Bompastor joins us in a sunny courtyard of the team hotel. Lemon trees loom over us and while the 44-year-old has travelled the world during her career, it is doubtful she has ever been interviewed in such a calm and picturesque setting.

The same can be said about our base for the last five days. Bompastor and her Chelsea players have been hard at work on the pitch in the Algarve sun –  except for one rainy day – to prepare for the second half of the season.

Our return to action is only days away, as we look ahead to Sunday's fourth-round FA Cup encounter with Charlton Athletic at Kingsmeadow. The Blues go into the match with a 16-game unbeaten run behind them, and will seek to extend it to 17.

The groundwork to not only maintain but improve such fine form has taken place in Portugal, with Bompastor reflecting on the winter camp in a very positive light.

'The last five days have been great,' she begins. 'There has been a good atmosphere around the players and staff. We have been in a nice place with a nice infrastructure. Everything we need to work with the right mentality.

'Weather-wise it has been good. It has been mostly sunny. We're next to the beach which brings happiness for the girls. It's been a good change of environment for us to work in.

'As a coach, it's important for me to have these moments where you have almost all of the squad together because you can work on cohesion and the team dynamic. This is extremely important for the second half of the season.'

Bompastor and her staff have put the players through their paces in Portugal. Many highlighted how intense the sessions were, with our head coach explaining why that is a necessary ingredient if you want to go and experience success.

'The intensity is important in training and when we play in games,' Bompastor says. 'It's such an important part of being at the high level.

'And you can have that when the players are fresh mentally as well. At the end of the year, I could feel the players were mentally and physically tired. The winter break was helpful for everyone and we're happy to get back to business.

'That's our mentality in this environment. We want to create an environment where the players think of winning and practice with intensity every day.

'I'm really happy with the work we have done these last few days, and with the intensity we have put into the training sessions.'

Ahead of our winter training camp, Bompastor outlined one of her priorities for the second half of the season. She told us in December that building a connection where everyone was on the same page was the biggest area for improvement.

The last five days, our head coach says, have been an opportune time to work on that as she explains how progress has been made.

'It's a lot about having different kinds of conversations,' Bompastor explains. 'We have those with the individual players, with the team and in our training sessions.

'We make really clear what our expectations are in training. We make clear what we want to work on from the game model and make sure the players understand that we all have to be on the same page when we practice. In football, I think that is what takes the most time for us to obtain as a coach.

'It's not easy but it's what we needed to work on. What has been really good here in Portugal is we've had the week to prepare for our FA Cup game on Sunday against Charlton.

'It's really important for us to have used all these training sessions to work on the game model and make sure the players understand in the same moment.

'That can be difficult when you're playing three games a week because you don't get as many opportunities to work in the training sessions. This has been perfect timing for us to work on this.'

The Blues have sought to strengthen their connection not only on the pitch but also through a number of activities that have brought the team closer together, which Bompastor believes can play a vital part in the run to the end of the season.

'It is so important to create these memories together,' Bompastor adds. 'We have had the time to get to know each other in a different way because when you're working with the same people in the same environment every day, you might only speak about work and your job.

'This has been a good opportunity for us to try to relax when we're not on the pitch and create moments where we can talk to each other about different subjects.

'It can be simple things, like at dinner the players and staff sat mixed together and all got to know each other better. Everyone said how important it was to learn more about people you might not normally have the chance to.

'These small details are important, especially for the second half of the season. The team dynamic might not be the number one element that will help us win the Champions League, but it is something you must have if you want to go far in these competitions.

'If you don't have these good elements in your team and staff, then you won't succeed. That is something very important to me.'

Once we return to London, the Blues will be in action for the first time in 2025 on Sunday when we host Championship side Charlton Athletic at Kingsmeadow in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Not only is this when our cup campaign begins, but it is also the maiden match in the competition for head coach Bompastor who is revelling in the chance to get our season back underway.

'We are focusing on our team and our game model,' Bompastor explains. 'If we want to be the dominant team, we have to play the way we want to.

'It's about keeping the right mentality, the winning mentality, but also we want to improve our playing style. The game against Charlton is the first opportunity in the second part of the season to show that.

'We're ready, and we're ready because we've missed being together, practicing together, and playing games. Now, this is what we want to do and we can't wait to get back to work.'

Bompastor adds: 'I know how important this competition is in England. In every country, the cup is really important and The FA Cup is no different.

'This cup has a special history with Chelsea. We want to win every single trophy; I'm not hiding from that. I know it will be difficult but we want to start our run in the FA Cup this Sunday and we're expecting a tough game because Charlton are a team with physical players and experience.

'It will be difficult, but if we want to go until the end of the competition then we have to go step-by-step and the first one is beating Charlton on Sunday.'