Naija pipo wey dey follow women football, make una hia dis one. Chelsea Women don name dia starting XI for di first leg of di Women’s Champions League third qualifying round. Dem go face Real Sociedad for Plough Lane, and e be like say new season don begin with strong fire.
Sonia Bompastor, di head coach, don pick Naomi Girma as captain for di evening. New signing Katie McCabe go start straight, while Giulia Dragoni, Nelly Las and Melvine Malard dey for bench. But Manaka Matsukubo no go play, because injury wey im carry from pre-match press conference.
But before we talk di match, make we yarn di bigger picture. Chelsea Women don enter transitional moment. Bompastor imsef talk say e take time for club to rebuild. Last season, dem only win League Cup and finish third for WSL, behind Manchester City and Arsenal. Na first time for six years dem no win di league title.
Plenty big players don comot. Millie Bright don retire, Sam Kerr don move to USA. Niamh Charles, Guro Reiten and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd all don go. Bompastor talk say dem lose important players for environment and culture, but e get plan wey go replace dem.
Di transfer strategy na mix experience and youth. Katie McCabe na leadership material, and Nelly Las na young player from Leicester wey don show quality. Bompastor say im love to work with young players and develop dem for di future.
Ellie Carpenter, di defender, talk say di transition phase na opportunity for dem to follow di footsteps of legends. She say di aim na to fight for trophies back and show what Chelsea dey about. She say di squad young, but plenty of dem don win Champions League before.
Speaking of Champions League, na di main goal for Chelsea. Bompastor don win am as manager with Lyon, and Carpenter, Malard and Kadeisha Buchanan all don taste am. Lucy Bronze don win am five times, but none for Chelsea blue. Every year dem dey ask: dis year go be di year? Bompastor talk say di competition dey harder now, but dem go try dia best.
E get pressure wey dey come with Chelsea. Bompastor talk say e never dey anywhere wey scrutiny high like dis, but e dey comfortable. She talk say na because people care about di club. She talk say dem need to give dia all for every match and no regret.
As di new season dey start, di Blues dey morph into something new. E be like say evolution na di secret, and Bompastor dey hope say e go work.
