‘I don’t follow the records: the records follow me’ is a statement associated with one of soccer’s GOATs Cristiano Ronaldo, reflecting a winning mentality. The same can be said about Emma Hayes, who forged a legacy during her 12-year reign at Chelsea, but as the adage goes ‘Records are meant to be broken’. Recently, current Chelsea FC Women’s manager, Sonia Bompastor surpassed one of Hayes’ iconic achievements but the French manager remains unfazed. 

During Chelsea’s 4-2 win over Brighton, Bompastor set a new record by becoming the first Chelsea manager to win 13 matches in all competitions, compared to Hayes’ 12 during the 2021-2022 season. She also had the best start for any new Chelsea manager in 14 years by winning all first of her 7 league matches. But for the Chelsea boss, there’s something more important than the records. 

“I think as I said, it’s always positive for us to have this good feedback but we are not so focused on that, it’s not our main concern,” said the manager during the post-match conference. “Our concern is to make sure we improve with the team, in terms of performance, of course it’s really important to get good results and to keep the good dynamic.”

The Chelsea manager also emphasized that her focus remains on securing three points rather than celebrating record-breaking achievements. And she remains steadfast on that as her Chelsea side are yet to lose. USWNT boss will be proud to see her successor following in her footsteps, as Hayes is yet to lose with the Stars and Stripes as well. 

And Bompastor knows all about good dynamics for she’s the first person to win the UEFA Women’s Champions League as both a player and a manager. Now she’ll be hoping to help the Chelsea side achieve that feat, with her side preparing to face Twente and Real Madrid in the Champions League group matches this month. Even though she’s sitting at the top of the table for now, the Chelsea boss has a problem at hand. 

No Lauren James till New Year for Bompastor 

Lauren James has now missed 9 games for the Blues and four for England because of a calf injury and likely won’t return to Stamford Bridge until next year. The 23-year-old scored 13 goals in 16 league games last season so Bompastor will be looking forward to her services once the England international returns. 

Sitting at the top of both Domestic and European tables, Bompastor had big shoes to fill when she took over the job from Emma Hayes. After all, it was never going to be easy to replace someone who’s won the league 7 times, with 5 of those titles coming in a row. But looking at the French manager’s time at Lyon, it would have been surprising if she underperformed. 

As a manager, Bompastor has won 113 of her 131 games, boasting an impressive win percentage of 86.26%. Having lost only 8 times ever, it’s safe to say she’s more than just filled Hayes’s shoes. Though we might never see the two legends on the opposite sides of the pitch, it’s nothing a job change cannot bring! Only time will tell if Bompastor will go down as a legend at Stamford Bridge.