Chelsea recently appointed Sonia Bompastor as their new head coach on a four-year deal.
She replaces long-serving Chelsea manager Emma Hayes who recently left the club to become the new head coach of the United States.
As a player, Bompastor enjoyed a career adorned with trophies. She won 15 trophies in total including eight domestic league titles and two UEFA Women’s Champions League titles. Since hanging up her boots, the 43-year-old has had three successful years leading Lyon where she became the first individual to clinch the UEFA Women’s Champions League title in both player and head coach roles.
Since being unveiled as Chelsea’s new head coach, WSL Full-Time have identified three of Bompastor’s attributes that may help her continue the success in South West London.
One to utilise young talent
Bompastor has previous experience working with talented young players. She was academy director at Lyon for eight years prior to becoming the club’s first team head coach. This experience mirrors Chelsea’s emphasis on signing bright young talent with a view to bringing them through to the senior team.
This season saw academy graduate Aggie Beever-Jones net 11 goals in the Barclays Women’s Super League for Chelsea and she was rewarded with her first call-up to the England senior squad. Japanese youngster Maika Hamano was also given the chance to begin her senior Chelsea career and she scored two goals in six league outings. With Lucy Watson and Brooke Aspin also returning from their loans with Crystal Palace and Bristol City, Chelsea have lots of young talent to nurture going into next season.
Given Bompastor’s past experience working with youngsters such as Alice Sombath and Liana Joseph at Lyon, she will not hold back from giving opportunities to Chelsea’s youth.
European experience
Winning the UEFA Women’s Champions League as a player in 2011 and 2012 and then winning the same competition in 2022 as a head coach is some feat for Bompastor. Being the only person to have won European football’s top prize as a player and head coach may be the stand-out attribute that attracted Chelsea’s interest as it is still a trophy that alludes the English champions.
Bompastor’s experience in three European finals with Lyon, a team often expected to win, demonstrates her ability to handle pressure in big games. This skill is expected to be instrumental in guiding Chelsea, a team that has reached the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-finals in successive seasons but have struggled to advance further.
Having won seven trophies during her time coaching in France, Bompastor’s experience at the highest level is an imperative quality to bring to the Barclays Women’s Super League when managing a Chelsea team that has accrued 16 trophies in 12 years.
Adaptable tactics
Whilst at Lyon, Bompastor often opted for a 4-3-3 formation, using two energetic number eights ahead of a holding midfielder. This tactic differs to the systematic play that was implemented at Chelsea by former boss Hayes. She often played a 4-2-3-1 formation that was highly-focused on possession and defensive play.
Chelsea’s new style could mirror Lyon’s high and aggressive press, with their out of possession structure playing a crucial role as Bompastor’s side often sat off the ball and played without possession for large periods.
The Blues will have become used to being very flexible under Hayes, but the most significant difference between their former boss and their new head coach’s tactical plays is that Hayes relied on a double pivot with a number 10 ahead of them, as opposed to a single deep-lying midfielder that Lyon utilised.
Coming from a Lyon side that has long dominated the French league, Bompastor could find that the tactical demands placed on her Chelsea side will be far greater in the Barclays Women’s Super League, especially as they aim to retain their top position.
Bompastor will officially start work at Chelsea on 1 July 2024 when her side begin preparations for the new Barclays Women’s Super League season.
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