Emma Hayes warns Chelsea ‘must be perfect’ in Stamford Bridge battle with Barcelona for a Champions League final spot
EMMA HAYES is no mood to be nostalgic when she steps out on the pitch at Stamford Bridge for the last time as Chelsea boss today.
Her focus and that of her players’ will be on one of the Blues’ biggest battles this term – a showdown with Barcelona for a Champions League final spot.
For the first time the team look set to perform in front of record crowd for a women’s game at Stamford Bridge.
Last night the club confirmed all tickets had been sold for the game at the 40,343-capacity with around 5,000 shifted in a matter of hours.
But for Hayes, who leaves Chelsea at the end of this season to take charge of the US national women’s team, it will be business as usual for the double trophy chasers.
She said: “This is a game we want to be in.
“Our team has huge experience at this level, it’s just another game for us.
“Our players play for our badge, they play for their family, for each other, I’m part of that. I’m in a team, it’s not me, it’s us.
“These players play at this football club to play in every game for Chelsea, not just the big ones.
“We attack the game exactly the same game we do every week and it’s just another game for us.
In the past three years Barcelona have been a thorn in the side of Chelsea’s bid to lift a Champions League trophy for the first time in Hayes’ 14-year reign.
A 2021 tournament decider between the rivals ended with Barca winning the contest for the first time in their history after an emphatic 4-0 victory.
And they ended the Blues’ run last May at the semi-final stage with a slim 2-1 aggregate victory on their way to lifting the trophy for a second time.
This year has seen the six-time WSL giants halt the winning run in Europe of a side unbeaten in Spain’s top tier this term after 24 games.
Their 1-0 first-leg semis away victory has set the stage for this evening’s highly anticipated battle. One in which their opponents are likely to come out swinging.
Hayes added: “There are a lot of permutations, but I can’t fixate on that.
“We can prepare for some of the tactical details, but we have to prepare for our game too.
“We’re not trying to be Barcelona, nobody is Barcelona, but that doesn’t mean you can’t win.
“It just means that you have to play to your best strengths and recognise that no matter what Barcelona do, they will pull any team apart.
“They are the best team in the world, I’ve said it a million times. They know how to be in this position.
“No matter what they throw at us, whether that’s bringing a false nine, overloading the left-hand side, accessing the pivot or drawing us out of position
“Barcelona can hurt you in so many different ways.
“For us as a team, we have to be so, so mindful that you can’t switch off for one single second.
“This is a game that is played in the head first and foremost and we know we have to be perfect to be able to progress.”
A Chelsea victory at Stamford Bridge would be a new milestone for the WSL giants and would see them reach a Champions League decider for a second time in their history.
Today’s showdown brought back memories for Hayes of far less glamourous challenges she and general manager Paul Green faced to get matches played in her early Chelsea days.
Playing in front of a crowd of more than 40,000 at Stamford Bridge is light years away from clearing water off a rain-soaked pitch at Chelsea’s former Wheatsheaf Park home in Staines.
A task Hayes remembers carrying out ahead of a game against Liverpool 10 years ago.
She said: “I’m grateful I don’t have to go out with a roller anymore like (we did) when we were in Staines!
“We’ve made progress, I don’t have to roll pitches anymore, we’ve got amazing grounds people.
“We’ve come a long way since then. Stamford Bridge. Barcelona.
“A Champions League semi-final. This is what it was all for. This is the stage the players deserve. This is where Chelsea should be.”
“I’ve got plenty of time to reflect on my time at Chelsea, but that’s not now. My focus now is on preparing the team.”
Chelsea vs Barcelona can be watched live on DAZN’s women’s football channel on YouTube at 5:30pm today.