da dobrowin： Defeat to Arsenal in the Continental Cup final and FA Cup elimination at the hands of Manchester United has raised questions, but it shouldn't

da dobrowin： Emma Hayes’ final season at Chelsea is not following the Hollywood script. When it was revealed in November that the iconic manager will depart at the end of the campaign to become the new head coach of the United States women’s national team, fans – and even some neutrals – were hopeful that the news could galvanise this team to go further than they ever have, to encapsulate their dominance of English women’s football in one last hurrah, to win an historic quadruple.

It was always going to be a big ask. After all, it’s only ever happened once in England, that in 2007 when Hayes was the assistant at an all-conquering Arsenal side. And so it has proved, with only a double left on the table for Chelsea now after March’s Continental Cup final loss was followed up with elimination in the semi-finals of the FA Cup on Sunday.

Hayes’ post-match press conference after that 2-1 defeat to Manchester United was soaked in perspective. Asked how she balanced her own disappointment with being a leader for her team when speaking to them after the game, she replied: “I think always being mindful. No one died. We lost a football match.” Quizzed on whether the past two weeks, which have included those two cup defeats, have been the worst of her professional career, she was extremely dismissive, pointing to her underwhelming time in the U.S. with the Chicago Red Stars as “much worse”. And when asked what success in this last season would look like in her eyes, she joked: “Getting out alive.”

But while Hayes acted to counter the disastrous manner in which this defeat was being taken, some saw it as her checking out, a sign that she didn’t care anymore, that the standards had suddenly dropped. There were even jumps to suggest a disappointing final season in charge would affect the dynasty she has built. It’s all a little dramatic.

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After all, we are talking about a manager who has simply transformed a football club. When Hayes took over Chelsea in 2012, the Blues had never won a major title. When she departs this summer, she will do so having added at least 15 trophies to a rather bare cabinet, with there still the chance of another Women’s Super League triumph and, if they can rise to the near-impossible challenge of defeating Barcelona in the semi-finals, a first-ever Women’s Champions League crown.

Hayes has helped Chelsea become the dominant side in England, one that has won four successive league titles and three FA Cups on the bounce. Domestically, they’ve set the standard in the WSL era – and not just in terms of quality and winning mentality, but also investment and resources.

Even if this final season in charge ends trophy-less, Hayes will have guided Chelsea to 15 titles in nine years and a first-ever Champions League final. The 2023-24 campaign would have to be considered a failure, of course, but it would not be for a lack of trying, and it certainly would not impact the legacy she will leave.

AdvertisementGettyBlown out of proportion

Reading into Hayes’ press conference comments for signs of drive or otherwise is a dangerous game, too. Does a manager really need to be seething after a match to be seen as motivated? If that’s the case, conspiracies of her investment in the role would’ve been raised years ago, as instances of Hayes not boasting a calm demeanour in her media interactions are few and far between.

The Chelsea boss has long been one of the media’s favourite talking heads, with random questions about any hot topic in sport likely to pop up in her press conferences, and her comments are certainly under the microscope more than ever in her final season. But there was no need to get the lab coats on for Sunday’s remarks.

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The passion Hayes has shown on the sidelines this season is another reason why Chelsea fans should not be worried about whether she is still all-in – and, across the pond, supporters of the USWNT need not be overly concerned about the spot their incoming head coach is in, either.

The Blues have had a target on their backs for a long time, having set the standard in England for several years. Their rivals have been tasked with getting better and better to try and compete for trophies, and they are now doing so. This is the most competitive that women’s football in England has ever been in the professional era and that is part of the reason why Chelsea are not having things all their own way this term.

In a way, the Blues are victims of their own success. At the end of the day, the level of Hayes’ team has not suddenly dropped dramatically. They’ve lost two games in two weeks and now everyone wants answers. It’s a sign of how good Chelsea have been for the past few years that this is seen as something of a crisis moment.

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And those two defeats have been close, too. The Conti Cup final loss to Arsenal came in extra-time, after 120 minutes of football from which either side could’ve justifiably emerged victorious. Both had – and squandered – plenty of chances, until Stina Blackstenius broke the deadlock in the 116th minute.

On Sunday, credit had to be given to United and head coach Marc Skinner for their perfect game plan. The Red Devils chose to let Chelsea have the ball and played more direct when they got their chances, which resulted in two goals that they took clinically. Throw in Mary Earps’ outstanding goalkeeping and two big penalty appeals that Chelsea saw waved away, and this was another tight defeat. “We've lost a cup game that was fiercely competitive,” Hayes summarised.

These are not excuses but instead reminders of how the two results could’ve, on another day, gone the other way. It’s not as if the Blues have been battered and out-classed in these past two weeks.