More than half of the players who started at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday had not been in the starting XI for Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Manchester City at the same ground on Saturday. There was no change in outcome, though, as Sonia Bompastor made it 11 wins from 11 since replacing Emma Hayes as manager, this 3-0 victory over Celtic sending her team into the Champions League quarter-finals.
Bompastor has looked to rotate heavily ever since she took over as Chelsea manager. The six changes she made on Wednesday did not come as a surprise, given the four she made ahead of their first Champions League match, the seven for the second and the eight for the third.
“(Rotation) has been my mindset from the beginning of the season,” said Bompastor, whose side won thanks to goals from Lucy Bronze, Wieke Kaptein and Eve Perisset.
“We play so many games and we need to make sure everyone is involved. It’s an opportunity for me to show trust to my players and squad. It’s not possible for a player to play 90 minutes every three days, especially with a squad with a lot of international players who play for their club and national team.”
Bompastor’s rotations have allowed her to give minutes to younger players like Maelys Mpome and Oriane Jean-Francois. There was even a debut for 17-year-old Lola Brown against Celtic, who only signed a first professional contract with the club on Monday.
But it is not just about the players Bompastor is using. It is also about the systems.
Playing Jean-Francois, for example, has prompted a reshaped single-pivot midfield (Bompastor’s preference at former club Lyon) rather than the double pivot that has been used in Women’s Super League (WSL) games. There was even a back three trialled in last week’s away match against Celtic, a tactical choice that looked more meaningful once the news that first choice-centre back Kadeisha Buchanan had torn her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
”The players need to be able to adapt and be flexible on the pitch,” Bompastor explained.
”It gives us the possibility during games, or depending on who we’re facing, to change the system and the organisation. When you always play the same way, you are more predictable. It’s easier for the opposition to analyse and see how they can block you. Having these different options is good for the players and for me as a manager.”
Sonia Bompastor has won every match since taking charge of Chelsea in the summer (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
The depth of Chelsea’s squad means that even with the rotations, their starting XI looks ominous.
Catarina Macario made her first start of the season playing as a No 9 against Celtic, with England youngster Aggie Beever-Jones suspended for the match after being sent off in the previous fixture. The USWNT forward has struggled to regain full fitness as she has pushed to come back from the ACL injury she sustained under Bompastor at Lyon. She was originally called up to Hayes’ Olympic squad before withdrawing due to irritation in her knee. Hayes said recently that both Macario and her Chelsea compatriot Mia Fishel, who is still recovering from her own ACL injury, would be invited to Thanksgiving dinner with the team in London during the upcoming international break.
”She needs time because she’s been in and out,” said Bompastor. “Coming from an injury — that’s never easy to be at your best from your first game, especially when you start.
“When you play a low block, they are really compact. You don’t have a lot of space, especially centrally on the field, so it was not an easy game for the team, for Cata, but she worked hard and that’s the most important thing.”
Macario has made a number of impactful appearances in her stop-start Chelsea career but this was not one of them. Despite getting the assist for Chelsea’s opener — a Lucy Bronze volley from a well-worked corner — she looked rushed on the pitch and struggled in her duels. She was replaced at half-time by Mayra Ramirez.
Importantly though, she got minutes. Despite Chelsea’s rampaging start to the season, there are a number of players who have had moments of rustiness. Erin Cuthbert has taken her time to play her way into form having picked up an injury during Chelsea’s pre-season, while Maika Hamano looked a bit overawed in certain matches early on. It was a fitting testament to Bompastor’s process then when those two started in that win over Manchester City, Chelsea’s most impressive of the season. There was logic behind the rotation and it has been paying dividends.
Much was made of the size of Chelsea’s squad — and Hayes’ ability to manage it — when she departed in May. Keeping over 25 players happy is not simple, although it is always easier when you are winning. But Bompastor’s rotation is genuinely giving different players an opportunity to shine.
Take Kaptein. The 19-year-old Netherlands midfielder scored her second goal in nine appearances to go with her three assists.
“She’s a really young talented player and she understands the game,” said Bompastor.
“I’m trying to develop her but in terms of her performance, she’s doing well. She’s confident on the ball. She works hard for the rest of the team. So we are really pleased with her performances.”
You only have to look at the way Chelsea’s bench behaves to see it all paying off. When Perisset scored a 95th-minute penalty, the delight from the substitutes was evident as she registered her first goal for the club in three seasons.
And when the final whistle went, Bompastor immediately began congratulating the injured players, who were sat behind the bench watching on as always.
Rotation will not be as easy for Chelsea as the season goes on and the games become harder. They were fortunate to be drawn into as routine a Champions League group as they were. But there is no doubt Bompastor has taken risks to make the most of it. The benefits should be felt for the months to come.
(Top photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)