WASHINGTON, D.C. — When it comes to playing for the Chelsea and new boss Sonia Bompastor, those without the highest values of ambition and drive need not apply to be part of the ride.
“Winning has always been the aim — it’s in our DNA,” said Chelsea captain Millie Bright, speaking with ProSoccerTalk inside Audi Field in Washington, DC ahead of the Blues’ sold-out preseason tour friendly versus Arsenal on Aug. 25. “Every single day, every session, it’s all about winning.”
“When Sonia came in she made it extremely clear, straight away we aligned, it was about every trophy we compete for we want to win. There’s no shying away from that and there’s no hiding. Making that known is really important. It sets an expectation and we’re on a new journey. It’s really exciting.”
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There’s not a hint of complacency around Chelsea as the chase begins for a sixth-straight Women’s Super League title and a first UEFA Women’s Champions League crown.
The dominant force in English women’s football has brought in Bompastor, winner of three European Cups as a player and then manager of Lyon, and Lucy Bronze, who has five UWCL triumphs of her own at Lyon and Barcelona.
Chelsea begin their WSL title defense Friday when Aston Villa visit Kingsmeadow. Here’s how the Blues are feeling about the new campaign and challenges ahead of them.
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Lucy Bronze: New Chelsea boss Bompastor made attractive recruiting pitch
Bronze, the England national team star and 2019 Ballon d’Or runner-up, arrives home as a near-perfect fit for Chelsea’s 2024-25 objectives.
The right back has won every trophy imaginable including the only one fellow silverware collector Bright and her club are missing: The aforementioned UEFA Women’s Champions League trophy.
Bompastor knew Bronze well from their time in Lyon, and it didn’t take much convincing to get the Lionesses’ right back on board with the project.
“People that know me know that I’m someone who enjoys winning and competing,” Bronze said. “I had the thought of coming back to England and we just match up together. I spoke to Sonia once and I was like ‘yeah this is a good fit for me.’”
The weight of coming to a club that expects nothing less than winning everything sounds just fine to Bronze.
She won three UWCL crowns at Lyon and two at Barcelona, and she knows that delivering a first women’s European Cup to an English club since Arsenal in 2007 would be special. It would be the title in that competition since it was rebranded as the UEFA Women’s Champions League ahead of the 2009-10 season.
“I love challenge and pressure,” Bronze said. “To be the best player, to be the best team you have to enjoy those moments. You have to enjoy the big games. Coming to Chelsea, the one thing that’s missing is the Champions League on the women’s side. Sonia has that experience as a player and a coach. I do, abroad as well, but bringing that to a club in England. I think Chelsea’s the right team to do it with. They’ve already had big steps in the Champions League, already beat big teams like Barca, like Lyon. [I can give] that little bit of ‘come on girls, let’s push it over the line.’”
BILBAO, SPAIN - MAY 25: Lucy Bronze of FC Barcelona poses for a photo with the UEFA Women’s Champions League Trophy after victory in the UEFA Women’s Champions League 2023/24 Final match between FC Barcelona and Olympique Lyonnais at Estadio de San Mames on May 25, 2024 in Bilbao, Spain. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
UEFA via Getty Images
Millie Bright: Chelsea a club driven by legacy
Bright arrived at Chelsea from Doncaster Belles in 2014 with the intention of staying for a decade or more. She says she was “blown away” by the club from her first day and she felt she was somewhere where her hunger to win was matched by everyone at the club.
She often mentions words like culture, evolution, and care, and the overriding themes are keeping the highest standards at Chelsea.
“Legacy is the first thing that comes to mind,” Bright said when asked what it means to be at Chelsea. “For me as a player, it’s important [both] the legacy that we’ve had in the past and the one we want to leave moving forward. It’s not just about the football, it’s about the community. It’s about leaving a good imprint on the fans, making sure that we’re connecting with our fans that they’re not just at one or two games, they want to come back.”
Chelsea set to evolve, entertain in chase for WSL, Women’s Champions League titles
Bronze is one of the best entertainers in the game, capable of playing anywhere on the pitch but probably best recognized for her marauding performances from the right flank.
The now 32-year-old Bronze, an England centurion with 125 caps, says she’s still got the fire and pace to produce electric displays but her recent club experience has changed her style of play.
“I’ve evolved a lot from the player I was five years ago,” Bronze said. “I’m different now. When I was younger, I was all about energy. I would run more than anybody. That was my thing. You wanna run? I’ll run more than you. Then it was with pace and power. Then I wanted to combine. Being at Barca as well, I learned a new style, playing with teammates, how to find spaces that are not only good for me but other people.
“That’s how my game has adapted over the recent years. People not just seeing Lucy Bronze every time bang-bang, it’s a much more measured approach. I pick my moments and I want to get the best out of the players around me. That’s something growing up, I learned the best players are the ones who make the players around them look the best as well. What’s a team at the end of the day? I want them to succeed more than I do, cause it makes my job a lot easier.”
Bronze’s evolution at Lyon and Barcelona live in the same complex as Bright’s views on why the Women’s Super League has become, in their opinion, the best league in the world.
“The things that stand out is the variety of players,” Bright said. “We’re a very attractive league and we have players from all over the world who want to come play in the WSL. Other nations are maybe a little bit more technical, but the style of English football has changed and has evolved to be more technical and possession other than the typical English way, that ‘we’ll fight, we’re bulldogs.’ I don’t believe without those players coming from abroad we would’ve gotten to that place. Now playing in those main stadiums, the football we play is second to none now.”
And it’s why they know the fight for another WSL crown will be just as intense as the quest for that first UWCL title.
“I want the WSL to be the most attractive league in the world,” Bright said. “I think it is ... and it’s no longer just the top three teams and we saw that last season. Some results took people by surprise [but] as players we were like no. Teams are constantly evolving, signing new players, sometimes you’ve not heard of, and next thing they’re the star of the show. It’s constantly growing. it’s our fight to always want more, keep pushing the standards, and never settle.”
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