‘The performance was exactly what we had to do’ – Bompastor pleased to see Chelsea bounce back | OneFootball

Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor was pleased with how her side bounced back to winning ways as they defeated Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at Kingsmeadow on Sunday afternoon.

The Blues had been made to settle for draws with Manchester United and FC Twente in their previous games but they were able to grind out a single-goal success against Spurs, thanks to a second half goal from Keira Walsh.

When speaking to the media after the match, Bompastor discussed the importance of the win and highlighted the character shown by her side to bounce back after dropping points in consecutive games across two different competitions.

“It’s crucial for what we want to achieve in terms of team ambitions,” Bompastor said. “Today, I’m pleased with the result, for sure, but also with the performance we put on the pitch.

“It’s never easy to bounce back when you drop some points in two different competitions, so I think the players showed a lot of character on the pitch. The performance was exactly what we had to do.

“We created a lot, I think we were dominant. I’m really pleased with that because reflecting on the Spurs dynamic coming into this game, they looked really strong and good.”

Walsh’s long range effort proved to be the decisive moment for The Blues as they continued their unbeaten run. Commenting on the goal, Bompastor emphasised the importance of her players taking risks and bringing their individual talent to tight games.

She stated “I always try to tell my players to be brave on the pitch, to take risks, because they have the quality to do that and even if sometimes they try and they are not successful, they always have their other teammates to back-up.

“I think Keira [Walsh] has this strength in her game. She is really good technically and she has a lot of power when she shoots from distance. She has this feeling of knowing where she has to be when she’s around the edge of the box. Also, when she receives the ball, she can take her opportunity as she did today.”

Bompastor’s side registered 27 shots on goal with many coming from distance. When asked about having more shots from distance, Bompastor explained the importance of having diverse attacking options when facing resilient defensive set-ups.

She said “I think that’s crucial [to have long range shots] when you face teams like today, where they are really resilient and they are defending the box really well. Just to have many options, so sometimes it can come from a cross, sometimes from an individual in the box who is able to make a good touch and a good finish, but also sometimes facing a low block, that’s also important to have this diversity and to be able to shoot from distance.

“They [Spurs] were really compact, really aggressive on the box. I think Keira took that opportunity and it was the good choice, the right choice to make.”

Going on to discuss the importance of her side’s squad depth, Bompastor highlighted the need to rotate her players for a heavy schedule across multiple competitions.

She stated “The depth is crucial. I think when you have to play every three days with the intensity of the games in this league and in the Champions League, if you don’t have depth, it’s difficult to match your ambitions.

“We already said that we want to go far in every competition we are competing in. I think having the depth, giving the opportunity to some players to just come, start the game and perform is also crucial for the team.”

Chelsea are back in action on Wednesday evening when they play host to Paris FC in their latest UEFA Women’s Champions League fixture at Stamford Bridge.