Hayes focused on Conti Cup final amid Chelsea quadruple hunt،
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes has insisted Sunday's Conti Cup final is just as important to her as any other trophy.
Hayes' side face Arsenal at Molineux Stadium on Sunday in a repeat of last year's final, where the north London club secured a comfortable 3-1 victory at Selhurst Park.
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Arsenal's chances of winning silverware this season rest largely on retaining the Conti Cup trophy after being knocked out of the FA Cup and Champions League and are six points off the top of the table. Women's Super League (WSL).
Chelsea, however, remain on course for a historic quadruple of trophies and Hayes admitted that while the competition may seem more important for Arsenal, it is just as crucial for his team.
“I don't care if it's important to them; it's absolutely important to me,” she said before the finale.
“Have you looked at our performances in the last two Conti Cup finals? Because I did it, and they did it, again and again. Let me be clear about this: the team knows exactly how I feel about Sunday's final in terms of participation. and show us.
Chelsea reached the Conti Cup final for the fifth consecutive year, but failed to achieve victory in the previous two finals. They were beaten by Manchester City in 2022 and Arsenal in 2023, after two title triumphs in previous seasons.
In December, Arsenal secured a 4–1 victory over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium, marking Hayes' side's most significant defeat in five years. However, in the recent reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea comfortably triumphed 3-1.
With the upcoming final the deciding match, before Hayes leaves Chelsea after 12 years to take on the role of manager of the United States women's national team, the stakes have never been higher.
“You have to show up the same day,” Hayes said. “Let's be clear, these are two top teams. Both are capable of winning the match, both have their own qualities. But you still have to show up and present yourself in the way that gives you the best chance. is a final and as always in these games [it will be] the team that shows itself to be strong.”
There has always been a deep-rooted rivalry between the two teams and Hayes, a former Arsenal assistant manager from 2006 to 2008, admitted she enjoyed the competitiveness but had a lot of respect for her opposing team.
“I think when you play the best teams and they're always good battles, I think I enjoyed my game time against Arsenal in general. And I like the rivalry. I think it's fun for women's football. I think it's There's been a fun rivalry between us.
It's probably on camera. Off camera, I think you know, we respect each other, and I'm sure we'll have good communication because, at any given time, there will be one or more players , so you know, there'll be a happy ending.”
Arsenal have an impressive record in the League Cup, having won it seven times in their 11-year history and being holders could give Jonas Eidevall's side an edge heading into the final.
“I don't think there's a mental barrier for us to say we can't beat Chelsea, because we've done it many times,” Eidevall told a press conference on Friday. .
“But we also shouldn't get complacent and say we're playing against a very, very good team and they've also beaten us many times. So it's really about picking the best team on the day and Preparation plays a huge role in this and that is what we focus on.
“I will always say that everything is more important to us. Of course, the most important thing for us is to win, so from my point of view, Arsenal is always the most important thing.
When Eidevall took charge of Arsenal at the start of the 2021-22 season, his first match came against Chelsea, where Arsenal secured a 3-2 victory.
Eidevall admitted to enjoying the tactical battles with Chelsea – three of which he won – and added that the financial disparity between the teams played a big part in the west London club's success.
“They were the top winners in this period. They were also the top spenders; that tends to have a correlation in football. I think they could have spent more in this transfer window here than we have “I did last five transfer windows for player acquisition. It just shows the level of investment they haven't been able to make to be successful,” he said.
“As a league, I think what Chelsea are doing is very good, because I think the biggest difference between men's and women's football, if you compare that, from a European point of view is that the best salaries are not paid in England. In women's football, they are paid elsewhere.”
While Chelsea beat Ajax 4-1 on aggregate to book their place in the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, Arsenal were knocked out of this season's competition in the second qualifying round against Paris FC.
“That’s what we see in the Champions League,” he said. “That's why it's very difficult for English clubs to win the Champions League, because the level of investment in other European clubs is very high. So I think it's good that clubs are investing, because it gives us takes it all to another level.”
