While Chelsea have dominated the Women’s Super League (WSL) over the past few years, the UEFA Women’s Champions League is the one piece of silverware that has remained elusive.
Emma Hayes’ side are currently on their seventh attempt at claiming the title and carry a slender 1-0 advantage over holders Lyon going into Thursday’s Quarter-Final Second Leg.
The furthest the Blues have gone so far was the final two years ago where a Melanie Leupolz own goal in the opening minute led them to be comprehensively beaten 4-0 by Barcelona.
As Hayes put it post-match, ‘the match was over before it had even begun’ with the side showing both naivety and a lack of big game experience as they froze on the occasion.
That European hangover seemed to seep into the following campaign where, through a series of sloppy performances, Chelsea failed to make it past the Group Stage.
What the side appear to have been lacking in their past Champions League campaigns is a mixture of calmness, self-awareness and experience with this season perhaps their best opportunity at a title-tilt.
First and foremost, the key to Chelsea’s success lies in the consistency and stability running throughout the entire club with manager Hayes and her ‘Blueprint’ being at its core.
Joining the club in 2012, Hayes has infused her side with a self-proclaimed ‘mentality of champions’ that has created serial domestic winners over the course of the last decade and seen her become the most decorated women’s football coach in the English game.
Up until the weekend defeat to in-form Manchester City, a fixture sandwiched between the Lyon double-header, Chelsea had only lost once so far this campaign – a surprise opening day defeat to Liverpool.
Hayes’ side have a propensity to grind out a result no matter what as evidenced in their January clash with Arsenal where they found themselves 1-0 down until a last minute equaliser from Sam Kerr.
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The Australian forward is perhaps the second most important piece of the Chelsea puzzle with Hayes declaring: “She is the best in the business, not just in terms of goals but mentality.”
With seven WSL goals and four assists to her name, Kerr personifies the focus and hunger for more, even when the forward has won a specific trophy multiple times.
Together with Guro Reiten and rising star Lauren James, the players represent an impressive congenial trio that know exactly where each of them want the ball to be played at any given time.
However, Hayes does have a tendency to rotate between a back three or four, depending on whether she wants more options in the build-up play, which has at times made the side look defensively susceptible.
It has led to some narrow wins over teams lower down in the WSL table such as Tottenham and Reading with the Man City defeat also coming in the absence of key defender Millie Bright through injury.
Against WSL sides, Chelsea often have more than enough to get away with these concerns but on the highest stage it could be another matter and Hayes will be hoping Bright recovers in time to face Lyon.
Chelsea are also currently without Pernille Harder due to a long-term hamstring injury and Fran Kirby (knee), further limiting their options and ability to formulate a Plan B in the tightest of scenarios.
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Should the side claim a semi-final berth at the expense of Lyon, it will be a prized scalp for the rest of Europe to sit up and take note of but one they would probably have to repeat by beating a much-fancied Barcelona further down the line.
With previous experience mixed with youthful exuberance and Hayes’ winning mentality, Chelsea are increasingly getting closer to realising their European dream.
Only time will tell if they have some of the cold-bloodedness of some of their rivals to go all the way.