Why Chelsea signing Naomi Girma is so good
Why Chelsea signing Naomi Girma is so good
Anita Asante column: Why Chelsea signing Naomi Girma is so good
BBC Sport
5–6 minutes
Naomi Girma is only 24 years old, which is crazy as she has achieved so much already and she is only going to get better. That is frightening.
It is a massive signing, bringing in a player Chelsea know will help them transition in their own evolution. It shows their ambition. Even when they are settled, they are looking ahead to maintain their dominance in the Women's Super League - and are prepared to spend a world record £900,000 on Girma.
It is a statement of intent and will make other players think: 'I want to be on this potential journey at Chelsea.' They are serious. They want to win the Women's Champions League and are trying to make that happen.
The size of that transfer fee shows how highly rated she is - and how sought after she was.
Having the flexibility as a coach to use different formations is great but you can only do that with players who are adaptable and versatile. They have to be comfortable physically, tactically and psychologically to handle that. They need to be able to play in various ways and not change their usual game.
I think Sonia Bompastor signed Girma because she can play in a back three as a centre-back. She has speed and pace to cover the distances you need when you play with high wing-backs.
Her positional awareness is very good. She has a great understanding of where to be when her team has the ball, as well as defending transitions.
Where she stands out is that even if she is beaten on the first instance, she has the capacity to recover and time her challenges to perfection. When you watch her play, she is never out of the race.
Girma also has a very good range of both long and short passes - but it is the consistency of her execution and the decision-making that makes it even better. I watched her play a beautiful diagonal pass for the United States during one game at the Olympics - and the pace and precision was perfect. She pays attention to those details. She can see the pass you are not even looking for. That is why there is such a buzz about her.
She is so composed on the ball too. Whatever the pressure, she will make the game look less stressful - and she brings an element of calmness to players around her. As a coach, I always encourage players to be brave. I think she is brave. People used to say I took risks when I played but if that is your way of playing, it is not risky. That is second nature to you and it is what makes you different.
But her super-strength as a centre-back is that she is comfortable playing the ball with either foot. That makes it harder for opponents to set traps. With so many teams in modern football building out from the back, that gives such an advantage.
Girma's big transfer fee could bring pressure. But because the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) calendar is not aligned with ours - they are in pre-season still - I think Bompastor will give her some time to learn about how Chelsea play, their expectations, the environment, the people, to make that transition of moving to London a bit easier.
I don't think it will faze Girma too much. American players are more used to those heights of attention. They have always played with pressure because of the great players who have gone before them. They have had to step into big shoes their whole life. I think she will embrace the pressure.
The USA players are under scrutiny at college. It is so competitive to get scholarships. I was talking to USA international Tobin [Heath] the other day and she said the players know whatever choice they make at college is going to set them on a certain path for life. It is such a big decision and a big choice to make at a young age. Girma has taken these experiences in her stride.
With American players, you can always guarantee self-belief and professionalism. They commit to everything. That is their foundation. It is the one attribute that you can never question and I never did with any of the USA players I played with.
She has won things at the highest level and has sat next to big leaders. She has talked about Alex Morgan being someone that inspires her so she understands what it takes to be a proper leader. I think she will want to fill or bridge gaps at Chelsea. She will be a voice in that team. She comes across as a very calm character and a good communicator. You need that in every winning team.
I think Girma is going to be an inspiration for a lot of people. She is really proud of her heritage. She was the first player of Ethiopian descent to represent the USA and that is giving visibility to people from those communities.
Chelsea have now added another superstar with real kudos in Girma. Sam Kerr is also set to come back. That is a scary prospect for players and rival teams alike.
Anita Asante was speaking to BBC Sport's women's football news reporter Emma Sanders.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/arti ... lk50ywgl6o
BBC Sport
5–6 minutes
Naomi Girma is only 24 years old, which is crazy as she has achieved so much already and she is only going to get better. That is frightening.
It is a massive signing, bringing in a player Chelsea know will help them transition in their own evolution. It shows their ambition. Even when they are settled, they are looking ahead to maintain their dominance in the Women's Super League - and are prepared to spend a world record £900,000 on Girma.
It is a statement of intent and will make other players think: 'I want to be on this potential journey at Chelsea.' They are serious. They want to win the Women's Champions League and are trying to make that happen.
The size of that transfer fee shows how highly rated she is - and how sought after she was.
Having the flexibility as a coach to use different formations is great but you can only do that with players who are adaptable and versatile. They have to be comfortable physically, tactically and psychologically to handle that. They need to be able to play in various ways and not change their usual game.
I think Sonia Bompastor signed Girma because she can play in a back three as a centre-back. She has speed and pace to cover the distances you need when you play with high wing-backs.
Her positional awareness is very good. She has a great understanding of where to be when her team has the ball, as well as defending transitions.
Where she stands out is that even if she is beaten on the first instance, she has the capacity to recover and time her challenges to perfection. When you watch her play, she is never out of the race.
Girma also has a very good range of both long and short passes - but it is the consistency of her execution and the decision-making that makes it even better. I watched her play a beautiful diagonal pass for the United States during one game at the Olympics - and the pace and precision was perfect. She pays attention to those details. She can see the pass you are not even looking for. That is why there is such a buzz about her.
She is so composed on the ball too. Whatever the pressure, she will make the game look less stressful - and she brings an element of calmness to players around her. As a coach, I always encourage players to be brave. I think she is brave. People used to say I took risks when I played but if that is your way of playing, it is not risky. That is second nature to you and it is what makes you different.
But her super-strength as a centre-back is that she is comfortable playing the ball with either foot. That makes it harder for opponents to set traps. With so many teams in modern football building out from the back, that gives such an advantage.
Girma's big transfer fee could bring pressure. But because the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) calendar is not aligned with ours - they are in pre-season still - I think Bompastor will give her some time to learn about how Chelsea play, their expectations, the environment, the people, to make that transition of moving to London a bit easier.
I don't think it will faze Girma too much. American players are more used to those heights of attention. They have always played with pressure because of the great players who have gone before them. They have had to step into big shoes their whole life. I think she will embrace the pressure.
The USA players are under scrutiny at college. It is so competitive to get scholarships. I was talking to USA international Tobin [Heath] the other day and she said the players know whatever choice they make at college is going to set them on a certain path for life. It is such a big decision and a big choice to make at a young age. Girma has taken these experiences in her stride.
With American players, you can always guarantee self-belief and professionalism. They commit to everything. That is their foundation. It is the one attribute that you can never question and I never did with any of the USA players I played with.
She has won things at the highest level and has sat next to big leaders. She has talked about Alex Morgan being someone that inspires her so she understands what it takes to be a proper leader. I think she will want to fill or bridge gaps at Chelsea. She will be a voice in that team. She comes across as a very calm character and a good communicator. You need that in every winning team.
I think Girma is going to be an inspiration for a lot of people. She is really proud of her heritage. She was the first player of Ethiopian descent to represent the USA and that is giving visibility to people from those communities.
Chelsea have now added another superstar with real kudos in Girma. Sam Kerr is also set to come back. That is a scary prospect for players and rival teams alike.
Anita Asante was speaking to BBC Sport's women's football news reporter Emma Sanders.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/arti ... lk50ywgl6o
“If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.”- Sun Tzu