Chelsea need to sign 'elite winners' to take next step after 'unbelievable' unbeaten domestic treble

Sonia Bompastor could not have wished for a better debut season in English football. After replacing legendary manager Emma Hayes at Chelsea, Bompastor has continued the club's dominance on the domestic stage by claiming an unbeaten treble. TNT Sports pundits Karen Carney and Fara Williams were full of praise for the club's achievement and looked ahead to see where they could improve next season.

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TNT Sports pundits Karen Carney and Fara Williams praised Chelsea's "unbelievable" achievement of claiming an unbeaten domestic treble this season.

Sonia Bompastor was brought in to replace legendary Blues manager Emma Hayes at the start of the season, and she made a superb start to life in England.

The 44-year-old guided the team to an unprecedented treble, as Chelsea became the first Women's Super League club to go unbeaten in a 22-match campaign.

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Domestically, Chelsea only drew three matches this term and saw off both Manchester clubs to get their hands on the League Cup and FA Cup.

Former England international Williams believes that Chelsea deserve more credit for what they have managed to achieve this season after key changes at the club.

"I think that if it was another WSL team who achieved an unbeaten treble this season with a new manager and lots of transition, it might have been spoken about a bit more," she told TNT Sports.

"The fact that Chelsea have won the league for the last six years, these players haven’t been given the credit they deserve. It’s an unbelievable achievement and let’s not forget that they won the league by 12 points. It’s an achievement that should not be overlooked, and maybe it should be spoken about a little bit more positively.

"They saved the best until last with the FA Cup triumph against Manchester United on Sunday where they probably delivered their best performance of the season. I would say it’s up there with their best achievement at the club."

Ex-England forward Carney echoed Williams' praise and told TNT Sports: "It’s unbelievable. I wonder how the players feel because I know how desperate they were to win the Champions League. But it’s difficult to win any trophy and to go on and win the treble is incredible for Chelsea.

"Although their team is stacked, and they have the best squad domestically, the manager still has to pick the right players at the right time, and they’ve adapted well to her style.

"As we know, women’s football is getting stronger and more competitive, so you can’t take anything away from how great an achievement winning the treble is for the football club."

Chelsea players celebrate winning FA Cup final at Wembley.

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'They need to get more elite winners'

Carney and Williams both acknowledged that missing out on the UEFA Women's Champions League will play on the manager's and players' minds at the end of the season.

Bompastor, who has won the Champions League on three occasions as a player and a manager, saw her team outclassed over two legs against Barcelona in the semi-finals this season.

After clinching the treble at Wembley on Sunday, Bompastor said that Chelsea will set their sights on the competition next season and Williams believes that they can finally win the trophy with a few more signings.

"For next season, I think they need to get more elite winners - players who have won the Champions League for example," she said.

"The current crop of players in the squad dominate on the domestic stage but haven’t quite done it in Europe so far apart from Lucy Bronze. They don’t have many European winners within their team.

"But while we’re talking about where they can improve after their dominance this year, Lauren James has only been fit for a quarter of the season, while Sam Kerr has been unavailable for the entire campaign. Getting those two players [back] will instantly improve the squad massively, and they’ve also brought through some young and home-grown players, which is exciting for the club.

"When it comes to how they can improve in the Champions League next season, I think it’s key for Chelsea to improve in that forward area. That competition is looming over them, so signing a couple of attacking midfielders and a striker would be essential in helping them in Europe."

Carney believes that Bompastor will have a better idea of what is missing and focus on making improvements in the summer.

"Next season, you can definitely see them hunting down the Champions League," she said. "I think Sonia knows what she needs to do next season and let’s not forget that this is her first season at the club.

"She’ll have an idea of which players can help the team moving forward. She’s inherited a great squad, but it might still be considered to be Emma Hayes’ squad, so I’m sure she’ll have some reflection in the summer.

"Sonia Bompastor is an absolute winner, and she’ll want more and will set her sights on the Champions League, so she’ll need to think about what she needs to do to get her team to that place."

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