Sitting at Cobham ahead of our meeting with Aston Villa at Kingsmeadow on Friday evening, a smile beams across the face of our captain Millie Bright as soon as the opening encounter is mentioned.

‘It has felt like a long time coming,’ the skipper says with that grin on show.

A long time it might have felt, but this summer has been one of transition and hard work. Those two things have occured in tandem as new head coach Sonia Bompastor prepared her side for the long season ahead.

The result has been a pre-season which has left Bright feeling as good as she ever has during her 10 years at Chelsea.

A new group of both players and staff have gelled somewhat seamlessly, leaving the England international and her Blues teammates raring to display the fruits of their labour come 7pm on Friday evening.

‘Honestly, pre-season has been so enjoyable,’ Bright said. ‘We’ve put in some real hard work, but the sessions have been so enjoyable.

‘Seeing the players push to get to that next level, that’s what excited us as a team. We know where we’ve been and where we’re at, but we also know where we are about to go.

‘We’re starting to see the new levels appear. It’s really exciting to see where we’re at now, but even more exciting is the potential. The potential of this team is huge.

‘This has been the easiest squad for us to blend together in all my 10 years here. It doesn’t matter the number of changes we’ve had – we’ve come together so quickly and you can see the chemistry on the pitch.

‘We’ve been waiting for the start of the season for a long time. You put in all those hard yards in pre-season and that is what we work towards.

‘We work for the start of the season. From start to finish, it is now about getting the job done.’

On a personal note, to feel so positive going into the new season is a stark contrast to how Bright felt in large spells of the previous campaign.

Although it ended with a WSL title, it was not without its challenges. Our captain missed parts of the campaign due to injury, and previously described it as one of the hardest seasons of her career.

‘I can’t wait for this season,’ Bright adds, again with a smile that suggests she is relieved to have seen the light at the end of the tunnel following her individual struggles.

‘I’ve had one of the best pre-seasons I’ve ever had and feel the best that I’ve ever felt.

‘Last season was tough for many reasons. The off season was tough because I needed to get everything where it needed to be, but I feel like I’m coming into the new season the best I have ever felt.

‘I’m super excited by that and for what’s to come. I can’t wait to finally get back to the Millie that I know I can be.’

Although there is an air of excitement around Cobham in the days counting down to the first match of the season, there is also a sense of familiarity.

Going into a new campaign as the reigning champions is something Bright and other long-serving players have become accustomed to at the club. It is something she hopes never changes.

‘It has become the expectation,’ Bright explained. ‘It is part of our DNA and what it is to be a Chelsea player.

‘Everyone knows that when they come to this club. We’ve got the staff and the players who already have that mentality as individuals anyway, but then we also put that expectation on each other.

‘It’s what you need for the level we’re at. It’s the professionalism and the mentality every day.

‘Everyone has called these game in pre-season friendlies, but we haven’t. They have been part of the journey to make sure this season is just as successful, if not more so, than the others.

‘There has just been a different mentality within everything we’ve done.

‘There is always added pressure and we know the league is going to be even harder. We’re expecting it to be the toughest season we’ve ever seen. Every team has recruited and there is some amazing talent in the WSL – that’s why it is one of the best leagues.’

That winning mentality she speaks of has been instilled in Bright during her decade at the Blues. To show for it? All of the 16 honours that Chelsea Women have won: seven league titles, five FA Cups, two League Cups, a Community Shield and the WSL Spring Series.

The defender is only player in the current squad to have played her part in each of those achievements.

‘It’s wild,’ Bright said. ‘I don’t actually think about these things too much because normally I tick off one season and think about the next one – that’s just my mindset.

‘It just shows it’s in the DNA here. It’s what the club represents, and I want every player and person at this club to have that ambition and to represent the club in the right way on and off the pitch.

‘I want them to thrive for winning trophies. No matter how many you’ve won, I want this team to always want more.

‘Every trophy I’ve won at this club has been different. The journey to reaching it has been different for so many reasons which I’ve absolutely loved.

‘The motivation for me is to always do better and to always keep achieving. I want to keep pushing standards, be the role model and be the one setting the tone when people come to the club and showing them what it means to represent Chelsea.

‘We have had the success and we want it to keep going in a positive direction. That’s the motivation I have to add more trophies.’

Even with all those winner's medals to boast and all of the experience gained, Bright is still striving for more. And It’s not just more trophies, our defender is always looking to improve aspects of her own game.

‘I’ve learned something new in every single season, but this has felt different,’ Bright said. ‘It’s challenged me in different ways and I always want to be challenged.

‘It doesn’t matter what age you are, how many caps you have, how long you’ve been here – we all want to develop. That is the beauty of the squad that we have got here.

‘It’s always about improving, being better and keeping on being that extra 5 per cent in each area so that, collectively and individually, we are going to another level.

‘I’ve definitely learned so much already this season. What excites me the most is how challenged I have been in many different aspects, but as a person and as a player, that is just me. I never settle and always want to push myself.’

Before we end our chat, we ask Bright if there is anything she’d like to say to the fans ahead of our opening fixture. Without hesitation, she begins her rallying call.

‘My message to the fans would be make sure you’re prepared for the next level,’ Bright said. ‘We want you to go to the next level with us.

‘Your support certainly does not go unnoticed. It makes more of a difference than you might sometimes feel. Let’s all go to the next level this season.’

You heard our captain, we are ready to take things up a gear and we need you there with us.