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Guro Reiten says Chelsea are about “winning at any cost” as Sonia Bompastor’s relentless side attempt to end 2024 with a 100 per cent record.
Life without club great Emma Hayes has got off to an incredible start, with the Blues winning all nine Barclays Women’s Super League matches to date as well as their four Champions League games.
Reiten scooped November’s Barclays Player of the Month award for her key role in a fantastic run of form that Chelsea are looking to extend heading into the winter break.
The west Londoners face European games against Twente and at Real Madrid either side of Saturday’s trip to Leicester as they seek to keep their foot on the gas before Christmas.
“I think we have a lot of great players with different qualities,” attacking midfielder Reiten told the PA news agency.
“To win games, you do need different things, and we have different types of players.
“But mentality has always been here. It’s winning at any cost. That’s the main thing.
“We know it’s not always going to look pretty, but it’s the three points that matters.”
Asked about trying to round off 2024 with three more wins, the Norway international said with a laugh: “We’re going to try!
“It’s going to be a tough week. We play three games in eight days or something, so everyone needs to be switched on.
“Everyone needs to do their job properly, recovery, everything that comes with playing football.
“But yeah, we’re going to try, and hopefully we can end this year in a good way.”
The immediate focus is on Wednesday’s Stamford Bridge clash with Twente as Chelsea look to cement top spot in Group B having wrapped up qualification with two games to spare.
The Blues are dreaming of a first Champions League triumph under a coach who has won two as a player with Lyon, before leading them to continental glory as coach in 2022.
Reiten hopes Bompastor can “continue to win trophies like she’s done before” with a Chelsea side making a seamless transition from life under long-serving Hayes.
“It’s always exciting when changes come in,” she said.
“We’ve had Emma for a long time, so to get someone new everyone’s starting with nothing basically and you’ve got to show what you can do and who you are to her.
“I think she has high standards. She demands a lot from us. That winning mentality has not changed.
“There are things in training and in the way she wants us to play that’s a bit different, but it’s been working good so far.”
Reiten has certainly flourished during the early stages of Bompastor’s reign, including scoring in all four of November’s WSL wins.
The 30-year-old marked a century of league appearances for Chelsea with a match-winning penalty against Manchester United having scored a fine goal to wrap up a 2-0 victory against title rivals Manchester City.
“I just want to contribute with whatever I can – if that’s a goal, assist, whatever – and help the team to win games, and we’ve been doing that so far this season, so it’s been very good,” Reiten said.
“I think everyone wants to get the best out of themselves and each other.
“It was a good month for me individually, but team effort is always the main thing here. We just want to win.”
I think she has high standards. She demands a lot from us. That winning mentality has not changed
Guro Reiten on Sonia Bompastor
On scoring against City, she added: “We know how important every game is, but obviously there’s a few games against really tough opponents that can really make the difference, and City is one of them.
“To play in front of all the fans at Stamford Bridge, it was an unbelievable game, the atmosphere was so nice.
“To get that goal towards the end, it was a good moment for me and for the team and I think you saw it on our faces how much that meant.”
Bompastor, whose Lyon side were eliminated from the Champions League following a quarter-final penalty shoot-out in 2023, said Chelsea will not ease up in their final two games despite having wrapped up qualification.
She said: “We just want to keep going and keep winning. It’s part of our mentality. It’s part of the DNA of the club. We never take anything for granted. Every game is really important.
“We want to keep our good dynamic, our good results and the main goal in this group is for us to stay in first place at the top of the table. We still have two games left and we want to win both.”
