Chelsea set a record in the WSL for consecutive unbeaten games (34). The expressions of the players at full-time against Liverpool, however, told a completely different story. There was obvious frustration at the 1-1 result. “That wasn’t the performance we were looking for on the pitch.” Sonia Bompastor was clearly annoyed as she reflected on the performance. We were not clinically enough.”
A few days later, they were back to the same story when they drew with Barcelona in Champions League. It was their fifth match in a 20-day period. The calibre of the opponent was different, but the post-match complaints were similar: “You need to be clinical… We won’t let up on that part.”
Bompastor is sure to be under scrutiny soon. Chelsea’s stylistic changes: are they a positive thing or a hindrance? Sky Sports looks into the issue.
Use Chrome for an accessible video player
Highlights of the Women’s Super League match between Liverpool vs Chelsea.
What do the numbers say? To qualify any criticism, Chelsea’s standards were so high that any drop, no matter how small, would be noticed.
Inefficiencies are affecting both ends of the field, which is unusual for a club such as Chelsea. The heat maps show that they spend more time than ever in the defensive third.
Bompastor’s continued move towards a more systematic style of play, with a greater emphasis on building up, is part of the reason for this. But it is also indicative of how opposition sides are able to contain Chelsea in their own halves.
The Blues also waste more than they usually do. The Blues create more big opportunities than other teams, so it is expected that they will also miss more. But their negative xG (-3.58) differential is worrying considering the quality of their attacking players and the amount they have spent on them.
There is also the cost of competing in four different competitions.
2025-12-04 09:00:00
