On the day Chelsea were drawn to play the Eredivisie champions, Ajax, in the quarter-finals of the Women’s Champions League, Emma Hayes has revealed how her love of Star Wars is helping her navigate her final season at the club.
Chelsea’s manager, who will become head coach of the US women’s national team at the end of the season, was asked on Tuesday if her impending departure was giving her extra energy. “The Force Awakens, that gave me a lot of inspiration last night,” she said, smiling.
“And I’m certain the resistance continue to inspire and we can keep at bay that evil empire. For now, all I’m thinking about is I need to get on to The Mandalorian.”
Hayes, who has been watching the films with her five-year-old son, went on to compare the franchise with football management: “[The] essence of the message [is] always have skilled finishers like the Jedi knights, have the ability to deliver a fatal hit into the Death Star.”
She signed off from the press conference, being held before Wednesday’s League Cup quarter-final with Sunderland, by saying “force be with you”.
Chelsea will need all the help they can get after yesterday’s tough Champions League draw. Should they overcome Ajax they will face the Champions League holders, Barcelona, or Norway’s SK Brann in the semi-finals. Barcelona beat Chelsea 2-1 on aggregate to reach last season’s final and won 4-0 in the 2021 final.
Hayes’ side finished top of Group D with four wins and two draws from their six fixtures in a season in which they are hoping to send their departing manager off on a high. The task of reaching to the final in Bilbao on 25 May is a tough one.
Elsewhere in Tuesday’s draw, Benfica were drawn against the eight-time Champions League winners Lyon while BK Hacken were pitted against PSG.
The first legs of the quarter-finals will be played on 19-20 March with the second the following week on 27-28 March. Chelsea travel to the Netherlands for the first leg before hosting Ajax in the return. Chelsea also have a trio of London derbies around the last-eight tie, hosting Arsenal the weekend prior to the first leg, with a trip to West Ham sandwiched between the two Champions League matches and an away game at Tottenham on the weekend after the second leg.
Chelsea are able to register January recruits Nathalie Björn and Mayra Ramírez for the knockout stages – the former Everton defender and the Levante forward were unavailable for the final group game against Paris FC.
