Chelsea’s Season Struggles: Balancing Ambition with Reality

At the onset of this season, concerns emerged regarding Chelsea’s defensive capabilities, which could potentially jeopardize their campaign. Following last year’s treble-winning success built on a robust back line, manager Bompastor adopted a more aggressive, attack-oriented strategy this season.

“We want to take more risks in our game,” Bompastor explained. “I am someone who truly embraces risk. Our goal is to be more offensive.”

Consequently, Chelsea has allowed a significantly higher number of shots, shots on target, shot-creating actions, and key passes to opponents compared to previous seasons since the campaign began.

Nonetheless, thanks to the outstanding performances of goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, Chelsea has managed to limit the number of goals conceded, even as their underlying statistics raise concerns. The real issue has been in attack, despite the team’s proactive and risk-taking approach.

Chelsea rarely struggles to create opportunities; even during their heavy loss to City, they generated notable chances. The recurring problem has been a lack of clinical finishing, a haunting concern for the reigning champions this season.

According to expected goals (xG) metrics, Chelsea is currently the most significant underperformer in goal-scoring within the Women’s Super League (WSL). With 25 goals scored across 14 games and an xG of 30.35, the discrepancy of 5.35 is considerable. In comparison, Brighton, the next highest underperformers, have only a gap of 2.1.

Bompastor acknowledged this issue leading up to Sunday’s defeat against City, stating her team has been “a little less clinical than last season.” She attributed some of this to injuries that have plagued the team.

“We are missing several key players, with Mayra Ramirez being one example,” Bompastor noted. “Last season, she was available for most of the matches and crucial encounters. Although we have talented players in the squad, some are returning from injuries and are working hard to regain their best form. It takes time to recover from such long absences, as seen with Sam Kerr. That’s likely one explanation.”

This season, Lauren James has also faced extensive time on the bench due to injuries, while Aggie Beever-Jones has been managing an ankle issue, and Catarina Macario has not played since 2026.

After Ramirez was sidelined until at least 2026 back in September, Chelsea made a significant investment before the transfer deadline, bringing in Alyssa Thompson, a 21-year-old forward who currently leads the team in WSL scoring with five goals. However, Thompson is still developing and requires time to fully acclimate.

Given uncertainty surrounding the futures of Kerr and Macario beyond this season—as well as Beever-Jones’s expiring contract—and amidst overall underperformance in front of goal, questions arose about whether Bompastor would seek to enhance her forward options either in the summer or the current winter transfer window, which closes on Tuesday. When Kerr sustained an ACL injury in January 2024, Chelsea invested a club-record fee in Ramirez, whose addition proved essential when backup striker Mia Fishel suffered a similar injury shortly thereafter.

“Without elaborating too much, I wish we were in a better position following the last transfer window,” Bompastor admitted on Sunday.

Some observers might find it frustrating to hear Bompastor express concerns about depth, especially considering Chelsea has one of the most talented squads in women’s football. However, relative to the high standards set at the club, this season’s roster appears somewhat diminished, requiring increased reliance on younger, less experienced players for pressure-filled matches.

“While many regard Chelsea as a benchmark for squad depth and versatility, I feel we are not quite there at the moment,” Bompastor reiterated on Sunday. “I am not suggesting this accounts for everything, but it certainly complicates matters.

“As a manager, I accept full responsibility for the team’s results. Therefore, I need to focus on finding solutions to improve our situation. It’s challenging, particularly when many games come in quick succession, limiting rotation and the ability to bring in ideal player profiles.”

When asked about potential signings before Tuesday’s transfer deadline, Bompastor responded, “We’ll see.”

The cumulative effect has led to Chelsea losing the air of inevitability once associated with them. Last season, 10 of Chelsea’s 19 league victories were decided by a single goal, with five of those decisive strikes occurring after the 80th minute. This season, however, the reigning champions have only secured three one-goal victories out of their 22 played WSL matches and have scored beyond the 80th minute only twice—both stoppage-time goals from Kerr that merely extended existing leads.

“Reflecting on last season, even during our winning streaks, the margins were often fine, and we frequently managed to score in the dying moments of games. This season, things are not unfolding similarly,” Bompastor stated last week.

The sharp contrast between this season and the last was underscored by the questions directed at Bompastor following Sunday’s disheartening defeat. With the title now out of reach, the focus has shifted to securing a Champions League spot. The French manager was asked about her confidence in retaining her role for the upcoming match against Tottenham, a team that could surpass Chelsea with a victory.

Given her previous successes and the team’s continued presence in the FA Cup, League Cup, and Champions League, it would be surprising to see Bompastor dismissed.

“I am confident, in a way that reflects honesty,” she began, albeit her conviction seemed to wane as she continued. “If others believe I am not the right fit for this position, I would accept that. Yet, I will not give up. I understand football; such situations can arise. I always strive to fight. Ultimately, the institution of Chelsea is far more significant than I am.”

Chelsea still has much to fight for, with three trophies, including the coveted Champions League title, up for grabs. However, if Bompastor’s squad aims for a successful conclusion to the 2025-26 season, they must make rapid improvements.

After six seasons of dominance in the WSL, Chelsea is poised to be dethroned. The focus now shifts to how they will respond to this unexpected disappointment, a challenge both they and their manager are unaccustomed to.