MY ACCOUNT
Former England midfielder Karen Carney believes Emma Hayes’ winning culture at Chelsea is comparable to the success enjoyed by Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.
Hayes, 46, has turned the Blues into the dominant force in English football over the last decade, winning the Women’s Super League and FA Cup five times.
The West Londoners are currently battling it out with Manchester United for the WSL title, two points clear of the Red Devils with two games to play.
Carney hailed Hayes, saying: “Trophies matter. You can’t knock her credentials. She’s done unbelievable things by creating a winning culture and winning mentality.
“Their culture’s been in place for quite a while. It’s like a steam train, similar to United when Alex Ferguson was there or Arsenal with Arsene Wenger, you know what you’re going to get.
“She constantly brings in the pieces of the puzzle to keep that train going and that’s not easy because you’ve got to be motivated to do that.”
Competing with the best
Carney has also praised the work of Marc Skinner, who has managed to transformed the Red Devils into title contenders this season.
She said: “United have been unbelievable this season. I see a little synergy with the Arsenal men’s team. People, including myself, didn’t have them in the top three.
“Last season, they scored 45 goals and they were quite a way off. They had not beaten a top-three team in City, Chelsea or Arsenal which was a hurdle that they had to get across.
“So to get into the FA Cup final for the first time in the club’s history and almost securing Champions League football is something that at the start of the season they would have taken.
“They have got to go and give him [Skinner] the marquee players that he needs to have a real good shot at competing against the likes of Chelsea and to push in the Champions League [next season].”
Clash of styles
Carney, who spent four seasons at Chelsea between 2015 and 2019, believes their style is different to United, who dominated the ball in all three of their clashes this season.
On the contrasting philosophies, she said: “It’s like fashion. Everyone has different styles, nobody’s right or wrong.
“With Chelsea, they have fantastic transitioning players. United are still building. The next part is to get results with that style and that will come in time.
“It’s difficult when you come up against a Chelsea team that have had the same culture and manager for quite a while and a style that has really suited them.”
Summer expectations
Once the WSL title race is over, the division’s stars will be looking forward to this summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The Lionesses have been dealt numerous injury blows, but Carney — who earned 144 caps for her country — believes they can still progress to the latter stages.
She explained: “The players that we’ve lost are top, top players but it gives opportunity for others to step up.
“We’ve got a tough manager that can manage expectations and pressures and take them off the players that can go and do their job.
“We might not have as many attacking chances as we did in the Euros but there’s no reason why we cannot do it.”
Watch the final few games of a dramatic WSL title race live on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football, Sky Showcase and NOW.
