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Emma Hayes relies heavily on personal responsibility at Chelsea
Photo:
David Klein / imago images / Sportimage
Chelsea FC has had an eventful week. First, joining the men's European Super League, followed by massive protests from their own fans, which was one reason why the club left the controversial project just under 48 hours later. It was a little overlooked that the women's team from Chelsea last Wednesday with 2-2 at Manchester City, probably the decisive step in defending their title in the Women's Super League (WSL) - in England, the national league has received the super attribute - has gone.
Chelsea are now two points ahead of City with two game days before the end of the season. Afterwards, however, trainer Emma Hayes did not want to talk about whether her team now had a free run towards the championship. "I hated every minute of the second half," Hayes said at BT Sport, praising Manchester for their dominance after the break. "I just want to come down and have a cup of tea." It was a human appearance by a trainer who cultivates a special, captivating and empathic leadership style.
In the evening, the Blues continue with the next key game.
In the semi-finals of the Champions League, Chelsea will play against FC Bayern Munich (5 p.m. live ticker SPIEGEL.de; TV: Sport1).
The chances of winning their first international title have never been so great for both teams, the defending champions and long-term winners of Olympique Lyon were eliminated in the quarter-finals.
Chelsea, Bayern, from the other semi-finals PSG or FC Barcelona - this year a club will be immortalized in the Champions League cup for the first time.
With Emma Hayes, Chelsea are the only club in this quartet to have a coach.
There are now seven female head coaches in the WSL, in the Bundesliga there are only male coaches after Nora Häuptle's leave of absence at SC Sand.
Hayes: "Now I'm doing what I should be"
Hayes is 44 years old and has worked as a trainer for more than half of her life.
In her youth she was a talented footballer, always captain in her teams, she just liked to communicate.
When Hayes broke her ankle at the age of 17 and also suffered massive cartilage damage, her career was over before she could really start.
Just three years later, London-born Hayes decided to start as a trainer.
After working in the USA, she was assistant coach at Arsenal for two years in 2006, moved to Chicago in the American professional league and has been with Chelsea since 2012.
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Emma Hayes speaks and her players listen carefully
Photo: Bradley Collyer / imago images / PA Images
“Now I'm doing what I should be doing,” Hayes once wrote in an article for the trainer portal “The Coaches' Voice”. It would never have been her calling to be a player. And yet Hayes manages to understand her players in a special way. Since the beginning of last year, Chelsea have been paying attention to the menstrual cycle of professionals at their behest.
The reason for this innovative approach, which is meanwhile also being used in other clubs or national teams, was for Hayes the defeat in the 2016 FA Cup final against Arsenal.
Some players had their period on the day of the final and, according to Hayes, could therefore not achieve their optimal performance.
Now there are individual training plans that are tailored to the cycle, so injuries should also be avoided.
And players can also sit out on match days.
Chelsea is a collection of top stars
But it's not the case that Chelsea are playing for the Champions League title because Hayes' way of coaching turned a mediocre into a top team.
Women's football is on the advance in England, the clubs have been willing to invest in advance payments in recent years and, thanks to the massively increased visibility, are being rewarded with a lucrative TV contract.
Chelsea were among the clubs that saw this opportunity early on.
Meanwhile, with record transfers, Pernille Harder, Sam Kerr, Melanie Leupolz, So-yun Ji, Magdalena Eriksson, Ann-Katrin Berger and Fran Kirby play many stars in the blues - so the success comes as no surprise.
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The German national player Melanie Leupolz can win the Champions League for the first time with Chelsea
Photo:
Justin Setterfield / Getty Images
But Hayes also knows that talent alone does not guarantee titles. She pays attention to details such as the warm-up behavior of her substitute players, she demands professionalism at all levels, the interaction between the players is very important to Hayes. “The best players,” the coach wrote in one of her BBC columns, “and the best teams do everything, every day, all the time - whether that's eating right, sleeping properly, relaxing properly, or exercising properly. They watch their game and reflect intensely on themselves. «Hayes encourages this perfectionism, she wants players to be responsible for themselves.
In England it is now also known what a good tactician Hayes is.
In the quarter-finals against VfL Wolfsburg, their detailed instructions could not be overheard, a video compilation received a lot of attention on social media.
"She's a good coach," says Kerr, an Australian national player with years of experience in the American professional league.
"She was one of the reasons I moved to Chelsea and she has helped me a lot in my development." Kerr is the top goalscorer in the WSL.
Hayes' career path has now also been noted in men's football.
In February, she is said to have received an offer from the third division AFC Wimbledon.
Her response in the Guardian was a plea for women's football: I don't know why anyone would think that women's football is relegated or that the coaching of world champions, winners and players who have represented their country at the Olympic Games or European Championships is a problem Descent is. "
Wimbledon could not afford their commitment anyway.