As Sonia Bompastor spoke she clutched her Barclays Women’s Super League winners medal in her hand and close to her chest. She was sitting in the media room facing the press after her side had just completed a remarkable unbeaten season in front of their home crowd at Stamford Bridge.
The Halfway Line got the opportunity to speak with Bompastor on Saturday afternoon after the trophy had been lifted and the celebrations were well underway.
‘Today is the right day for us to celebrate’
On the day Chelsea had beaten Liverpool 1-0 thanks to a late Aggie Beever-Jones winner. It capped off a sensational campaign, which could still end in a domestic treble. The Halfway Line asked Bompastor if she would give herself the chance to celebrate tonight, or if she was already planning for Manchester United at Wembley next week, Bompastor replied:
“Even before the game, I was already thinking about the FA Cup final. Everything is almost ready, just small details need to be adjusted. We already have all the plan for the week in terms of training sessions, approaching the game and everything. But I, as I mentioned, I think I am someone really simple.
Like, for me celebrating, it’s spending time with the players, the staff, friends and family, just making sure we are all happy. Because, you know, sometimes life is difficult, so these small moments mean a lot, and you need to make sure you just celebrate them as simple as possible.”
With a mischievous look in her eye Chelsea’s French head coach continued: “So I don’t drink any alcohol. I don’t go crazy on dancing on the floor! I just enjoy watching other people dance. And yeah, sometimes when they are drunk, it’s really nice to see them doing some stupid things!” Bompastor joked to rapturous laughter in the room, before continuing: “But I don’t want to be involved on that. It’s better for me to watch rather than be in that position. So yeah, I really enjoy doing simple things. Yeah, sparkling water [for me]! I don’t want to be remembered for that, just for titles and trophies. But yeah, really simple. For sure today, it’s the right day for us to celebrate.”
To go unbeaten in the WSL ‘means a lot’
With nineteen wins, three draws and zero defeats, Chelsea rounded off one of the most impressive campaigns in WSL history. Unbeaten, the blues also finished on the highest points tally of the WSL era with 60 points.
After the match Bompastor explained how the team approached their final match, knowing that avoiding defeat would secure that historic unbeaten season. She recalled:
“Before the game, we were all in the same page. We wanted to play this last game in the season, the home game, with the support of our fans and make sure we just stay unbeaten in the season. I think probably, if I reflect in this game, it means a lot, because it was tough again and we managed to score in the last minutes in the game with Aggie Beever-Jones.”
When asked whether there was any point in time that she was concerned Chelsea might not complete the season unbeaten, Bompastor answered earnestly:
“Maybe the second game against Arsenal, was probably when we started to realize we were in a really good position to win the league, but we knew we had to keep the right mentality going into every single game until the end. And I would say the second part of the season has been more difficult for us because probably we were not as dominant as we would like to be, but when you reflect again, we played so many games without all the squad and some big players were missing,
I think again, not having LJ [Lauren James], not having Mayra Ramirez for the last games. Yeah, it’s difficult sometimes to perform at your best in every game. But I think that’s a great achievement, because we were able to be consistent and [remain] unbeaten. And in this league, it means a lot, because this league is really competitive, and to be able to achieve that, it for me [means] more than the title.”
Bompastor on ‘wonderful’ celebrations with her family
After full time and the trophy lift, there was no shortage of heart warming moments on the pitch. Few more so than Sonia Bompastor’s children running around the pitch and celebrating with the players and their parents. At one point lofted above Lucy Bronze’s shoulders was one of Sonia Bompastor’s children. Ishan from Hayters TV pointed this out to Bompastor and asked for her thoughts:
“It was, yeah, wonderful. I had bumps how do you say that bumps?” Bompastor pointed to her arms before Lydia her press liaison, clarified for her “Goosebumps” Bompastor gave a look of recognition “Goosebumps! I tried!” she joked before continuing, “Goosebumps! Just because, you know, sometimes behind the scenes they cry because you are traveling and you are not home, so yes, sometimes it’s difficult. They understand your job, and it’s even better when they can share these moments with you, because they know exactly what it means to us and to them.
Just for them to have the opportunity to come into the pitch, celebrate with the players, I think they realize how lucky they are. I think it’s also when sometimes they are sad, I have these moments to remember with them why we are doing that as a family also. That’s the best thing you can give to your kids.”
Chelsea need to be ‘unpredictable’
Sonia Bompastor surprised a few with her team selection for the final day, with Naomi Girma, Millie Bright and Nathalie Björn all starting in a back three. Something only attempted once this season before Girma was injured in the first half away to Brighton.
The Halfway Line asked Bompastor if the decision was made to manage the threat that Olivia Smith posed or whether it was more about looking ahead to the Adobe Women’s FA Cup final against Manchester United next week? Bompastor replied:
“I think it was more focusing on ourselves rather than focusing on Olivia Smith, even if she’s a really good player. She’s fast and she has a lot of technical ability, but no, more focusing on ourselves. And just the fact, I said, I think it’s really important for a team like Chelsea to be unpredictable and to be able, with the quality of the players, to play with a back four, sometimes back three, it brings different things.
Probably during the season I didn’t have the players available to do that. Maybe more in the next season! I just think sometimes I decide to do that to fit more on the game model. Sometimes it’s more about the opposition, but today was more about us and what I want to see from my team, so it could be an option for the next game.”
Bompastor also confirmed that the replacement of Björn at half time was not injury related, reporting:
“Yeah, it was more about managing your minutes, because she’s coming from injury, but I knew for her to have 45 minutes was enough for her to be ready to compete for the squad next weekend and to be ready to play 90.”
Chelsea’s next match will be at Wembley for this year’s FA Cup final, when Bompastor’s blues will be looking for even more success in her first season with the club.
