Why Chelsea quadruple hopes remain – Anita Asante

Right now, this is a boxing matchup. Manchester City and Chelsea are punching one another.

To want revenge is a real thing. When Chelsea take on City on Thursday in their second leg of their Women’s Champions League quarter-final, I’m expecting this.

They want retribution because City ended their unbeaten run, put their quadruple hopes in jeopardy, and lost the game. They are used to losing games.

They will want to reverse that. In training and the dressing room, they will likely have been brutal to one another.

Do you know what’s at stake, I’d ask? When I consider the members of that squad, every day in this week will have been a battlefield.

Lucy Bronze, Erin Cuthbert, and Millie Bright among others… These are significant figures and leaders.

In that second leg, they will be seeking blood, and they will also face them on Sunday in the Women’s Super League.

Manchester City have a little bit of a new manager bounce between their teeth. There are beliefs and cohesion.

However, you can never demonize Chelsea. I would have thought Chelsea would have had to climb a steep hill if City had scored a third goal in the first leg of their 2-0 victory.

However, I still think it’s still possible for Chelsea to win the quadruple with just two goals and the depth at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge.

You can’t dismiss them because of their mentality, leadership, teamwork, and unwavering belief in themselves.

After losing that game at Joie Stadium, which was their first defeat under manager Sonia Bompastor, they were so composed.

Although it was obvious that they had disappointed, Bompastor’s tone was still assured when she looked at it. She was aware that a strong team had defeated them, but she also knew the level needed to be raised next week.

They have such a keen focus on their objectives. City are challenging them, and they deserve praise for ending that unbeaten run.

Chelsea, in my opinion, will put all of their vigor into this third leg. They are at ease in the competition, and the Champions League will be their top priority right away.

When you have overcome your success, you can always cultivate a fear factor as a team and club.

When I spent my time at Arsenal, when we won the quadruple in 2007 and won 108 league games without losing between 2003 and 2009, I was aware of the high expectations we had because of the club’s badge and legacy.

We were prepared to show up. It could go wrong any day. We were aware that we would face the big guns of (Swedish side) Umea in the UEFA final, which is now the Champions League. They were the ones who had a certain vibe and Marta the superstar.

I’m not sure if winning a quadruple right now is more difficult. The challenges that are still present are different than they were in the past. In the end, it ought to be difficult.

There were instances of our season coming off as “wow,” and there were instances of tight, marginally won, or simply because the opposing team was superior and didn’t receive what they deserved.

When you beat those games, there is a sense of relief. I once found those games to be uninteresting. If you lose, you must find a way to recover, or in our case, give a terrible performance.

You have no excuses for regret, disappointment, or concern over what you could or should have done. That feeling is all you can take away. You associate feelings with specific events in the game or your career in football.

All of that synergy gives you a mental shield when you feel good, you play well, and you play naturally. When you don’t give a strong performance, it’s the same.

Chelsea will have been more aware of the team’s noise and talk of a season without a win. I’m not sure if they had internal discussions about it. However, there will undoubtedly be disappointed players.

Being in the positions these elite, top players are in is true. You have a lot of expectations and pressure. They have a tendency to be competitive, which ultimately amounts to a “swim-or-swim” scenario. This season, you can’t go back and get that moment. It’s either now or never to make up for it.

Naturally, I was nervous when I was in those high-pressure situations. Because of how significant it is and how important it is to all the players, the staff, your family, and the supporters, of course I felt nauseated. It means a lot to be on that journey, and it might lead to accomplishments that will make a lot of people’s memories afloat.

My strategy for demonstrating that I could handle the situation was to exercise control and calmness. If the pressure on Chelsea players didn’t feel the strain, that wouldn’t be normal.

Some people are enamored of those feelings and adore living there, which I’m certain they are.