Chelsea women’s manager Emma Hayes has lauded the knowledge of men’s head coach Thomas Tuchel on the women’s game, following conversations between the two coaches.
Tuchel was appointed by Chelsea back in January after the departure of Frank Lampard. He has since guided the team to the semi-finals of the Champions League and the final of the FA Cup.
It’s a good time to be a fan of the club – with Hayes’ side top of the Women’s Super League table and also in the last four in Europe, having picked up the Continental Cup earlier this season. Speaking to the media this week ahead of her side’s second leg with Bayern Munich on Sunday, Hayes expressed her excitement about what is going on across the board in the club.
What has been said?
“I had a lovely encounter with Thomas Tuchel,” Hayes said this week. “He's a fantastic guy, a really open-minded, progressive coach. He loves the team. He knows women's football. We had a chat about his time at PSG. We just exchanged conversation in and around Chelsea to be honest with you.
“I've been here a long time, so I welcomed him to the club. I'm really excited about him being here. He is top coach, and I'm sure there'll be plenty of interactions between us in his time. There's a reason why the men's team are performing like they are and if we can mirror that success side by side, how fantastic that would be.
“I've always said this about Chelsea - we always talk about winning in this place,” Hayes, who has won nine trophies in her nine years in charge, continued. “Now, that's what comes with the territory and we don't mind the pressure, the expectations, the tags, the titles, whatever comes with it.
“We just know that we're a club that want to be in winning positions. It's great to think that both the men's and the women's teams have reached these stages, but as I always say, we're about winning things, not just getting here.”
Chelsea’s chance to make Champions League history
With the club in the semi-finals of the both the men's and women's Champions League, there is a chance for Chelsea to create history. No club has ever seen its men’s team and women’s team crowned champions of Europe. Should Hayes and Tuchel's teams lift the trophy this season, Chelsea would become the first to do so.
The women’s team will take on Bayern on Sunday in the second leg of their semi-final, trailing 2-1 from the first leg in Germany but bringing a crucial away goal home with them.
There is even the opportunity to go one better and possibly become the first club to win both competitions in the same season, with the men’s team also in the Champions League semi-finals.
Tuchel and his players also grabbed an away goal in the first leg of their tie in midweek, drawing 1-1 with Real Madrid in Spain on Tuesday. They will host the 13-time European champions on Wednesday, knowing a win will take them into a first final since they won the Champions League in 2012.