Chelsea manager Emma Hayes says that it is time to expand the number of clubs in the Barclays Women’s Super League.
The South West Londoners have won four league titles on the bounce while they have never lost more than two games in a season before going on to become champions. That limit of two defeats has been a major factor in determining which clubs can challenge for the title in recent seasons.
When speaking in a Chelsea press conference, Blues boss Hayes said that it is crazy for a team to be up against it in the title race by losing just a couple of games. She believes that the time is right to expand the number of clubs playing in the Barclays Women’s Super League.
“I think there is more unpredictability than ever (before), the opening games demonstrate that,” Hayes said.
“The question we should be asking is “When are we going to make our league a bit bigger?” because losing a league or being out of contention if you lose two games very early on (isn’t good).
“It is time to grow. It’s time to go from 12 to 16 or 18 teams, that’s what I think.”
Chelsea got their latest title defence off to a winning start last weekend as they defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at Stamford Bridge. A trip to Manchester City is up next and Hayes is expecting an extremely difficult challenge in the North West.
She said “Man City are a team that have had minimal disruption over the summer with (Jill) Roord coming in and adding a lot to that 10 position, she’s got a goal threat.
“They’ve got cohesion in the way that they play, there’s a confidence in what they do. They’re a team that can build up with good width, low full-backs, inverted full-backs; they’ve got good variety in their play. They’ve also got a player in (Yui) Hasegawa in the base of their midfield who has been pivotal to their success. In their front areas, they have got really good one v one players in (Lauren) Hemp and (Chloe) Kelly and Bunny Shaw is a prolific striker.
“They’re a top team that haven’t lost at home in almost 20 (league) games. It is a really difficult place to go.”
Chelsea’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at Manchester City kicks-off at 12.30pm on Sunday afternoon.
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