\n<\/p>\n
While Bompastor’s frustrations may carry some weight, there are also concerning trends in their performances.<\/p>\n
A squad still packed full of talent and experience has looked bereft of ideas and lacking ruthlessness.<\/p>\n
The ‘mentality monsters’ of recent seasons are no longer perceived to be invincible as they look more vulnerable defensively and less clinical up front. <\/p>\n
According to Opta, they are underperforming their expected goals tally by more than any other team (24 scored from 29 expected) and in their 2-0 defeat by Arsenal, they had 18 shots but only one on target. <\/p>\n
This is the first WSL campaign in which Chelsea have recorded one or fewer shots on target in multiple games (also against Liverpool in their 1-1 draw).<\/p>\n
They had 70% possession in the opening 15 minutes of the second half against Manchester City on Sunday – but their opponents scored twice in that period.<\/p>\n
And that 5-1 defeat was the joint-biggest they have suffered in the WSL, placing them the furthest from the top of the table they have been since the final day of the 2018-19 season.<\/p>\n
“It was two top teams playing against each other and one was efficient and the other was not. I’m not putting everything on the players, but we made too many mistakes and we need to solve that,” said Bompastor on Sunday.<\/p>\n
“I always reflect on my own decisions and my tactics. I’m always hard on myself. We played the game against Arsenal with a back three. This game, we changed the system to a back four and tried something different with different players. <\/p>\n
“As much as you always want to explain things in football, sometimes it doesn’t work. When it’s like this, it’s tough for sure. <\/p>\n
“You need to find the solutions, stay strong, and make sure we work on the basics. We need to get back to a level where we are producing more.”<\/p>\n
It was a rare sight to see Chelsea’s players look so dejected and they appeared to fall apart in a second half at Etihad Stadium in which City toyed with them.<\/p>\n
Bompastor said she was not concerned, but with fans increasingly questioning her tactics and the players looking short of confidence, does she remain convinced she is the right person for the job?<\/p>\n
“In the club, if people think I’m not the right person to stay in this job, then I’ll be happy to go if they think that’s the right thing. But I will never give up,” she said. <\/p>\n
“In football, I know sometimes it happens and you can be in this situation. I will always fight but the institution at Chelsea is a lot more important than myself.”<\/p>\n
It seems absurd to question a manager who led the club to an unbeaten domestic treble in her debut season but such are the high expectations at Chelsea.<\/p>\n
With a place in the Women’s League Cup final already booked, a Women’s Champions League quarter-final on the horizon and their Women’s FA Cup campaign still on course, it is not yet a crisis at Chelsea. <\/p>\n
But with their WSL title defence all but over, there will undoubtedly be sharper focus on those knockout competitions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n