Chelsea will give West Ham United their full respect insists Hayes | OneFootball

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes says that her side will not underestimate latest opponents West Ham United at The Chigwell Construction Stadium this afternoon.

The Blues face a Hammers team that are ranked in 11th place in the Barclays Women’s Super League table, however, the East Londoners have performed well in their previous two meetings with Chelsea this season.

When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Chelsea boss Hayes said that her side will not be underestimating the dangers posed by their latest opponents and that they will look to thrive in the pressure that the business end of the season brings.

“West Ham took us to 120 minutes of football in the cup and they beat Arsenal at home,” Hayes said. “They’ve competed really well against the top teams, so absolutely no underestimation from us.

“We love being in this position. We love the pressure on us with the game accumulations. We make no excuses and we’re not victims of anything.

“We’re in charge of our own destiny. It’s important for us to have a strong mentality, a collective will, and deliver when it really matters because that’s what we’re about at Chelsea. I’ll remind everyone again, we haven’t won a single trophy.

“We can talk about how well it’s going. The reality is it means nothing until we’ve got a trophy.”

Chelsea are in the middle of an astonishing eight-game month in which they are battling in four different competitions. Hayes does not necessarily think that The Blues’ hectic schedule will benefit their opponents.

She said “I like the rhythm of games, the rhythm’s building confidence in the group and even though West Ham will be fresher than us, it doesn’t necessarily give them an advantage.

“I think the team’s in a good place, I think we’ve seen that not just in the results but in the performances.”

Going on to discuss the match schedule further, Hayes explained that she will aim to rotate the squad if needed, however, it is important to maintain the team’s rhythm.

“I do think there’ll be changes in the next couple of games but there certainly won’t be wholesale changes,” she said. “We’re in a good rhythm and it’s important to build on that.”

Chelsea’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at West Ham United kicks-off at 4.30pm this afternoon.