How Chelsea women made history with unbeaten WSL season

LONDON -- As Chelsea hoisted the Women's Super League (WSL) trophy into the aerial for a sixth consecutive clip connected Saturday afternoon, the celebrations for their historical triumph were emphatic.

The Blues were already champions -- having sealed the rubric with a 1-0 triumph implicit Manchester United connected April 30 -- but a 1-0 triumph implicit Liverpool successful their last crippled cemented their spot successful the past books arsenic the lone women's squad successful past to spell unbeaten crossed a 22-game season. In dropping points from lone 3 draws, they besides acceptable a caller grounds points tally (60) successful the WSL, beating their ain people of 58 from 2022-23.

As has been their habit, Chelsea near it precocious to seal the triumph arsenic Aggie Beever-Jones -- Chelsea's apical scorer and standout subordinate each play -- netted successful the 91st minute. But the effect encapsulated wherefore Chelsea are champions. This is simply a squad with an insatiable appetite for winning; it is engrained successful their DNA. They combat to the extremity and, this season, their grit and sheer relentlessness has proven excessively overmuch for their WSL rivals to match.

Some whitethorn person expected the squad to instrumentality clip to set to caller manager Sonia Bompastor successful her debut campaign, pursuing the exit of the legendary Emma Hayes past summer. But their relentless tendency to triumph has not slowed down; if anything, it has grown further with a self-proclaimed "sore loser" present starring the team.

It is unthinkable that Bompastor has already returned 2 trophies -- the WSL and League Cup -- successful her archetypal play successful charge, with the anticipation of a 3rd coming adjacent play arsenic they look Manchester United successful the FA Cup. Yes, Chelsea's quadruple imagination died astatine the hands of Barcelona successful the Champions League semifinals, but the velocity with which the French manager has taken complaint and made the squad her ain has been remarkable.

Making a mark

You could beryllium forgiven for reasoning Bompastor and this squad had been unneurotic for the past 5 campaigns, but it has been little than 12 months. It has been a seamless modulation and Bompastor has regularly praised Hayes successful the media for the enactment she did to physique the foundations for occurrence implicit the past 12 years and permission the nine successful the authorities she did.

Bompastor didn't truly person to bash overmuch erstwhile she stepped done the doors astatine Cobham; the squad is simply a purpose-built winning instrumentality and knows what it takes to beryllium champions. The information that Hayes made definite to motion a big of young players -- specified arsenic midfielder Maika Hamano and striker Mayra Ramírez -- earlier she near meant Bompastor inherited a succession program and the ongoing improvement down the scenes meant the training, unit and facilities were raised to beryllium among the champion successful Europe.

Naturally, Bompastor wanted to permission her ain people and marque tweaks to guarantee that Chelsea's occurrence continued. But from the aboriginal discussions astir her taking the job, the accent was geared astir gathering connected Hayes' legacy, not dismantling it to commencement afresh. Indeed, a root told ESPN that this was 1 of the reasons that Bompastor was truthful highly regarded by the club's hierarchy.

Once she arrived, the nine made definite that Bompastor had each the resources indispensable to guarantee a creaseless modulation and a root said that the players responded incredibly good to her appointment. They rapidly got connected committee with her attack and liked her competitory edge, believing that it would propulsion them to caller heights.

Preseason was seen arsenic the cleanable clip to align the squad and Bompastor brought a cohort of caller coaching unit and players with her, utilizing the club's travel to Washington DC and New York (where they defeated NWSL broadside NY/NJ Gotham and section rivals Arsenal successful affable games) to outline her expectations. Sources told ESPN that the team's bonding connected and disconnected the transportation during the buildup to the commencement of the WSL play was imperative and, aft a nervy 1-0 triumph implicit Aston Villa connected the opening day, a 7-0 demolition of Crystal Palace proved to beryllium an ominous informing to the remainder of the league.

Setting the standard

Setting the modular aboriginal was crucial. Bompastor adopted an aggravated grooming schedule, wherever slacking disconnected would not beryllium tolerated, and sources told ESPN that the manager wants the aforesaid committedness successful grooming arsenic she would successful a cupful final.

Though it differed from what Hayes demanded, it was welcomed. While Bompastor focused much connected method aspects and build-up play, a root told ESPN that the players enjoyed the accrued intensity, believing it was getting the champion retired of them. Early on, determination was a feeling astir the squad that it was Bompastor's tendency to triumph everything that forced players to measurement up and, arsenic the WSL progressed toward the caller year, Chelsea were already up of the curve (and the table) with 9 wins from 9 games -- including against rubric rivals Arsenal, Manchester City and Man United.

A daze 1-1 gully with Leicester connected Dec. 14 saw Chelsea driblet points for the archetypal time. But champions are made from adversity and different four-game winning streak -- with a captious 1-0 triumph implicit Arsenal -- saw them easiness into March with 13 wins from 14 games and 8 games left.

Success successful the League Cup implicit Manchester City connected March 15 kept the winning feeling going but it besides began a bizarre tally of 4 games successful 12 days against the aforesaid opposition. And it was those 4 games that defined the season.

Bompastor tin beryllium ruthless astatine times and, arsenic she was specified a fierce rival arsenic a player, she is ne'er shy of telling her players what she thinks. Sources person described her arsenic "a unspeakable loser," with Bompastor admitting arsenic overmuch successful assorted interviews, truthful aft the 2-0 nonaccomplishment to Manchester City successful the Champions League quarterfinal archetypal limb she shared her frustrations, loudly, successful the dressing room.

Four days' later, Chelsea recovered themselves 1-0 down against City aft a dismal archetypal fractional of their WSL clash and, sources said, past repeated itself. This clip determination was a accidental to crook things astir and her actions spurred her players on, arsenic they yet clawed backmost a 2-1 triumph acknowledgment to a 91st-minute extremity from Erin Cuthbert. Then, successful the 2nd limb of the Champions League, the occurrence was lit with 3 goals successful the archetypal fractional to guarantee a 3-0 triumph overturned that 2-0 shortage to seal a semifinal gathering with Barcelona.

But portion a root told ESPN that the rapport that Bompastor has built with the squad ensures no-one wants to fto her down, she is besides the archetypal to enactment an limb astir her players and rally them unneurotic erstwhile needed. Indeed, erstwhile the squad mislaid 4-1 successful the Champions League 2nd limb to Barcelona (8-2 connected aggregate), she knew it was not the clip for pugnacious love. That intuition is thing that her erstwhile players astatine Lyon besides enjoyed astir her absorption style.

Mentality monsters

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Krieger: Chelsea merit to triumph sixth consecutive WSL title

Ali Krieger hails Chelsea brag Sonia Bompastor arsenic she leads her broadside to a sixth consecutive WSL rubric pursuing a 1-0 triumph implicit Man United.

If you privation to cognize what makes Chelsea susceptible of winning six consecutive titles (a ninth overall, including the 2017 Spring Series) and respond from their UWCL humiliation by Barcelona to triumph the league successful the precise adjacent game, the reply is: their mentality.

After Arsenal's 5-2 nonaccomplishment to Aston Villa connected April 30, the squad didn't speech astir the information they could seal the rubric with 2 games to spare against Man United aboriginal that evening. Bompastor adjacent said she turned the crippled disconnected aft Villa went 2-0 up, arsenic her broadside were warming up astatine Leigh Sports village. She asked a subordinate of unit for the effect but did not stock it with her players erstwhile she entered the dressing country up of kickoff; she wanted them to triumph the crippled due to the fact that of their tendency to win, not to adhd further pressure.

Indeed, a root said respective players were alert of the people but did not stock it successful the dressing country either; conversations were focused solely connected winning against United. They lone needed a constituent but secured the triumph with a constrictive 1-0 victory. They past bushed Tottenham and Liverpool 1-0 successful their past 2 games. In fact, the Blues won 10 of their 19 games by a one-goal borderline this season, proving their quality to get a effect nary substance what, portion their rivals succumbed to needless losses and draws against teams they would beryllium expected to beat.

A defender of honour for the @BarclaysWSL champions. 👏#CFCW pic.twitter.com/zdwVZY7WSQ

But contempt their historical run, grounds points full and unbeaten season, it is not capable for Chelsea. After the decision to Barcelona, Bompastor admitted that she was not satisfied with the run and a root told ESPN that the players and unit consciousness similar determination is unfinished concern successful the Champions League; that, contempt their home success, it is intolerable to number this play arsenic their champion owed to their nonaccomplishment connected the continent.

That mentality is reflective of the incredibly precocious standards the squad acceptable each the mode backmost successful preseason. It is simply a mindset that carried them acold and, with a squad extent which is arguably lone matched by Barcelona, their insatiable appetite for winning and a competitory manager consenting to bash immoderate it takes to triumph trophies, has acceptable them up for much occurrence successful the years to come.

From the grounds of this campaign, it volition instrumentality a occurrence for anyone to halt Chelsea from getting their hands connected different rubric adjacent season.