Five-time Champions League winner Lucy Bronze believes Chelsea will not win the Champions League if their performances do not improve despite defeating Real Madrid in her European debut for the club.
Chelsea put three goals past Las Blancas in what was Bronze’s first taste of Stamford Bridge since signing from Barcelona in the summer, but conceded two on either side of half time by way of sloppy defending and miscommunication across the back four.
Well versed in continental success, Bronze said both goals were avoidable and Chelsea must improve if they are to lift the trophy come the end of the season, the one piece of silverware former coach Emma Hayes never managed to bring to SW6.
Right-back Bronze said: “It’s a good start, but playing on like that we will not win the competition.
“I think we gave up goals easily. We were the better team on the night, we possessed the ball in spells really well, our goals were really well taken, but I think we should have put [the match] to bed earlier.”
A routine winner in the Champions League, Bronze’s standards are understandably high, though she acknowledged that to beat Real Madrid was no mean feat.
She said: “We all know that Real Madrid are the next ranked highest team after us, so we know that beating them is important, but I don’t think we take for granted the other two teams in our group.”
Chelsea have recorded wins over Women’s Champions League favourites Barcelona and Lyon in recent seasons. They were were beaten finalists in 2021 and made it to the semi-finals last season.
Bronze added: “I think this year we are going to improve on last year.
“We’re poised to push on. We need to improve a lot but we are in a good position and by the end of the season we will be in a really good place.”
Chelsea’s performance against Madrid was solid, but far from perfect. With a stomach bug afflicting much of the camp, preparations were not as straightforward as Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor might have liked. She will demand the Blues to shift into a higher gear ahead of travelling to Twente next Thursday.
Bronze added: “Even when we are missing I don’t know how many players through injury and illness and we still managed to win games, it is a good show of competitiveness for us.”
Chelsea’s long-serving captain Millie Bright concurred but took a more optimistic slant, explaining there is work to be done on the training ground ahead of future fixtures.
Bronze’s fellow defender said: “In the Champions League its extremely hard, but I think it is a promising performance.
“We are disappointed to concede as we wanted to be competitive and keep clean sheets. There are lots of good things, lots to work on, and we are happy to kickstart our campaign in the right way.”
She was particularly impressed by Zecira Musovic’s performance between the sticks. Initially named on the bench, she sprang into action as Hannah Hampton fell ill shortly before kick-off, producing an impressive performance and a handful of key saves despite the short notice callup.
Bright lauded her professionalism at full time: “[Musovic] is the ultimate professional, that is why she is able to come into a game when she hadn’t expected to and pull of the performance which she did. She’s a massive player for us and credit to her and the way she handles herself.
“We weren’t off to a smooth start in that respect, but as always everyone knows their role and is ready to be called upon.”
Featured image credit: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images via One Football
