals scored.

Even on everything else before it.

Games played, points, wins, losses, draws, goal difference 

[Fulham Broadway 17,332]

2-0 up v Gooners

James and Cuthbert

[OhForAGreavsie 6,077]

39 minutes ago, Fulham Broadway said:

2-0 up v Gooners

James and Cuthbert

Second correctly given to Nusken. She tapped in right in front of me from Ezza's effort. 🙂

Sjoke has since added a third when a shot from JRK deflected off her and past Zinsberger. The keeper probably had Yo-Yo's shot covered. 3-0 Half time.

Edited March 15, 2024 by OhForAGreavsie

[Fulham Broadway 17,332]

5 minutes ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

Second correctly given to Nusken. She tapped in right in front of me from Ezza's effort. 🙂

Sjoke has since added a third when a shot from JRK deflected off her and past Zinsberger. The keeper probably had Yo-Yo's shot covered. 3-0 Half time.

3rd has been given to Nusken too

[OhForAGreavsie 6,077]

3 hours ago, Fulham Broadway said:

3rd has been given to Nusken too

Yes, Yo-Yo's shot deflected off her into the net.

[OhForAGreavsie 6,077]

Highlights

 

Edited March 16, 2024 by OhForAGreavsie

[Fulham Broadway 17,332]

Comfortable 0-3 win in CL v Ajax

[OhForAGreavsie 6,077]

Sjoke's good form continues. Two more goals for her tonight.

3-0 is great but I found large parts the first leg vs Ajax frustrating to watch. Too many moments of poor play featuring bad passing, loose control, third or even fourth best options selected in given situations. To have played so relatively poorly but to have won so handsomely anyway was a surprise. Ajax had looked pretty good against Bayern and PSG in their group games so I expected more from them tonight.

 

Edited March 19, 2024 by OhForAGreavsie

[Fulham Broadway 17,332]

Stunning strike by Cuthbert seals the points v Wet Spam.

Her 7th goal against them

back on top of the table

[KEVINAA 129]