The Canadian defender was one of two Blues – the other being forward Catarina Macario – who previously played under Bompastor at Lyon.

Buchanan may have been familiar with our head coach’s style, and it is clear her Chelsea teammates are becoming so, too, as the 28-year-old reflected on how the first month of pre-season has gone.

Bompastor has led the Blues to two pre-season wins thus far – against NJ/NY Gotham and Arsenal during our USA tour – with an opportunity for another on Saturday when we host Feyenoord at Kingsmeadow.

‘It feels really good to be back,’ Buchanan said. ‘I feel like every game we’re getting better and better.

‘We’re trying to follow Sonia’s game plan and how she wants us to play. Every day we’re learning more about the new tactics.

‘I came back to pre-season with some good confidence. Everyone has been getting minutes, so as a squad we’re building back up that confidence together which is a good thing.

‘I feel like I’m in a good space right now. I’m just hoping to get better and better ahead of the new season.’

Buchanan arrived to Chelsea in 2022 from Lyon where she won 13 trophies, including five Champions Leagues.

She knows how the Women’s Super League differs to the style in France, but believes Bompastor has begun building solid foundations with the Blues ahead of the upcoming league campaign, which begins with a home clash against Aston Villa in a fortnight.

‘Sonia came in with a positive energy, so hopefully that carries on throughout the season,’ Buchanan added. ‘She is giving people a lot of confidence through the minutes they’re getting.

‘It’s her first season in England and in the WSL and it is different from France, so she will need to adapt, but we have to adapt with her as a team.

‘I’m familiar with her style and personality, so that has been good for me. Being familiar with people is always nice. It helps bring some calmness before the start of the season.’

When Buchanan and Bompastor worked together in France, it was the latter’s first season as manager of Lyon, having previously headed up the club’s youth academy.

In the years since, Bompastor has established herself as one of the best coaches in the women’s game. The way in which she has honed her management skills are clear to Buchanan.

‘I think she is a lot more demanding,’ the Canadian international explained. ‘Sonia is a fun coach, but she is definitely serious when she needs to be.

‘She’s all about possession and it’s fun to be playing a good style of football, but she is not only about playing a good style. She wants us to be clinical in attack and score lots of goals. We’re not just looking to play pretty, we want to be clinical in the final third.’

Two seasons completed and with three trophies to show for them, Buchanan hopes to hit the ground running for her third campaign in Chelsea blue. She admits there have been difficult times amidst the good, but now she feels better equipped to deal with the challenges that might come her way.

‘It’s definitely maturity’ Buchanan answers when asked how she feels she has grown as a player, and indeed a person, throughout her two years in London.

‘I feel like I had two different kinds of seasons, so hopefully I can get off to a good start this season and work my way into playing with the girls.

‘There were a lot of ups and downs in both seasons I’ve been here. I feel like I started off well and then after injury, didn’t get back to full speed.

‘It’s just the range of what you go through as players: you are in the squad, you’re not in the squad, you have an injury, you come off the bench. You have to just deal with these things and look to improve from them.’

• Tickets for Saturday's match against Feyenoord at Kingsmeadow can be purchased, here!