Emma Hayes' success should have been difficult, but Chelsea are soaring under Sonia Bombastor.
When the Frenchwoman joined Chelsea from Lyon, she said she “hoped to live up to Emma's legacy”. Eight months later, the 44-year-old has more than just a job of her own.
Chelsea have enjoyed a near-perfect season under Bombastor so far, recording 16 wins and one draw from 17 matches in all competitions.
With such an impressive unbeaten start, Bombastor can be forgiven for basking in the glory and plaudits, but they have nothing but praise for the team., external
On the touchline, she keeps her emotions in check. She is the epitome of cool, calm and collected.
As she puts it, she is sometimes “weak.”
“If a coach walked into an interview saying: 'I'm always 100% confident', I wouldn't believe it because that's not true,” she told BBC Radio 5 Live's Women's Football Weekly.
“As a manager, you are of course the leader, you have all the pressure on yourself and that's good. That's my fuel and my energy every day. Sometimes it's good to make people understand that I'm weak too.
“As part of a family, sometimes you need to set standards, and sometimes you need to set high expectations. Sometimes it's also good to say, 'I need your support, I'm weak, and it's good to feel like you've got my back.'”
