Sonia Bompastor wants her side to be efficient and attempt to score early against a well-organised St. Polten side in the Women's Champions League on Tuesday evening.
Chelsea have come up against teams with resolute defences already this season, and the head coach has previously spoken about the need to be clinical.
Her side managed to open up Paris FC at Stamford Bridge before the October international break, securing a 4-0 win after Sandy Baltimore opened the scoring with 31 minutes on the clock. Bompastor wants more of the same against our next UWCL opponents.
'I’ve watched the games St. Polten played in the Champions League this season,' she said. 'They are a really well-organised team in terms of the defensive aspects, really compact.
'They don’t give a lot of space on the pitch and are quite aggressive when they are defending, so it’s always difficult to break their lines and their block.
'We have to stay patient and earn the spaces on the pitch, and as is the case in games when you face a team that is compact and low on the pitch, you have to score the first goal. When you do that, it changes the game, so efficiency will be key.’
Having battled hard to earn a 1-1 draw with Arsenal on Saturday, there was little time for the Blues to recover, prepare for what will be a demanding Champions League encounter, and then make the journey to Austria.
Bompastor admits fresh legs will be required against St. Polten, as will a clinical edge in the final third.
'It’s a quick turnaround between this game and Arsenal, and we’ve only had one training session on the pitch with a full squad,' Bompastor explained. 'With some of the players, we are still managing their load on the pitch because the game is important tomorrow, so we will need to come into the game with fresh legs.
'I think positively and we are a team that creates a lot of opportunities; we are able to move the ball high up the pitch to come into the opposite box and that is important.
'So when you’re in this situation, being able to be clinical goes a lot with the confidence of the players. So they don’t have to overthink in situations and trust their instinct. So I am fully confident we will create opportunities tomorrow and will be able to score.’