The beginning of the end for Millie Bright? Ex-England star fighting to save her Chelsea career as contract runs down

When Bright called time on her England career back in October, it felt like a huge boost for Chelsea. One of the team's most important players, as both a footballer and the captain of the club, was going to be able to put all her energy into representing the Blues. It could be massive, especially as their quest for that elusive Champions League title ramped up another notch.

"That's crucial, having a player like Millie who will be now 100 per cent focused on the club and all the trophies we are competing for," Bompastor said at the time. "It's really, really important. I know she is a player who is always, on the pitch, first thinking about the team. She will always give 100% and even more to the team.

"I think she just leads by example and having this type of leader, this type of captain in the team, is the best thing you can have when you are a manager, so I'm grateful for that and I know she will bring all the good energy to her team-mates, to the players on the pitch, to make sure we achieve the best season possible."

But the situation appears to have changed a little in the two months since, and especially in the last four weeks, during which Bright has found herself watching on from the sidelines for three of Chelsea's last four games.

Prior to the first instance, that 6-0 thumping of St. Polten, Bright had been an unused substitute just three times in the last 53 games she had been available for, with one of those occasions only occurring because the defender had just returned from five months out due to a knee injury. She wasn't ready to take to the pitch at that point, but Chelsea were facing Barcelona in another Champions League semi-final and then-manager Emma Hayes wanted her captain in the squad for her leadership.

Take that instance out, and only count games where Bright was fit enough to play minutes, and the 32-year-old hadn't been called upon on just three occasions in her last 72 Chelsea games prior to the St. Polten win, a run that stretched back to December 2022.

For the clash with Barcelona, a huge game that Bright would have been desperate to play in, Bompastor instead opted to pair Naomi Girma with Nathalie Bjorn, whose fantastic partnership with Bright was the bedrock of Chelsea's success last term. Girma became the most expensive player in the history of the women's game back in January when the Blues secured her services for a fee that, for the first time in the sport, surpassed the $1 million mark, though niggling injuries prevented her from making a serious impact on the team in the second half of last season.

This term, it always felt like she would emerge as a key starter, because of her world-class quality and how highly Chelsea clearly rate her, as evidenced by the transfer fee, and the pecking order at centre-back would be different. As such, Bompastor's team selection for that Barca clash wasn't particularly shocking, even if it was one that "frustrated" Bright, the manager admitted. "That's normal," Bompastor added. "That's the reaction I expect from her."

But Sunday felt different. With Bjorn missing from the squad, many might've expected Bright to return to the starting line-up as Chelsea hosted Everton. However, Bompastor went in a different direction entirely, choosing Lucy Bronze, a right-back, to partner Girma while Bright sat on the bench for the entire game.

Bronze's main task was to keep tabs on Kelly Gago, Everton's imposing centre-forward. It was the kind of individual battle that Bright tends to relish. For her manager to choose Bronze for the challenge here, though, felt like the most worrying sign yet for Bright, her status in the team right now and, ultimately, her future at the club.

Centre-back is one of Chelsea's deepest positions. As well as Bright, Bjorn and Girma, the Blues can count on the adaptability of players like Bronze and Ellie Carpenter, they have an extremely exciting young prospect in Veerle Buurman, the 19-year-old Netherlands international, and they will hope to have Kadeisha Buchanan, a five-time Champions League winner, back from injury soon. It's a position where players have to perform in order to earn minutes, and there have been some questions and criticisms of Bright's form this season, with the 32-year-old also lacking the pace of some of her fellow centre-backs.

That said, from a statistical perspective, while Bright is down on some of her numbers from last year, with her tackle win percentage one of the most notable ones, she is also up on a lot of them, including her aerial duel win rate and the number of interceptions, tackles and blocks she is making per 90 minutes. Chelsea not being quite as secure at the back this year, and thus seeing their defenders called into action more often, could be a factor to consider, but it is interesting to note nonetheless.

Bright appeared calm about her situation when asked about her recent lack of minutes on Tuesday, ahead of Chelsea's trip to Roma. "No one's going to enjoy spectating. It's not where you want to be as players. I wouldn't expect anything less from any other player," she said. "You want to play, you're at one of the best clubs in the world and I think with every individual, you never set out to be sitting on the bench. That's no one's mentality. But it's a team sport and we have a very big squad with a lot of talent, a lot of depth, and everyone's fighting for their position. The standards are high and to win everything, it is going to take everyone, so everyone just has to stay together and do their part for the team.

"It's part of football. Yes, it's an unusual situation and I think, obviously, that sparks conversation and opinion from the outside but, again, I know where I stand. You just have to keep working hard every day. That's the price you pay for being at a top club with world-class players around you. Everyone's competing. No one's position is secure, no matter what your role is within the team. It's just about keeping the right mentality and getting back out there. Like I said, it's going to take a squad to win every trophy that we want to win this year."

Chelsea have a big end to the year coming up. They're six points off the pace in the WSL title race, with it imperative that they snap their three-game winless streak in the competition this weekend against Brighton, in the final round of league action before the winter break. In the Champions League, meanwhile, the Blues may have to get to the knockout stages via the play-offs, given they are currently on the outside looking in when it comes to the automatic spots. Wednesday's clash with Roma, and the trip to Wolfsburg for their final fixture of the league phase seven days later, both feel like must-wins if they are to break into the top four.

Fortunately, amid concerns around the team's form and how it could impact their goals for the season, Bright doesn't seem put off her task as a team player and, crucially, a captain, despite her own situation. Bompastor praised her reaction to the news that she wouldn't play against Barcelona last month, noting that the defender was "focusing on the team" immediately after being told of the selection.

"My role really doesn't change in that," Bright added on Tuesday, asked about her capacity as a leader when she isn't playing. "I want the team to succeed, I want my players to succeed and you still have to do your duties. With or without the armband, I would still do that anyway."

In the past, Bright has always been a central figure in that success when it comes to matters on the pitch, too. Right now, though, she isn't one of the first names on the team sheet. Come the season's end, these past few weeks could end up being trivial. She could be back in Bompastor's XI on a regular basis, leading her team out in big games and lifting trophies, with her expiring contract also sorted. However, to get there, she first has to deal with, and battle through, a situation certainly unfamiliar for one of Chelsea's best, and most important, players of the last 10 years.