Chelsea made history before the international break, setting a new WSL record for number of consecutive games unbeaten (34). And yet expressions at the full-time whistle against Liverpool told a different story. A 1-1 draw was met with obvious frustration.
"That's not the performance we wanted to put on the pitch. The performance was not good enough," Sonia Bompastor reflected, visibly annoyed. "We were not clinical enough."
It was a familiar narrative a few days later when drawing with Barcelona in the Champions League - their fifth game in a gruelling 20-day spell. Clearly the calibre of opponent is different on the second occasion but post-match gripes ran a similar course: "You have to be clinical... we won't give up on that aspect."
Before long Bompastor will come under scrutiny. Are stylistic changes working for the better or holding Chelsea back? Sky Sports investigates some of the issues at play.
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What does the data say?
To caveat any of the following critique, it must be noted that Chelsea's standards have been so high for so long that a drop-off of any kind, however small, is likely to be noticeable.
Both ends of the pitch are suffering from inefficiencies usually alien to a club like Chelsea. As noted by the chronological heat maps below, they are spending far more time in their defensive third than previously.
A proportion of that is deliberate, as Bompastor continues to move to a more methodical style of play with greater emphasis on the build-up phase, but is also indicative of the way opposition sides have been able to press and contain Chelsea better in their own half.
The Blues are proving far more wasteful than usual, too. Given they create more big chances than most sides it figures, by law of averages, that they will miss more, but their negative xG differential (-3.58) is nonetheless worrying given the talent in their attacking ranks - and the money spent to assemble it.
Then there is the toll of staying in four competitions until the bitter end year on year, and its effects on physicality levels. Chelsea of course have a squad designed to cope with the rigours of games every three or four days, but their poor duel win-rate suggests freshness is becoming an issue. They aren't quite as polished, nor ruthless, as they once were.
Future brighter without Millie?
Last season Millie Bright was one of the best defenders in the WSL and a huge reason why Chelsea only conceded 13 goals.
The most consistent teams with the best managers take the emotion out of team selections, and self-scouting is one of the toughest things to get right. So for Bompastor to drop Bright for the big Champions League game against Barcelona recently says a lot.
The most successful managers are paid to make big calls. Preferring Nathalie Bjorn, Lucy Bronze and Naomi Girma for their biggest game of the season is a statement. The Chelsea captain was "frustrated", so admits her coach, who now has to decide if Bright strengthens or weakens the team going forward. Essentially, is Girma a safer pair of hands?
And is Bright now the best defensive back-up in the league? All questions that need answering given her contract is up at the end of the season.
ABJ ain't A-OK
It's hard to believe given their depth of talent but Chelsea have a striker problem. Mayra Ramirez still doesn't have a return date after surgery, Sam Kerr has only played 112 minutes in the league and Aggie Beever-Jones is in a rut.
The England forward hasn't scored in her last seven Chelsea games after a run of goals in four consecutive games to the start the season.
Beever-Jones is still the joint-third top scorer in the WSL but when Sky Sports News asked Bompastor about her form recently she chose to praise her effort and defensive work. Where Chelsea need her productivity most is at the top end of the pitch.
Any successful Chelsea team of old had a constant, reliable source of goals. One of their international stars needs to find some form soon. Between Beever-Jones, Catarina Macario and Erin Cuthbert - the club's three highest-ranking creators - Chelsea have missed 10 big chances so far this season. Only 11th-placed West Ham have a worst xG differential.
Money in the bank
Do Chelsea need to spend big in January again?
With Kerr, Macario and Guro Reiten three of the attacking talents out of contract at the end of the season, it feels as though a world-class forward will be on their shopping list again in 2026.
Alyssa Thompson has become a must-pick in big games thanks to her pace, trickery and inventiveness but who else out of Chelsea's raft of forwards is nailed on for a place in their best XI?
USA stars Trinity Rodman and Midge Purse are both free agents this winter and both would have an immediate impact. The January window is right around the corner.
(c) Sky Sports 2025: Chelsea: Are Women's Super League's perennial champions showing signs of weakness this season?
