It takes a great manager to win league titles with one team. But do it consistently over a long period as a squad continually evolves and changes marks a manager out as truly unique.
In men’s football, Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola spring to mind. But in the women’s game, no one has done it like Chelsea’s Emma Hayes.
It is the reason why the Blues are aiming for their fifth successive Women’s Super League title this season. It is why they hold records upon records. It is why there are the team everyone else wants to beat.
This summer saw high-profile departures in Magdalena Eriksson and Pernille Harder, with Ashley Lawrence, Hannah Hampton, Catarina Macario and Mia Fishel coming in.
It is a move into yet another era at Chelsea as they look to maintain their grip on the WSL trophy, but how does Hayes know when one squad cycle is nearing its end?
“It’s probably a combination of things,” she exclusively told Sky Sports ahead of the Blues’ game against West Ham on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Premier League and Football.
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“First of all, I’ll always look at training availability. We want our players on the pitch 90 to 95 per cent of the time. We have to make sure that regardless of the score, we need enough players that are competing and training on a daily basis.
“Another is injury history and is that a predictor of something in the future. Also data that will provide some knowledge in and around things that matter to us for recovery.
“Then what is required in the game now as well is looking at where people are in their contracts. Is it something that’s straightforward or is it not? It’s pretty complex.
Highlights of the Women’s Super League match between Manchester City and Chelsea
“And obviously in the market, there might be opportunities to sign a player at a younger age, and that might dictate you but there’s a team of people that are involved with that. I’m still very central to that but it’s no longer just me and [Chelsea general manager] Paul Green doing it.”
Much like the end of one squad cycle is multi-faceted, so is how Hayes goes about not only recruiting players, but improving those that she already has.
Hayes recently told Sky Sports’ Karen Carney that some transfers can be a few years in the making, but a relentless drive to push the squad and club to be the best they can be fuels everything she does.
Chelsea women’s manager Emma Hayes speaks to former professional football player Karen Carney about her coaching philosophy, new signings, and caring for the team’s female athletes
“I like building things,” she said. “That’s probably how I would best describe myself. I like to build things and put in place the structures to to sustain something.
“I’ve always worked from a place of when my time is up, wanting to leave things in a better place. That is probably always central to my thinking. And I’m relentless about it – I’m always pushing to take it one step further. That is the demand of the job and of a team in our position.
Ahead of this season’s first Merseyside derby, take a look at some of the best goals the WSL derby’s have produced with strikes from Beth Mead, Gabby George, Lucia Garcia and more!
“I’m sure the transfer process has changed over the 11 years I’ve been here. I’ve probably built up a scouting network and network of contacts throughout my entire coaching career that has, I think, proved fruitful at various different points.
“I think with time, it’s formalised and gone beyond myself and Paul doing vast amounts of scouting and recruitment, to now having a team of people that are, for the most part, watching the top under-23-year-olds worldwide. I love women’s football and I’m always watching it, so I have an idea of players that I think will fit in, then we do a lot of planning in and around that.
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes shared a tender moment with her team after they presented her with a commemorative shirt following her father’s passing
“We will look at the average age of our squad and think ‘what do we want it to look like in 12 or 24 months? Where’s the game going?’ We’ve predominantly signed players on free transfers and that’s been dominant in what we’re doing, but I think that will change in the game.
“It’s an evolutionary process. I think my motto is ‘can we transition while winning?’ For me, you don’t just do something, it ends and you start again – you have to drip feed situations and opportunities for players over the course of a year or two to prepare them. And they all take different routes – not one plan is the same for any player.”
An example Hayes gives of this is defender Niamh Charles. The England international has pushed further up for Chelsea in their two games this season – a positional tweak that the Blues manager revealed had been a year in the making.
“This has been rehearsed behind the scenes. She’s been playing in that position for the last 12 months in a training perspective. There certainly was an opportunity with England for her to go and play there.
“But I think she’s had to gain the experiences, both positive and negative, and I think she’s ready. I really do.
“That’s a good headache for Sarina [Wiegman] to have, but I absolutely think Niamh Charles is ready for the next step. Her performances at the start of the season, as far as I’m concerned, she has been the best player on our team.
“It is a real credit to her for the work she has done, particularly the last 24 months when some of it isn’t always going the way you want – you’re not always consistent, you’re not always playing regularly.
“I always like to use examples of Niamh with other players of mine to be able to say ‘this is what happens with her heart if you put the hard yards in’. I am looking forward to the next steps.”
Charles assisted both goals in Chelsea’s opening weekend win against Tottenham, followed up with a last-gasp draw against nine-player Manchester City.
They are games that have seen the gradual reintroduction of key players Sam Kerr and Fran Kirby, with the pair struggling with their own injuries over the summer. It has also seen the Blues – despite topping almost every attacking category – having a lower-than-expected shot conversation rate.
Highlights of the Women’s Super League match between Chelsea and Tottenham
“When we played against Man City, it was against nine players. Our xG should be high and our shots – that’s where sometimes things can get skewed.
“We also haven’t been with Sam Kerr yet. She has been our top striker and she is our out-and-out No 9. As you can see with the opening game, Mia has got huge talent, but her body is still adapting to the WSL.
“So we’ve had no Sam Kerr or Fran Kirby – levels that we know we have to be at are missing, so that is going to take time to get going and you have to be patient with that.
“This is a good week for us to build on but we’re going to be firing on all cylinders yet. But as long as we’re progressing in the way that we hope and expect the team to then long may it continue.”
Not only did this summer see change within the women’s team, the club also welcomed Mauricio Pochettino on the men’s side. During the current international break, he has spent time with Hayes and her squad, having began his managerial career with the women’s team.
Hayes joked that her enduring popularity means she had missed Pochettino on a few occasions, but has used her long tenure at Chelsea to help the Argentine and his staff settle into a club.
“Mauricio has been down a few times this week and I’ve either been too busy or the game had just ended. But he’s been trying and when I saw him on Thursday, I said ‘I’m finally I’m here’, but I can’t help it. I’m popular!
“I gave him a tour of the building, I introduced him to our staff and the players. His pride is always in telling everyone that the first team he coached was a women’s team in Espanyol.
“I’ve helped him wherever I can to share knowledge of the club. He’s a smart guy, he’s a very warm, caring manager. And I’m sure him and Jesus [Perez, long-time assistant to Pochettino] and my staff team, whenever we can sit down and have a coffee or a [yerba] mate, we will we will absolutely be there.”
The WSL takes centre stage on Sky Sports this weekend as Chelsea play their first home game of the season at Kingsmeadow. They take on a West Ham side who look refreshed under new boss Rehanne Skinner.
Chelsea Women head coach, Emma Hayes says they will be looking to make home advantage count when they face West Ham this weekend and reveals key players Mia Fishel and Guro Reiten are unavailable to play
Hayes and Skinner are just two of five female managers in the WSL, with the Chelsea boss wanting more recognition for female influences in football clubs.
“I’m happy for Rehanne, because rarely do you see women rehired. You see it for male managers across the women’s game, but you rarely see it for female managers,” Hayes said.
“She’s a talented coach and it doesn’t just mean that whenever you have a set back, it makes you a bad coach. I am sure she is all all the better for her experience at Tottenham.
“When it comes to the hiring processes, I don’t know how everybody works on that, but I’ve always said there’s plenty of talented female coaches, not just in England, but across the world.
“It’s important that the club’s do their best to make sure they recognise the importance of having females on staff or in leadership positions and the impact it can have in the right possible way if it’s the right candidate because you still have to get that right.”
Watch Chelsea vs West Ham live on Sky Sports Premier League and Football from 5pm on Saturday; kick-off 5.30pm. Watch free in-game clips and match highlights across Sky Sports’ digital platforms.
