Blues

Manchester City won the WSL title impressively last season but externally, there was an expectation Chelsea would bounce back.

Bompastor was more cautious, insisting they were still transitioning after the departures of big-name players including Sam Kerr, Millie Bright and Guro Reiten.

She said: “You need to consider the fact that Chelsea had the same coach for 12 years. It takes a while for players to adjust to a new coach, a new way of playing and a philosophy.

“Even if you have really good players, it doesn’t just go like this. There are a lot of things we are doing behind the scenes for us to stay successful.

“I was lucky enough to come in when [Hayes] left the team in a really good place. But last season we had a year where a lot of important players left.”

But captain Erin Cuthbert said she was “not really” surprised at how good their level has been so far.

“We had a good time to build in pre-season and a good trip away. The quality was always there, we just weren’t clicking,” she added.

“Manchester City ran away with the league in the end, but we were there or thereabouts. I feel this time the team’s just gone up another level.”

As well as adapting more to Bompastor’s ways, and adding defensive solidity to a creative frontline, work has gone into improving the club’s culture.

Cuthbert said before Wednesday’s win there was “really good momentum and a good feeling” in the squad – so can they kick on now?

“For me, the mental aspects and cultural aspects are just as important,” admitted Bompastor.

“We probably needed to rebuild a little bit of that going into this new season. We reflected a lot on how we wanted to set up the process for that.

“Right now, we are in a good place. When you are able to get good results, it’s not only about the tactical aspects. It also has to be about mentality, culture and values.

“I think we have clarity on where we want to go as a team and how we want to get there, and that’s just as important.”

Coventry backed up their victory at Nottingham Forest before the international break, scoring four goals in the top flight for the first time since a 4-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday in May 2000.

Those around the Sky Blues’ training ground at Ryton feel that, if they are competitive over the next seven games, they will have a platform for survival.

A trip to Tottenham and the visit of Fulham – both winless – come next, with games against Sunderland, Everton, Crystal Palace, Leeds and Ipswich to take them into December.

“It’s big and we have to tap into that in a good way, in a humble way,” said Lampard, whose side are now 14th.

“We have to be excited and I’m seeing players in my eyes that are developing quite quickly.

“A lot of players had low Premier League minutes, or zero Premier League minutes – Jack Rudoni, [Brandon] Thomas Asante, [Ephron] Mason-Clark, a lot of them.

“So is it human nature in the first few games we’ve had two top teams in the league (Arsenal and Manchester City) and we’ve had Brighton and we’ve gone: ‘hmm, it’s not easy here’.

“This [win] gives good confidence, so it’s the balance of confidence against overconfidence. But it’s great when you have a template of feeling when you get a result of that level.”

It can be a defining six weeks for Lampard’s men after a resounding, if not perfect, win against Newcastle.

Coventry’s previous home games had seen them fall to a 1-0 defeat by fellow promoted side Hull before a 5-0 thumping by Brighton.

Sandwiched in the middle was a 3-1 loss to Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup, meaning it was imperative they found form at the CBS Arena.

“We’re going to be a relative underdog in pretty much every game,” added Lampard. “So we have to maximise everything and be on the limit and I thought we were on the limit in loads of ways.

“They need to keep their feet on the ground because the next one’s tough and the one after that will be tough.

“But we look like a team that [will make it] hard for teams to come here. That’s the feeling we haven’t quite had in our first CBS games this season.”