Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor insists right-backs Lucy Bronze and Ellie Carpenter can play together | OneFootball

(Rebekah Wynkoop / SPP)

Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor is confident that Lucy Bronze and Ellie Carpenter, both natural right-backs, can effectively play together in the team.

Carpenter, a summer signing from Lyon, has started Chelsea’s opening three Women’s Super League games, as Bronze battles to recover from a leg injury.

The Australian international has showcased her quality, making an immediate impression by assisting Aggie Beever-Jones’ goal during Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Manchester City on the opening day.

However, some might question her involvement in the starting XI when England international Bronze returns from injury.

Speaking to Chelsea’s official website, Bompastor said there is a way of using them both in her starting XI.

What did Sonia Bompastor say about Lucy Bronze and Ellie Carpenter?

Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor believes Lucy Bronze and Ellie Carpenter can play alongside each other.

She told the club’s website: “It’s an option. I think all the best players will play.

“I will have to pick a starting XI, but in my mind, I always think about what is the best team or the best starting 11 going into every game.

“And if both Ellie and Lucy are performing at the same time, at a high level, they will both play. I think both of them can play in those two positions, the right full-back or the right wing-back. We can expect to see them both on the pitch at the same time.”

Bompastor previously said she is ‘really proud’ of summer signing Carpenter, after an impressive start to life at the WSL club.

Bronze is known as one of the best defenders in world football, but hasn’t made an appearance since England’s Euro 2025 triumph.

After the final against Spain, she revealed that she played the tournament with a fractured leg.

How would Bronze and Carpenter play alongside each other?

If Bronze and Carpenter were to play alongside each other for Chelsea, it would likely mean that one of them has to play at centre-back.

Chelsea play with three at the back, with Carpenter used as a right-wing back over the opening weeks of the season.

Bronze has played at centre-back before and would be seen as the more natural fit if either of them is to move into the centre of defence.

However, she has been vocal in the past about not wanting to become a permanent centre-back.

She told The Athletic last year: “Absolutely not. LJ [Lauren James] keeps saying: ‘Oh, don’t ever retire – you can just go to centre-back’, and I was like: ‘No, I don’t think that’s for me’.

“I played there for a couple of years for England, when Alex Scott was the right-back and we needed a centre-half with pace, so there was me playing left-side centre-back. I can play there. But it’s not what I enjoy. Right-back is the position I love the most in the world.”