Midway through a chat with her Chelsea male counterpart, Emma Hayes had to awkwardly explain to Mauricio Pochettino that someone more important was calling her.
It was Sir Alex Ferguson who learned of her decision to leave Chelsea and become the new coach of the United States women's national team. Pochettino understood his place in the hierarchy and Hayes took over.
“He calls me from time to time, so I wasn't surprised,” explained Hayes, whose first games in charge of the USWNT will be friendly matches against South Korea on June 1-4. “I always take whatever he tells me. with so much pride. He is a legend of the game and someone whose opinion I value and who loves America. We talked a little bit about that, a little bit about legacy, a little bit about leaving us on top. So there were wise words on his part. “I’m sure it won’t be the last phone call I get from him this season.”
Hayes' managerial influences are widespread. Given the lack of investment in sports science focused on women's football, she has often had to look to other sports for inspiration to understand how to evolve and improve women's football. But perhaps her biggest influence is Ferguson. This, in itself, should not come as a huge surprise, considering Ferguson is the most successful manager in the history of English football and dominated from the period when Hayes' teenage hopes of a playing career were ruined by injury. , in the early 1990s, to the point of becoming Chelsea manager in 2012.
But the funny thing is that, as a disciple of Ferguson (and, more to the point, a very successful one), Hayes is quite unique. The former Ferguson players who have become part of the management have had only moderate success. The next generation of young British managers tend to cite foreign coaches as role models. It's difficult to look at English men's football and see many direct influences from Ferguson.
However, in the women's game, Hayes has continued her legacy, and when she became the first woman to receive the Football Writers' Association tribute award earlier this year, Ferguson happily appeared on screen to offer a enthusiastic tribute.
The last half-decade of English women's football can easily resemble the Premier League of the mid-90s: a home European Championship, huge improvements in television coverage, the move to modern stadiums and that golden age when suddenly the best players from all over the world the world comes. In the midst of those events, Hayes has effectively been Ferguson's figure: he adapted better than others, stayed one step ahead and enjoyed unprecedented success.
Football management essentially has two very different components. There is, to put it plainly, football and management. There are those who understand the game at a deep level, but struggle to assert their authority and build a winning culture. On the other hand, there are also popular figures who put players in the game but have difficulties with the technical aspect of the game.
To enjoy careers as successful as those of Ferguson and Hayes, both boxes must be checked, but they are probably similar in that they are naturally excellent managers of individuals, they know when to use the carrot and when to use the stick, but they have often been questioned from a football point of view.
Ferguson, for example, was often considered tactically naïve when United were initially struggling to progress in Europe, and his habit of making strange selection decisions led to some supporters calling him “Tinkerbell” for his constant tinkering, which was seen as making more harm than good. But gradually Ferguson became more comfortable tactically; In important matches, he increasingly prepared to stop opponents rather than play an open game, with great success.
Similarly, Hayes generally receives rave reviews for her ability to lead people and cultivate a winning mentality, but she was sometimes considered an old-school, back-to-basics manager, and was criticized for her tendency to quit. side to key players with little explanation. But that's always been a little unfair, and at times her tactical approach has worked excellently.
Take for example the way his teams have smoothly alternated between a back three and a back four at times, specifically in the 2021 FA Cup final, when it seemed like all their defenders were playing in “false” positions, which which caused his rival Jonas Eidevall to be delayed. Red and blue cards to their players at certain times, which referred to Chelsea's form. (Incidentally, it is arguable that his shares have risen as much due to his stints as an ITV co-commentator as his managerial success. In an era where co-commentators are rarely former managers, as was once the default , his ability to explain tactical concepts and training decisions has been a refreshing change).
A more accurate observation is that neither Ferguson nor Hayes have been particularly concerned with a footballing philosophy or playing entertaining football for the sake of it. They just focus on winning, on doing what it takes game after game.
There has been an extraordinary rewriting of Ferguson's legacy; His United were rarely famous for their attractive football compared to their title rivals, and the entertainment came from the dramatic manner of their victories, which were often barely believable, rather than from the finesse of their play. Part of United's problem in replacing him has been the idea that there was a great stylistic tradition to replicate. But Ferguson changed his approach so frequently that he must have contradicted his own philosophy, if it ever existed, with great regularity.
Similarly, while it is easy to identify a specific style of play at other WSL clubs (Arsenal have always been more technical, Manchester City want to play blatantly like their men's team, Tottenham focus on playing from the back), Chelsea is more flexible. They are often more dangerous on the counterattack than in a patient possession game; City and Arsenal have the best pass completion rates in the league, while Chelsea make the longest passes.
Hayes' approach is less of a philosophy and more based on getting the best out of his team's attacking form and using functional players to stop opponents. Over the past five seasons, at various times it has seemed like their Chelsea style has been based on the runs of Fran Kirby, then the goals of Bethany England, briefly the guile of Pernille Harder, then the runs behind Sam Kerr, then the wing play of Guro Reiten and, more recently, the style of Lauren James.
It's harder to pinpoint what Hayes' classic XI or a predetermined style of play would be.
Hayes' set-up has often focused on getting the best out of his forwards, such as Kirby (Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Likewise, in important games, Hayes has been able to count on reliable, versatile, hard-working players with several years of experience at the club. In major title clashes involving Ferguson's Manchester United, it was surprising how often their key player would be Darren Fletcher, John O'Shea or Phil Neville. They are not the most glamorous players, but always effective.
Similarly, at times it would have been difficult to say (until recently, perhaps) that Jess Carter, Niamh Charles or Erin Cuthbert were unstoppable or had a clearly defined role in the team. They were players who “did their job.” But Hayes has improved them as individuals, year after year, and knows how to use them, game by game.
Both Ferguson and Hayes understood the need for clubs to dramatically expand their coaching staff and not rely solely on the manager. Ferguson relied heavily on his assistants and trained little, while Hayes is regularly seen consulting with his coaching staff. His emphasis on “the team behind the team” is clear, to the point that his audiobook, Kill The Unicorn, is based on the need to move away from the concept that one person has all the answers.
The slight contradiction, however, is that because Ferguson and Hayes were the ones who built these broader teams from positions as old-school managers rather than first-team coaches, replacing them becomes difficult.
In terms of legacy, both have encountered a frustrating final boss: Barcelona. Ferguson won two European Cups and desperately wanted to add a third, but was thwarted by Pep Guardiola's team in the finals of 2009 and 2011. Hayes never won the European Cup and reached the final in 2021, when his team was threatened by Barça, who also eliminated his team in the last two seasons. Barça is the ultimate example of a club with an evident philosophy, which has moved from the men's team to the women's team.
Hayes was left fuming after the second leg of Chelsea's semi-final defeat this season, calling Kadeisha Buchanan's sending off the “worst decision in the history of the Women's Champions League”, which was probably reckless. This week it was announced that UEFA would not charge him for those comments. It rather reminded me of Ferguson's last Champions League game as manager, when United lost at home to Real Madrid after Nani was controversially sacked. Ferguson failed to keep his post-game media commitments and his assistant Mike Phelan explained that he was “too distracted.” UEFA fined him £8,500. In that sense, Hayes probably made the right decision by attending the press conference.
Snatching victories from the jaws of defeat was the theme of Ferguson's time at Manchester United. But it is arguable that his team has never won a title in such unusual circumstances as Hayes' Chelsea may have achieved this weekend.
After a 4-3 defeat at Liverpool earlier this month, Hayes had essentially relinquished the title, or at least that's what he told the media. But the following weekend, Stina Blackstenius' two late goals for Arsenal defeated Manchester City and allowed Chelsea to get back in, and set up the extraordinary spectacle of Chelsea demolishing Bristol City 8-0 to give themselves a goal difference over City, after the match had started. day with a deficit of seven goals. Hayes sent a paper message to the field, reminding his players of the task.
So this weekend it's a penalty shootout for goal difference. City travel to Aston Villa, knowing they probably need to not only win but make up for a two-goal deficit over Chelsea, who travel to FA Cup winners Manchester United.
If Hayes wins another league title it will be a fitting place to retire as it is the closest thing English football has seen to another Ferguson.
(Main photos: Ian Kington/AFP via Getty Images; Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
