Sonia Bompastor has admitted there have been "big learnings" from the Blues' unsuccessful European campaign, which was ended by the Catalans on Sunday
There has been a lot of talk about the Women's Champions League around Chelsea this year. After appointing Sonia Bompastor in the summer, someone who has triumphed in the competition as both a player and a manager, and recruiting previous winners such as Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh, many believed that the Blues' chances of finally lifting the trophy that has long eluded them were better than ever. That was until Barcelona poured ice cold water on those hopes by battering Chelsea in an 8-2 aggregate win in this year's semi-finals.
It was a humbling loss, one that shocked many given Barca had only come through as 2-1 winners on aggregate when meeting the Blues in the semi-finals in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. However, while Bompastor was obviously disappointed in the aftermath, she was also bullish.
"Even if I know Barcelona is a really good team, the difference between these two teams is not that much," she told . "In my head, it's really clear what we need to do and what we need to achieve to be able to compete for the Champions League final and also for this title. So, probably, it's good to have this experience and my reflection to help the club to grow, I think, in different aspects again."
Indeed, this result was a huge wake-up call for Chelsea, but there are certainly reasons for the club to believe that they can come back stronger from such a devastating defeat. What are they? GOAL picks out six…
Getty ImagesUnderstanding the challenge
Bompastor's experience of this tie is one of those big reasons. When the Frenchwoman arrived in London, she may have thought that Chelsea were not far off being able to win the Champions League, given those tight defeats to Barcelona in the previous two seasons. However, whatever her understanding of the challenge was prior to her arrival at the club, it'll certainly be greater after this Champions League campaign.
Now, she knows first-hand, and better than ever, the scale of the task and how it differs to what she was working with at Lyon. "Big learnings" is what she said she took from these two games against Barcelona, and Chelsea will hope those can help the club move a step closer in this competition next term.
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Those learnings will have come in many departments. Bompastor will have taken in a lot of information about her players from both a tactical and psychological standpoint, while also undoubtedly learning a lot about her own coaching. Perhaps the most obvious difference between the two sides across these two games, though, was the clinical touch in the final third. Before Chelsea succumbed to a 4-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge, they had their chances; they just didn't take them. Barca, meanwhile, had three before half-time and scored them all. It was a theme that continued from the first leg, with the Catalans having so much more world-class attacking talent at their disposal than Chelsea at this moment.
The good news is that is something Bompastor can address in the transfer market this summer, which will be just her third window as the Blues' boss. After all, she is still making her mark on this squad and transforming it into her own. This experience will have no doubt told her that Chelsea need more going forward if they are to catch up with Barca – but there will be other positions she'll have identified as areas that need strengthening, too.
Given the success of some of Bompastor's signings this first year, fans can be encouraged at her continuing to be effective in the market, too. Sandy Baltimore was a real stand-out in this season, for example, despite some being sceptical of her arrival at first.
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Complementing that is the commitment and investment that Chelsea will give Bompastor. This is a club that does not shy away from backing its women's team, a significant factor that has allowed the Blues to become the dominant force in English women's football. It craves European success too, though, and will continue to offer the necessary support to get the team to that point.
That's not just in transfers, either. Chelsea has long developed in all departments, be it scouting, medical, analysis – just name it. Indeed, its progress in youth development has been another stand-out factor in recent years. This club never stands still and that is a huge reason why the fans can believe that the Women's Champions League trophy will eventually make its way to Stamford Bridge.
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Going back to the point about the difference in attacking talent between Chelsea and Barcelona, it is important to remember the players that the Blues were missing in this tie. Of course, the club needs to ensure such absentees are not as glaring misses by bolstering the attack more, but to be without Sam Kerr and Lauren James was far from ideal.
Kerr's absence was particularly felt. The Australia star would've provided the clinical touch that Chelsea lacked and she'd have improved their underwhelming hold-up play – and that's just scratching the surface of what she provides as a world-class centre-forward.
She is one of several players that Chelsea will hope to have available when they go for this title again next year. Kadeisha Buchanan, who suffered an ACL injury in November, is another. The five-time Champions League winner had started the season well until her setback left Chelsea particularly light at centre-back, with issues for Maelys Mpome and Naomi Girma leaving Millie Bright and Nathalie Bjorn as Bompastor's only two senior options in the heart of defence for a large spell, putting a significant workload on the pair.
Throw in Sophie Ingle as well, the veteran midfielder who has also missed the entire campaign, plus a fully-fit Mia Fishel, who only returned from an ACL injury in March, and there are a lot of players who can come back next term to make Chelsea better-placed to compete for a European title.