Emma Hayes is demanding a performance of the ‘Chelsea standard’ when her side play host to Arsenal at Stamford Bridge this evening.
The Blues have the opportunity to extend their lead in the Barclays Women’s Super League’s title race with victory over the third-placed Gunners.
The reverse fixture saw Arsenal record a 4-1 win at the Emirates Stadium in December. Chelsea boss Hayes was not happy with that loss and she is demanding the highest standards from her side this evening.
“We were bullied, we were second-best to almost everything,” Hayes said when speaking in the pre-match press conference. “We deserved to be on the losing end that day, by the scoreline that day.
“I will accept losing, but I will not accept a performance less than a Chelsea standard, no matter who plays for us. That’s the message from my end; I expect a Chelsea performance, a Chelsea standard. I cannot control the opponent, but I can absolutely do everything to influence my own players.”
More than 30,000 fans are expected to attend this evening’s fixture and Hayes wants to see the club continue to grow their fanbase, just as title rivals Arsenal have done.
She said “I know how much effort has gone into that off-the-pitch from so many different departments to get us to that place. I’ll be brutally honest, I really hope we capitalise on that because that’s something that I think our rivals, Arsenal, have done really, really well off the pitch. I think I want to take that as an opportunity.”
Despite being at the business end of the season, Hayes is not focusing too much on results. For her, it is all about performance.
“I’d love to pick up three points,” she said. “I’m not focusing on that, I’m focusing on the performance and I want to do everything I can to make sure that we show up.”
Chelsea’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Arsenal kicks-off at 7pm this evening. Tickets remain available and can be purchased by clicking here.