Emma Hayes insists her schooling under legendary former Arsenal boss Vic Akers has helped to inspire her formidable Chelsea side.
The Blues were crowned Women's Super League [WSL] champions for a fourth successive season on Saturday following an emphatic victory over Reading. The yielding of Chelsea's sixth league title means Hayes has now won 14 pieces of silverware during her tenure at Kingsmeadow.
And the 46-year-old attributes some of her success to Akers, who she worked alongside as assistant manager of Arsenal Women between 2006 and 2008. During his 16-year stint in charge of the Gunners, Akers won an incredible 36 trophies - a record that Hayes is determined to chase down.
“I think we’ve carried the spirit of that [Arsenal] team to here,” Hayes told the Times after Saturday's game. “Why wouldn’t I? Vic coached me as a ten-year-old. He’s been in my life. He sat with my dad at the FA Cup final last week.
“I know he’s Arsenal but he’s always been a champion for me. I said to him, ‘I’m coming for your record.’ He laughed and said, ‘You ain’t gonna get it’. But I said, ‘I am, I’m coming for your record.’ I think it’s a different time now and he acknowledges that, it is much harder to win.”
Saturday's win over the Royals saw Chelsea finish the campaign two points clear at the summit of the WSL table, with chasers Manchester United pipped to the trophy on the final day despite their narrow victory over Liverpool. But while Chelsea have once again proved their dominance and relentless ability to grind out results this term, Hayes believes the league is more competitive than ever.
“As much as people go, ‘It’s boring, it’s Chelsea [that always win],’ it isn’t that whatsoever," she said. "It’s a title race that’s been toing and froing the entire year and everybody has been driving each other on. That is what the league has needed and long may it continue."
While Chelsea have been pushed all the way on the pitch, it has also been a difficult season for Hayes behind the scenes. The 46-year-old missed six games after having an emergency hysterectomy in October as part of her battle with endometriosis and admitted she is grateful the campaign had come to an end.
“This has definitely been the hardest year for me and I feel relieved it’s over for lots of reasons,” she said. “It’s a victory for the whole team because my backroom staff have carried me in so many different ways this year, they’ve been unbelievable, particularly in the first part of the season when I was unwell.
“Sometimes this job feels like you’re bobbing, your legs are kicking and you just keep going.
“I don’t know if that’s a right or wrong thing but it’s just what you do because you know everyone is chasing you and you don’t want to drown. The fear of losing drives me more than the will to win.”
