Development equally as important as trophies for Chelsea boss Hayes | OneFootball

Chelsea manager Emma Hayes says that winning trophies is not her only focus in her last season in charge of the South West Londoners.

The Blues have the opportunity to reach their first domestic cup final of the season when they face Manchester City at The Joie Stadium this evening in the semi-finals of the FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup.

When speaking to the media in the pre-match press conference, Chelsea boss Hayes said that she wants to continue to develop talent in the squad before she leaves in the summer, in addition to challenging for more silverware.

“I want to just keep improving and keep building the team,” Hayes said. “Ideally, we win as many trophies as we can, but I’m not someone who’s solely focused on that.

“I want to keep developing the club and the players within it and for me at the end of the season, of course, I’d love to look back and have as many trophies as we can, but I’d take even more satisfaction knowing we’ve got more players for Chelsea’s future.”

Hayes also joked that she would not be seeking revenge against Manchester City for the recent defeat at Kingsmeadow in the Barclays Women’s Super League, again referring back to her love of Star Wars.

She added “This is no Death Star destroying moment. Revenge for me is something that I won’t really think about when it comes to football. What I know is that they’re a top team.

“There’s not a lot between the two sides and if you want to compete to play in cup finals, you have to be in the position which we are, learn what’s the most important from the last game and look at the opportunities.”

Chelsea’s FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup semi-final against Manchester City kicks-off at 7.15pm this evening.