1:14
Bompastor: ‘Small details’ separate Chelsea from UWCL glory
Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor discusses Chelsea’s chances of success in a competition she won as a player and manager, the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
WASHINGTON — For the first time in 12 years, Chelsea enter a Women’s Super League (WSL) season under a different manager. When the legendary Emma Hayes announced in November that it would be her last year with the club, as she was taking up the USWNT job in the summer, the football world was left in shock.
Hayes’ name is synonymous with success. She built an empire at Chelsea, winning 16 trophies, including five back-to-back WSL titles — the last of which came at the end of her final season. But, much like Manchester United’s and Arsenal’s men had to find replacements for Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, the Blues were left trying to find a candidate to step into what is ultimately an impossible job.
After an exhaustive search, Chelsea announced that former Lyon player and manager Sonia Bompastor was their choice. Her credentials are impeccable: during a four-year reign at Lyon, she led the team to seven trophies, including the 2021-22 UEFA Women’s Champions League title. That was the one prize that had always eluded Hayes as a…
