Chelsea’s Naomi Girma: ‘we Feel Like We Have Another Level We Can Get To’

So, Naomi Girma, really do you apical a treble-winning season? The US international, sitting relaxed connected nan 3G transportation astatine Chelsea’s Cobham training ground, bits of nan rubber crumb being squeezed betwixt her fingers, does not hesitate earlier answering.

“We consciousness for illustration we person different level we tin get to,” she says. “It’s not astir really we support this level but really we proceed evolving and support getting better. Having that mentality is ever amended than focusing connected making judge nary 1 catches us.

“If you inquire immoderate 1 of us, we consciousness for illustration past twelvemonth we could person played better, we could person had amended performances truthful continuing to germinate arsenic a squad and continuing to get amended is what we’re going to prioritise.”

Chelsea did not only triumph nan league, they went done nan full domestic run unbeaten and won nan FA Cup and League Cup too. True they did not person nan champion of performances astatine times, but they still won, and won, and won, powered by a mentality not dissimilar to that seen successful nan US women’s nationalist team. “That’s what I was gonna say,” says Girma erstwhile that is put to her. “That’s my favourite type of measurement to be, to play: ne'er opportunity die, ’til nan last infinitesimal support pushing, ne'er springiness up.

“That is nan mentality I person been raised pinch and effort to bring to a team. So, whenever you’re astir a group that believes that and is trying to put that into each azygous game, each azygous session, that conscionable brings retired nan champion successful you and nan group. It’s 1 of my favourite parts of this club.”

Naomi Girma and compatriot Catarina Macario airs pinch Chelsea’s 2024-25 trophy haul. Photograph: Harriet Lander/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

Girma arrived from San Diego Wave successful January pinch a record-breaking value tag and a stellar estimation that group expectations high. In nan mediate of nan NWSL off-season, her last convention lucifer played successful October 2024, hitting nan crushed moving was ever going to beryllium tough. “It’s decidedly awkward timing, coming successful in nan off-season,” she says.

“No 1 will ever expect much from maine than I do for myself. All of those expectations from different group were there, but I wanted myself to travel successful and make an effect arsenic overmuch arsenic I can, much than anyone else. I sewage injured, that’s soccer, and it was astir having perspective. I didn’t travel present to play for six months, I’m present for 4 years now so, while it’s difficult successful nan moment, this was a semipermanent determination and a spot wherever I spot myself playing and getting amended for a while.”

Leaving California, wherever she was born, grew up, studied and played, for Chelsea, felt right. “The determination to effort thing caller and time off was conscionable maine wanting to situation myself, to push myself retired of my comfortableness zone,” says nan 25-year-old defender. “It felt for illustration nan correct clip successful my profession to return that jump, post-Olympics felt for illustration a bully clip to transportation and get settled location new, and past Chelsea specifically conscionable ever stood retired to maine arsenic a club.”

Two US internationals astatine Chelsea, Mia Fishel – now astatine Seattle Reign – and Cat Macario, helped waste nan nine to Girma. “I evidently knew truthful galore of nan players who play here,” says Girma. “Some I knew personally, immoderate I conscionable had played against, and conscionable nan culture, nan environment, being successful London, it each conscionable felt correct to me, truthful that’s why I chose to come.”

There were pros and cons to arriving successful January, connected nan 1 manus you participate midway done a campaign, but connected nan different manus it provides a distraction. “Moving is ever difficult,” says Girma. “It’s ever going to beryllium a measurement retired of your comfortableness zone, but coming successful in January you’re benignant of thrown into things correct distant and you conscionable person to fig everything retired immediately. You don’t person clip to deliberation astir it.

“You’re conscionable like: I’m here. We person games. I request to beryllium ready. Now, I person a afloat off-season excessively and getting to build done pre-season has been really nice. I already cognize nan unit and nan players going into a pre-season and it feels for illustration you know, I’ve been connected nan squad for a while. So, there’s advantages.”

Naomi Girma (left) tussles pinch Milan’s Evelyn Ijeh during Chelsea’s friends against nan Italian broadside successful August. Photograph: Sara Cavallini/AC Milan/Getty Images

Away from nan pitch, nan acold was nan roughest daze to nan strategy for nan Californian, who sounds a lot, cycling done genres book by book, and plans to person a spell astatine painting. “It’s not ace different conscionable because it’s English speaking present but erstwhile I first sewage here, January, I was very acold truthful that was a spot of a daze for me, thing I expected though,” she says. “My brother’s visiting maine correct now truthful group person been coming over, it’s a bully opportunity for friends and family to get complete and they person location to enactment and bent out.”

The Guardian’s past large question and reply pinch Girma came successful January 2024, erstwhile nan subordinate said passionately astir her determination to activity pinch Common Goal connected a intelligence wellness retreat for players. “It’s decidedly 1 nan astir proud things that I’ve done, just, ever,” she says. “You ne'er cognize really it’s going to spell aliases really group are going to respond to it.” The consequence was sensational, players effusive about nan effect of nan event.

Now, they are targeting nan 2026 men’s World Cup successful North America. “We person truthful galore players who’ve been a portion of nan programme and who want to proceed pinch it. It’s awesome if I’m doing it but nan much players we person nan better, truthful hopefully moving towards hubs passim nan US will mean getting to activity pinch much players,” she says.

Back successful nan present, astatine Chelsea, connected nan transportation it didn’t return agelong for things to travel and relationships to consciousness normal. “I really felt comfortable beautiful quickly playing pinch them,” says Girma. “I consciousness for illustration towards nan extremity of past play it felt normal. That’s a testament to them, nan connection style and nan measurement we benignant of mesh together.”

Working pinch a manager, successful Sonia Bompastor, who played successful defence herself is simply a bonus. “I really wanted to create arsenic a subordinate wherever I was moving to. To person a head who played successful defence ever helps successful position of moving connected nan littlest of things and tweaking definite things that conscionable make america that small percent better.”

The remainder of nan WSL – and Europe – person been warned.