Chelsea Women: Sonia Bombastor is close to perfection with an incredible unbeaten run but there is certainly more to come | Football news

“When we talk about ambitions, we need to turn words into actions,” a frustrated Sonia Bombastor said after Chelsea dropped their first points of the season against Leicester City. “I need the players to be ready from the start of every match.”

The demands at the highest level are harsh, but Chelsea never come out on top by luck or chance. Bombastor had willingly accepted the “Mission Officer” baton handed down by Emma Hayes, who had left for the summer, and ran with it – with astonishing speed.

Under the Frenchwoman, Chelsea moved six points clear at the top of the Women's Super League, reached the Champions League knockout stages with a 100 per cent record, and averaged 2.8 goals per 90 in all competitions.

They were almost unstoppable. But the trip to the King Power was a timely reminder that despite the provocations, the Premier League is still fighting an uphill battle and no team is infallible.

Bombastor bemoaned the lack of intensitygoal and efficiency as Chelsea drew 1-1, despite making 82 touches inside Leicester's penalty area and scoring 28 shots on target. The expectation is to win, and anything less is ultimately a disappointment.

However, to reach the halfway mark of the season with 15 wins and 1 draw from 16 matches is very impressive. And while, on paper, such a feat seems easy with the best-assembled squad (and biggest budget) in the Premier League, things are rarely that simple.

As soon as the invincible strains fall – take The collapse of Manchester City under the leadership of the great Pep Guardiola As evidence – but this empire, at least for this moment, is not collapsible.

The ideas are fresh, with a new identity, as Bombastor attempts to shape Chelsea into a team that wins by flair for possession and style over sheer power. It wants the same winning machine that Hayes built, just with a little French refinement, or as she says, je ne sais quoi.

Speaking after Chelsea's victory over Celtic last November to secure European qualification with two matches to go, Bombastor said: “It is important to work hard until things become easy, even if they are not easy.”

Simplicity is hard to come by in football. Some teams have a habit of making results look easy – Chelsea fall into this category – but the process of getting there is often harder than it looks. So, what are Bombastor's real points of difference?

“Never put your mind on hold. It's 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” she said. Sky Sports before beating title rivals Man City in November. And this obsession with what she calls the “ideal game model” is what continues to push standards to different levels.

I arrived with respect for Chelsea's pre-existing culture and trophy-laden history, but Hayes' style of football was never going to pair with a ball-playing midfielder who favored a high-paced game that generated excitement and suspense. Bombastor has struck the perfect balance between consistency and change to ensure players trust its philosophy.

“It's asking a lot of us,” striker Guru Ritten said recently. “There are things in training and the way she wants us to play is a little different, but it's going well so far. Whatever Sonia wants me to do, I'll do.”

Without the luxury of injured duo Sam Kerr and Lauren James – Chelsea's most prolific duo in recent seasons – Bombastor have had to rely on the likes of Ritten for success. But here is where her attention to detail and softer approach — Hayes was typically stubborn — fostered a healthy, team-driven approach.

Kerr and James are mavericks – Hayes liked that. They are unpredictable and individual. Now that Chelsea have other players capable of carrying that mantle, it feels a little more united. 31 goals – at least 10 more than any other team – were scored by 14 different players. No other team in the division has managed to achieve double figures in terms of number of different goalscorers (Brighton are closest with nine goals).

Reiten has been a huge beneficiary, as he has been positioned inside to operate more centrally, scoring six goals in 10 WSL appearances. But she's not the only one. Joanna Retting-Canered is having the season of her life, Mayra Ramirez has scored big goals in big games (against Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City), while youngster Aggie Beaver-Jones has the second-best minutes-to-goals ratio in the league. .

Now for the polishing part. How does Bombastor take such a talented group and turn them into successful masters? Chelsea's distribution statistics are the least satisfactory dynamic in their game. They average fewer passes per 90 than Man City, Arsenal and Brighton, and their share of possession in all 10 Premier League matches (57 per cent) is much lower than Bombastor would like – their passing accuracy too.

Most of the great footballing dynasties have linked the will to win with the wow factor. Chelsea Hayes used mentality as a superpower.

if Bombastor is able to instill its core principles of relentless dominance on its path to titles this season, and its relentless pursuit of perfection may be closer than you think.