Emma Hayes believes that winning the UEFA Women’s Champions League is not the most important thing as she aims for European success before leaving Chelsea.
She will be leaving her position as the Blues boss at the end of the season to lead the United States women’s national team.
The only trophy missing from her collection after 12 successful years at Chelsea is a European Cup.
However, she thinks that winning another medal will not determine the overall success of her time with the club.
“Of course, if I was able to win the Champions League in my time here I’m sure it would be another unbelievable achievement,” she said.
“But for my era to be defined by one competition is probably not what matters most to me. What matters most, beyond the winning over the years, is that I will leave the shirt in a better place.
“That’s probably the thing I’m most invested in, to make sure that when I leave, the team is in a fabulous place and certainly in a better place than when I took over and where I can come back as a fan and enjoy them hopefully in many more Champions Leagues.”
Since taking over in 2012, Hayes has achieved remarkable success, winning six Women’s Super League titles, five FA Cups, and two League Cups.
However, she has yet to win a European title. Chelsea came close in 2020–21 but lost 4-0 to Barcelona in the final. Last year, Barcelona defeated them 2-1 in the semi-finals.
This season, Chelsea has a chance to avenge that defeat, as they could face Barcelona on the same stage again. Chelsea is already in the quarterfinals, leading 3-0 against Ajax after the first leg. Nusken scored twice, and James also scored in the first leg.
Despite having a healthy lead, Hayes is cautioning her players not to become complacent and assume that they have already won the tie.
“The fear of losing or the fear of not being in that semi-final is, for us, as big a drive as it is the desire to win it,” she added.
“In fact, it’s more. There is no-one in our dressing room that will take tomorrow’s game lightly or think for one minute just because we’re winning 3-0 that the game is over.
“That is a mistake. It all starts in your head, and when a team has nothing to lose, they play with freedom.
“They are often the most dangerous opponents so, for sure, we don’t take tomorrow lightly.”
