Sonia Bompastor’s Chelsea Champions League introduction – and why Stamford Bridge was nearly empty

And it begins: the 2024-25 attendance wars.

Chelsea Women began the Sonia Bompastor era (European edition) on Tuesday night with a positive, albeit ultimately nervy, 3-2 Champions League group-stage win against Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge, with their goals arriving from Sjoeke Nusken, Guro Reiten and Mayra Ramirez.

The result means Chelsea have gone unbeaten in their last 10 group-stage home games. It gave Bompastor, who replaced Emma Hayes in the summer after the long-time Chelsea boss took charge of the United States women’s national team (USWNT), her first European victory on the Chelsea touchline and continued her flawless start to life in west London. Despite signs of defensive fragility, the Women’s Super League champions did the job.

But we need to talk about the attendance of 3,832.

This conversation is not new, but it is one that arises when images of an empty Stamford Bridge proliferate on social media, accompanied by taunting claims that other clubs would do more with such a spectacle. Manchester City have sold out their Champions League clash with Barcelona on Wednesday night at the 7,000-capacity Joie Stadium. Arsenal regularly fill the Emirates Stadium for their Champions League games. In the social media age, these are battlegrounds in their own right.

Tuesday’s match-up was irresistible: the seven-time champions of England taking on Real Madrid with a new manager tasked with finally cracking the Champions League code. Bompastor won the competition twice as a player with Lyon (2011, 2012) and again as manager (2022), becoming the only female in history to do so. Only former Barcelona manager Jonatan Giraldez (27) has more Champions League wins than the French coach (21) since the 2021-22 campaign. If this is to be Chelsea’s next chapter, here is the first page.

Such an occasion warrants a big audience, but Chelsea, following the precedent set during last season’s group-stage matches, capped ticket sales for the 40,853-capacity Stamford Bridge at 5,000. The proximity of the draw (there were 11 days between the draw and Tuesday night’s match, leaving a truncated advertising window) and ensuring the match was “financially sustainable” were the reasons behind the club’s decision-making, according to a club source, kept anonymous to protect relationships. Any attendance higher than 5,000 at Stamford Bridge demands road closures, a costly exercise for the club.

The game, however, had a strangely flat and stilted atmosphere. Assistant manager Paul Green’s instructions to Aggie Beever-Jones could be heard clearly. Individual fans leading chants from the opposite side of the pitch echoed. As a practice alarm rang through the stadium before kick-off, the entire stadium seemed to accidentally turn itself on mute.

To blame those in attendance is foolish. Supporters consuming a ninth of a stadium cannot be expected to fill its voids. Many would prefer the intimacy of Kingsmeadow, where Chelsea play most of their league games in front of a raucous crowd. But the 2,265-capacity stadium was deemed not to meet UEFA regulations last season, leaving a limited Stamford Bridge as the only viable option.

“We always want to have the biggest crowds in the stadiums,” Bompastor said in her post-match press conference. “The fans that were here supported us really well. It’s always difficult for families to come to games, especially Tuesday night. We will see for the next games how it goes.”

Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly was in attendance on Tuesday, and questions will raised of the hierarchy’s ambitions for one of the sport’s most successful teams, not least whether pursuing financial sustainability sabotages the potential for greater growth.

But while Bompastor might feel she has yet to meet Stamford Bridge in all its glory, grander European nights no doubt lie ahead.

Chelsea’s European credentials were tested by Real Madrid, who pushed hard for an equaliser in the final throes following Linda Caicedo’s 83rd-minute goal. A brittle defensive display will need addressing, but Tuesday’s win should be considered with more positivity than suspicion.

There are two points here. One, Chelsea’s trademark ruthlessness has not been abandoned despite the management turnover. As Reiten converted from the penalty spot before the half-hour mark after Nusken’s second-minute opener, there was a sense that the scoreline flattered more than reflected Chelsea. The hosts were indebted to two stellar saves from Zecira Musovic, who replaced Hannah Hampton in the starting XI after the England international pulled out before kick-off through illness (leading to a bizarre, hypnotising loop of the Liquidator as both teams waited in the tunnel). Not until the second half did Lauren James and the rest of Chelsea’s squad seem to escape the trance, the former deftly assisting Ramirez for Chelsea’s third and very nearly setting up two more.

“LJ (Lauren James) was not the only one in the first half that was not performing the way I wanted them to perform,” Bompastor said. “We scored the two goals, but the players were not working as hard as I wanted them to work. We were just walking to get the ball, which is not good enough. If you want to possess the ball, you have to make sure you run a lot.”

A half-time debrief ensured that despite staring down a more than plausible banana skin, Chelsea flaunted the attribute that has made them serial domestic champions: an ability to perform when it matters.

The second point is it is early in the campaign. This was Bompastor’s first European match as Chelsea manager, equipped with a squad of new and old faces still teasing out their synergy. Before Tuesday’s match, Lucy Bronze revealed a conversation with Bompastor in which the pair, who boast eight Champions League titles between them, attempted to parse Chelsea’s inability to conquer Europe. “They’ve got everything,” was Bronze’s appraisal. “I know, I thought that as well,” replied Bompastor.

The duo’s sentiment still rings true. Bronze said after the match that Tuesday’s display “won’t win” the Champions League final. Rarely do performances in October win trophies. What Bompastor needs is time. If given it, the European nights she deserves should follow.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

UK Women's Football

2024 The Athletic Media Company