´Difficult´ Villa win highlighted areas of improvement, says Bompastor

Sonia Bompastor made a winning start to her reign as Chelsea head coach on Friday against Aston Villa, but highlighted areas of improvement her side need to make.

Johanna Rytting Kaneryd’s 36th minute strike proved to be the difference at Kingsmeadow, though the Blues were made to work for their triumph.

The hosts ended the game with four shots on target from their 13 attempts compared to Aston Villa’s five from their 13 shots, while the Villans also hit the woodwork twice.

Robert de Pauw’s side also registered an expected goals (xG) total of 0.97 to Chelsea’s 0.87 and ended the game with more possession (52.5%).

Bompastor acknowledged her side’s difficulty in front of goal, but was pleased overall with her players’ efforts in their opening game of the WSL season.

“In a high level game, when you are not able to get the second goal, you just give more confidence to the opposition,” Bompastor said.

“Today, maybe we should’ve scored more goals, been more efficient and that would’ve changed the game for sure.

“We had some great moments in the game. We still have to work on some others, but I’m just happy with the three points. It’s always good to start with a win.”

First win of the Bompastor era. pic.twitter.com/QHMiLMFNgK

— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) September 20, 2024

Bompastor replaced Emma Hayes as Chelsea’s head coach in May and is aiming to keep the Blues’ reign as WSL champions going for a sixth successive season.

While only in the infancy of her tenure, Bompastor believes there will be plenty more to come from her side, with the win highlighting the areas in which Chelsea had to adapt and where they can improve.

“We started well,” Bompastor said. “I sometimes think about what we’ve been working on, we didn’t recognise during the game where we should have played.

“But you have to take into account the scenario of the game, especially the second half because Aston Villa were trying to score and put a lot of pressure on us.

“When the opposition is putting you under pressure, you have to be able to find maybe a more direct style of play beyond their backline.

“That’s the way it works sometimes, because if you keep playing short when the opposition is pressing you, it is sometimes difficult.

“Being smart and trying to find a different style is also important when you want to win the game.”