The media heard from Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor after the Blues beat Arsenal 1-0 in front of over 34,000 people.
Striker Mayra Ramírez was withdrawn at half-time, and Bompastor confirmed that she “Received a knock on her back yesterday in training so was not 100%.”
Reflecting on her side’s performances, the head coach told the media “I think we had the first 50 minutes where we were really good, especially because we were high on the pitch, and our high pressure was working quite well. I think after, we dropped a little bit the intensity and we allowed Arsenal to come back in the game.”
‘It’s a really fine margin between Arsenal and us’ says Bompastor
Asked whether her side can go on to claim all four trophies, Bompastor said: “That’s not what I think at the moment. I’m really pleased with the result, but as you could see on the game today, it’s a really fine margin between Arsenal and us.”
“If we keep the right mentality, if we keep almost all the players available, we are in a good position,” said the head coach as the schedule continues to thicken.
With Lauren James returning from injury off the bench to win the penalty, and Guro Reiten coming on to score it, Bompastor highlighted the importance of Chelsea’s squad depth.
“It’s really good for me to just turn my back, watch my bench and see how much impact I can bring in the game, when sometimes it’s a tough game,” the manager said.
Packing on the praise for James, Bompastor said: “I don’t need to teach her anything, she knows. Also when you have these tight games, she can make the difference. Small details are really important, so maybe having LJ available today can make the difference”
Girma will ‘bring a big impact to our team’
Ahead of kick-off, Chelsea officially revealed the signing of Naomi Girma. Bompastor highlighted the significance of the top calibre centre-back, saying “Naomi is a defender who is really comfortable with the ball in position. She will bring a lot of confidence to the team. She’s able to have a big impact because she’s comfortable on passing the ball, kicking short, kicking long.”
Emphasising the immense value of the signing, Bompastor said “She’s a player really smart, really. She has a lot of speed, so she’s able to play really high on the pitch and recover the ball with the space behind the back. It will bring a big impact to our team.”
Asked when fans are likely to see Girma make her first appearance in a Chelsea shirt, the head coach explained “It’s difficult to give a date, she also had a small calf injury, so she won’t be available next week. We’re going to assess her and give her all the support to be back as soon as she can.”
Today’s result saw Chelsea go 10 points clear at the top of the table, and Bompastor’s attention now turns to Aston Villa, who the Blues will travel to face next weekend in the Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL).
