Chelsea manager Emma Hayes has praised her players for continuing to carry forward the club’s winning habit in the first half of the season.
The Blues went into the mid-season break unbeaten in 15 matches in all competitions. Chelsea have won 14 of those games with only Spanish giants Real Madrid able to deny the South West Londoners maximum points.
Chelsea have been the most successful club in the English game in recent years, The Blues have dominated in terms of trophies won. When speaking in a recent press conference, Hayes agreed that it has been a near-perfect first half of the season whilst hailing her players for carrying on the Chelsea legacy of winning football matches.
“Sometimes in the eyes of our fans it can (always be better) but as I always say, we have to be incredibly grateful for this team, it is a team that has been at the top, at least domestically, for a long time,” Hayes said. “The fact that we can continue to maintain a set of standards that we live and die by is for me, the thing that you can always be the most proud of.
“The hardest thing to do is keep winning so credit to the players for getting us to the half-way point.”
It has been an amazing 2022 for the women’s game with lots of exciting matches, title race drama and a first major trophy for the England team. The Lionesses’ UEFA Women’s EURO success has had a real positive impact on the domestic game, boosting attendances and the general profile, but Hayes believes that some solid foundations were already in place.
She said “In wider society, yes (attitudes have been changing). I think the gradual growth has been happening anyway so there was already a solid foundation. It took an explosive moment at the EUROs to almost inject steroids into the sport and help fast forward our journey. The foundations underpinning it are able to cope with those challenges.
“It is about sustaining where we are now and going again with the World Cup on the horizon next year but what a wonderful year for women’s football. The Lionesses have certainly made the country proud of their achievements.”
Chelsea return to action after the mid-season break when they travel to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal on 15 January 2023.
About The Author
