“Bit weird” was the feeling Sam Kerr described after Emma Hayes left Chelsea for the USWNT. It’s natural to feel that way, considering the English tactician spent 12 years at the London-based club, guiding them to 16 trophies. But that doesn’t mean the Blues aren’t in safe hands as Sonia Bompastor took charge at the helm. She maintains the same winning mentality within the team as Hayes used to, according to midfielder Johanna Rytting Kaneryd. The Swedish international scored an early and only goal to help her side secure a narrow win over Aston Villa Ladies during the opening Matchday of the 2024-25 WSL campaign.

Interestingly, during the post-match interview, Kaneryd was asked to highlight the difference between the coaching methods of Hayes and Bompastor. In response, the 28-year-old said, “It’s been very different. I mean, Emma was here for so long and had her plan to play and I feel like Sonia came in and was very clear with how she wanted to play. Of course, it’s hard in the beginning to set every detail in the game. But I feel like it’s very clear. If you play at Chelsea, you want to win, you should win,” added the goalscorer, insisting that methods may have changed but the goal of dominating surely hasn’t.

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Of course, the goal to win never had to change. Before Hayes left the London-based club, she certainly managed to set a bar for future managers who may come and lead the group.

Hence, Sonia Bompastor is expected to carry forward the legacy of the English tactician. No wonder even Hayes also knew the former Olympique Lyon coach would be her perfect replacement and was ‘supporting‘ her arrival at Chelsea.

Earlier, Bompastor also made an optimistic comment about being able to bear the big burden of meeting expectations like Hayes. “I’m coming with my new vision trying to find the good balance between what they have been doing, and they had so much success and what I can bring to the team,” she said to Sam Mewis in The Women’s Game Podcast.

So it looks like not just Bompastor, but even the players are keen to maintain the spell of dominance that Hayes maintained throughout the decade for the club. However, that won’t be a straightforward task, considering the challenges they may face from their rivals.

Emma Hayes warns Sonia Bompastor and Chelsea about major WSL challenges

Recently, Emma Hayes was asked to give predictions about the WSL season, especially about how her former club is going to perform. Calling the question unfair, she admitted that her heart will always remain at Chelsea and backed them for the same. However, there were certain warnings the USWNT manager made her former side aware of, which they may face during their pursuit of the silverware.

“I do think it will be another closely contested title. Perhaps maybe even more teams in the mix. Because not just Chelsea but Arsenal, Man City, Man United. I think Brighton is spending. You know, Villa have got new coaches. A lot of good teams that I think are capable of competing,” she said. This is something that Sonia Bompastor and Co. should be aware of, considering the only option for them is to win.