Chelsea’s attack is key in the Champions League. Will the handbrake be released?

At the start of this Women’s Champions League campaign, Chelsea did not look like a side ready to challenge for their first European title.

A disappointing 1-1 draw with Twente on matchday one highlighted the weaknesses that threatened to prevent Sonia Bompastor’s side finally adding the Champions League to their trophy cabinet. They wasted chance after chance, were exposed by a simple direct attack, and lacked the composure needed to come from behind and secure three points.

That opening performance could have set a worrying tone for their European campaign. Instead, Chelsea have recovered to finish third in the inaugural league phase and qualify automatically for the quarter-finals, scoring 20 goals in six games and remaining unbeaten. Only eight-time winners OL Lyonnes and three-time champions Barcelona have also avoided defeat.

Chelsea’s grip on the Women’s Super League (WSL) title is loosening, with Manchester City six points clear at the top — but a blip in their domestic dominance would almost certainly be forgiven by the fans if they secured the one trophy missing from their cabinet.

The Champions League’s changed format has provided valuable clues about their credentials. The benefit of the league phase is that Chelsea have had the opportunity to learn their lessons early. In the past, the gap between Europe’s elite sides and the rest has often meant a relatively straightforward group phase.

Last season, Chelsea won all six of their games against Twente, Celtic, and Real Madrid. By the equivalent point this season, they have already faced Barcelona — who have knocked them out in the semi-finals three years in a row — and two-time winners Wolfsburg, who have reached at least the semi-final in three of the past six seasons.

Chelsea’s problem in Europe in recent years has not been the quality of their squad, but their ability to outmuscle or outsmart fellow heavyweights in the knockout stages. Early evidence suggests they are overcoming that.

They drew 1-1 with Barcelona at Stamford Bridge, a massive improvement on their humiliating 8-2 semi-final aggregate defeat in April. That came down largely to a more mature tactical approach: Bompastor set her team up to immobilise Barcelona’s midfield and prevent them playing through the central corridor. Chelsea were not at their most eye-catching attacking best, but their discipline paid off as they became the only team to take points from Barcelona in the league phase.

Against Wolfsburg, their maturity showed again. Chelsea do not often have to come from behind, but Alexandra Popp’s header after 16 minutes gave Wolfsburg a deserved lead and forced Chelsea to respond.

Chelsea had been physically stronger, better competitors in duels, and posed a more direct threat on the counter-attack. This was where Chelsea’s depth paid off: Bompastor was able to tweak the set-up to add more defensive nous in the midfield through Sjoeke Nusken replacing Lauren James at half-time, and refreshed the right flank by bringing on Johanna Rytting Kaneryd for Ellie Carpenter 10 minutes later.

Both changes proved astute, particularly when Rytting Kaneryd provided the assist for Sam Kerr’s winning goal that secured the 2-1 win. In the second half, Chelsea were much better at stopping turnovers high up the pitch becoming Wolfsburg counter-attacks. Lucy Bronze reaching a Wolfsburg clearance before Lineth Beerensteyn turned what would have been a threatening counter into the move that produced Kerr’s winner.

It is crucial that Chelsea stop the wastefulness that has cost them in the WSL from creeping into their European campaign. That sounds a harsh thing to say about a side who scored the joint-most goals in the league phase, and whose underlying numbers show they were worthy of those goals.

However, as goals will inevitably become harder to score in the knockout stages, being clinical will be even more important. Roma, for example, gave away several goals cheaply by either not closing down Chelsea’s attackers or by leaving them unmarked in dangerous positions.

Arsenal, Wolfsburg, Juventus, or OL Lyonnes — all of whom could pop up on Chelsea’s potential path to the final — will not yield chances so easily. That was on show against Barcelona, where Bompastor admitted her frustration at the chances Chelsea missed to take all three points.

Their display against Wolfsburg was much more promising. Kerr, Erin Cuthbert, and James all missed in front of goal, but Chelsea had nine of their 16 shots on target — a significant improvement on their domestic form — and will need to maintain such numbers to progress to the final.

There are lessons from this league stage, too. Loose passes in midfield handed Wolfsburg many of their early opportunities, culminating in Livia Peng’s poor ball out from the back from which Popp got the better of Keira Walsh and scored the opener.

The other question is whether Bompastor would take a more controlled, patient approach in knockout games. It paid off against Barcelona, but that was in a league-phase game where the risks and rewards were lower for both teams.

In the closing stage of a knockout match, would Bompastor want her side to be so patient? This team’s identity is all about attack and using their expensively assembled, Hydra-like forward line to cut through opponents. How long would they be able to resist the temptation to take the handbrake off?

Thursday’s knockout draw has revealed their path to the final: a quarter-final against either Arsenal or OH Leuven, followed by a semi-final where they could face Wolfsburg, Juventus, or Lyon. Barcelona are on the other side of the bracket, so if Chelsea are to face them again, it would be in the final.

Chelsea have time to mull this over.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Chelsea, Champions League, Women's Soccer

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