Bompastor wary of Villa threat as first WSL match approaches

Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor is excited to begin her maiden Women’s Super League campaign when the Blues face Aston Villa on Friday evening.

Bompastor joined the club in the summer after three successful years at Lyon, which includes three straight Division 1 Feminine titles and a Champions League win in 2022.

She will be following the hugely popular Emma Hayes, who enjoyed plenty of success of her own at Chelsea before moving on to coach the United States’ women’s team, but Bompastor insists the attention should not just be on her as her side aim to retain their title.

She said: “I just feel like it’s not only about me. I think it’s about Chelsea. It’s also about the players, you know, and we feel ready.

“We are the holders of the title, and we want to start the league strongly tomorrow night.”

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— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) September 19, 2024

Chelsea and Hayes were victorious in each of the last five editions of the WSL and her successor believes she possesses enough quality in her squad to challenge on all fronts this season.

“When you’re Chelsea, you just want to win every single title,” said Bompastor.

“You want to compete in every competition, and we know all the teams will be ready. It will be tough, but we feel ready, and you know, the players are really competitive.”

Bompastor is wary of the threat of Villa, who have enjoyed a productive pre-season under new manager Robert de Pauw.

She said: “If you look at Aston Villa’s results, they had a good pre-season with good results. In their last game they beat Manchester City, who last night beat Paris FC 5-0.”

“We have a lot of respect for Villa, they have a good quality squad, and they had good results, so we know the first game will be important.

“We just want to focus on ourselves and be able to start the league as strongly as we can.”