Lauren James set for leading role as Chelsea chase silverware despite failed defence of WSL crown

After winning all of the last six Women's Super League titles in succession, it's not been an easy season so far for Chelsea. The Blues are set to surrender their crown for the first time in seven years, with Manchester City sat eight points clear at the top of the table, and the negative noise around the club has only grown since the unpopular departure of Paul Green, the long-time head of women's football, was announced last week. But on Sunday, it felt like a boost of hope was injected into their season, by none other than Lauren James.

• Getty Images

  Injury woes

  One of the key reasons why Chelsea have been the dominant force in England over the last few years is because of the depth they have built within their squad, the kind of which no other team in the country, and only a few on the continent, can compete with. This season, though, that has not been quite at the same level as previous years, largely due to injuries.

  Mayra Ramirez has not played all season after having surgery on her hamstring; Lucy Bronze missed the start of the campaign with a fractured leg and has only just returned after dealing with a recurrence of that issue; neither Niamh Charles nor Nathalie Bjorn have played since December; there is no timeline for the return of Catarina Macario and Millie Bright limped off against Tottenham earlier this month with a knock that forced her to miss the win over Liverpool. That's only a glimpse at the issues the Blues are dealing with, too.

  "I’m not saying that explains everything," Bompastor said of the injury list, "but being in that position probably doesn’t help."

FA Cup

Chelsea FC Women
Chelsea FC Women
22 Feb 202608:30

Manchester United Women
Manchester United Women
• Getty Images

  Necessary patience

  It's not just about players being injured, either. It's about getting those players up to speed when they get back to fitness. Sam Kerr, for example, had 20 months on the sidelines due to a complicated recovery from an ACL tear and needs time to get back to an elite level after a setback like that.

  "They are trying their best to perform at their best level but we have to be fair with them," Bompastor said earlier this year, talking about players in those situations.

  James, meanwhile, might not have been out for as long as Kerr, but she was sidelined for almost four months at the start of this campaign and has had her fair share of injury woes over the years, making it even more important that she isn't rushed back or given too many minutes too quickly.

• Getty Images

  Importance of being careful

  Bompastor has certainly been careful with the England star. Since she made her first outing of the season back in mid-November, in the 6-0 thrashing of St Polten, James has averaged just 47 minutes per appearance and only completed her first 90 minutes of the season on Sunday.

  "The most important thing is to keep LJ as fit as possible," Bompastor said after that match-winning display at the weekend, vocalising an approach that has been evident in her management of James ever since her return to action. "It's important for her also to build on this fitness because she can perform at a really high level and contribute a lot to the performance."

• Getty Images

  Match-winning talent

  That care with James' game time could be about to pay dividends in an incredible way, too. If Chelsea can have her consistently available for the last three months of the season, it could completely change the way this campaign pans out. That's because, as was seen on Sunday, the England forward has the ability to decide games almost single-handedly, such is her otherworldly talent.

  Against Liverpool, she produced the only two real moments of attacking quality that Chelsea managed all afternoon, and they proved to be the difference. She always looked the most likely to unlock the Reds' defence and provide something special, and that came to fruition with a pinpoint assist and a delightful strike of her own.

  "I think when LJ is performing at this level, she's one of the first ones you put in your starting XI," Bompastor said on Sunday. "That's important going into the business end of the season, to have players with quality who are performing."

• Getty Images

  Finding the right framework

  It is important, though, that Bompastor finds the right framework around James, too. Chelsea have been setting up in a rather fluid attacking shape in recent weeks, the kind of which does not has a focal point and instead allows players to roam freely and pick up pockets of space. That's a good thing to ask certain players in this Chelsea team to do, like James, who thrived with that freedom against Liverpool and has done plenty of times before. However, when everyone in the Blues' attack is doing that, it can be somewhat detrimental.

  Bompastor has her hands tied a little at the moment when it comes to team selection. She still has to be careful with Kerr, while Ramirez and Macario remain out and Aggie Beever-Jones has been struggling with an ankle knock in recent weeks, so there has not been a striker consistently available to be that focal point to tie together the attack.

  When Kerr came on against Liverpool, it added a little more structure and clarity while still allowing players like James to buzz around behind the centre-forward and be creative.

• Getty Images

  Plenty to play for

  Bompastor will hope she has that sort of option at her disposal in the final weeks and months of this season, someone who can take some of the defensive attention away from James and also have the opportunity to get on the end of some of the opportunities the talented 24-year-old can conjure up.

  Despite playing only eight leagues games this season, no Chelsea player has created more big chances than James, and it is that sort of quality in the final third that the Blues will need to show if they are to turn around a season that hasn't gone to plan. The WSL title is all-but-gone, sure, but qualification for next season's Champions League is paramount, with Chelsea still alive in this year's continental competition, where they will face Arsenal in the quarter-finals, while they are set to face Manchester United in both the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday and in the League Cup final in March. A treble is still very much on the table.

  "I’m trying not to let the outside noise affect me," James said on Sunday. "I know what I’m capable of and I know what the team is capable of."

  Many more do, too, which is why, despite all the negativity as of late, a successful end to this difficult campaign is still on the cards for Chelsea - especially if James is playing like this.