Although Emma Hayes is now synonymous with winning, it didn’t come immediately for the English manager.
Appointed by Chelsea midway through 2012, the Blues won two games and lost three during her first stretch in charge. It was enough to keep her in the job, setting the course for one of the club’s greatest runs: six Women’s Super League titles (seven, counting the interim 2017 competition as they reconfigured the calendar to match England’s men’s leagues), five FA Cup triumphs, a pair of Leagues Cup wins, and second place in the 2020-21 UEFA Women’s Champions League.
“‘Determined winner,’” Hayes said when The Athletic asked what her obituary would say. “‘Good human.’ ‘Funny.’ I have a love for life, I’m always a positive person, and have a lot of good energy.”
GO DEEPER
This Is Me: Emma Hayes
While her shoe game and post-win celebrations give a glimpse into her personality, being a “determined winner” guides every decision Hayes makes about her tactics. A tactical chameleon, she doesn’t have the same staunch tenets of play as rivals like Jonas Eidevall of Arsenal or Nils Nielsen of Manchester City.
But will building up a great club translate into what U.S. Soccer is looking for as it replaces Vlatko Andonovski’s lackluster 2023 World Cup…
