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At the start of the season, it quickly became apparent that Chelsea’s defence might be their downfall. After last year’s treble-winning campaign, which was built on a rock-solid backline, Sonia Bompastor decided to adopt a more adventurous, attack-focused strategy this time around. “We want to take more risks in our game,” she explained. “I’m someone who really likes to take the risks. We want to be offensive.”

That change in approach has seen Chelsea concede far more shots, shots on target, and key passes than before. Yet, thanks to Hannah Hampton’s outstanding performances in goal, the team has largely managed to keep their goals conceded in check. The real struggle, ironically, has been in attack, despite Bompastor’s attacking intent.

Chelsea’s main issue hasn’t been creating chances. Even in their heavy defeat to City, the Blues produced some clear opportunities. However, a lack of finishing precision has plagued them. According to expected goals (xG) data, no other team in the WSL has underperformed in front of goal as much as Chelsea. They have scored 25 goals in 14 matches, despite recording an xG of 30.35—a shortfall of over five goals. Brighton, the next worst in this category, have a gap of just 2.1.

Speaking ahead of the defeat to City, Bompastor admitted her side was “a little bit less clinical than last season,” and cited injuries as a major factor. “We are missing some top-class players, Mayra Ramirez being one of them,” she said. “I think she was available for most of the games last season and she was involved in the important games. We have some other really good players in the squad but as you know, some of them are coming back from injury. They are trying their best to perform at their best level but we have to be fair with them. You also need time to recover from not playing for two years, if we take the example with Sam Kerr. That’s probably one of the explanations.”

Lauren James has also spent a long spell out injured, while Aggie Beever-Jones has been struggling with an ankle issue, and Catarina Macario has yet to feature in 2026. After Ramirez was ruled out until at least 2026, Chelsea made a major move before the transfer window closed, signing 21-year-old forward Alyssa Thompson, who has since become their top scorer in the WSL with five goals. However, Thompson remains a developing player who still needs time to adapt and mature, despite her promising start in London.

With the futures of Kerr and Macario uncertain beyond this season, Beever-Jones nearing the end of her contract, and the team’s ongoing lack of cutting edge, there were questions over whether Bompastor might seek additional attacking reinforcements in the next transfer window. The club has previously acted decisively in similar situations—when Kerr suffered an ACL injury in January 2024, Chelsea broke their transfer record to sign Ramirez, whose arrival became vital after Mia Fishel sustained the same injury a month later.

“Without making too many comments on that, I would have liked to have been in a better place from the last transfer window,” Bompastor admitted.

Some may find it surprising to hear Bompastor mention a lack of squad depth, given Chelsea’s reputation for having one of the strongest rosters in women’s football. However, compared to previous seasons, this year’s squad is thinner, forcing the manager to rely more heavily on young, inexperienced players in key matches.

“A lot of people talk about Chelsea being an example of having depth in the squad and of having players with different profiles they can bring into the game. Right now, I don’t think we are in that place,” Bompastor reiterated. “I’m not saying that explains everything, but being in that position probably doesn’t help.”

She added, “As a manager I will always accept responsibility for the results of this team, so I need to focus also on what the solutions are for me to be in a much better place. It’s tough because I have to focus on the players available, but when you have many games in a row, you can’t rotate as much as you want and you can’t bring in the exact profile you want in the game.”

When asked if Chelsea might still make a signing before the transfer window deadline, Bompastor replied, “We’ll see.”

The sense of inevitability that surrounded Chelsea for years has now disappeared. Last season, 10 of their 19 league victories were decided by a single goal, with five of those coming after the 80th minute. This season, with 14 of 22 WSL games played, they have won only three one-goal matches and scored just twice beyond the 80th minute—both by Kerr in stoppage time, extending already-held leads.

“I think if you reflect from last season, even when we were winning a lot of games, sometimes the margins were really fine and we were able to sometimes score in the last minutes of the game. This season, things are probably not going the same way,” Bompastor admitted.

After Sunday’s defeat, the questions turned to Bompastor’s future. With the title now out of reach and Champions League qualification the main objective, she was asked whether she expects to remain in charge when the Blues face Tottenham next week—a game that could see Spurs leapfrog them with a win.

Considering Chelsea’s achievements last season and their ongoing runs in the FA Cup, League Cup, and Champions League, it would still be a major shock if Bompastor were to leave. “I’m really confident in terms of someone who is really honest,” she said. But as she continued, her certainty seemed to waver slightly. “If people think I’m not the right person to stay for this job at the club, I’ll be happy to go if they think that’s the right thing. But I will never give up. I know football, sometimes it happens, you can be in this situation. I always fight. But again, the institution of Chelsea is a lot more important than myself.”

Despite their struggles, Chelsea still have plenty to fight for, with three major trophies—including the elusive Champions League—still within reach. However, to end the 2025–26 season on a high, Bompastor’s side will need to find solutions quickly. After six seasons of dominance, Chelsea’s WSL crown is slipping away, and how they respond to this setback will define their next chapter.