Chelsea Women’s boss Emma Hayes has no concerns over Lauren James’ mindset ahead of new WSL season
Emma Hayes has no concerns about keeping Lauren James grounded following the Chelsea star’s stellar performances at the Women’s World Cup.
James was one of England’s standout perfromers during the tournament in Australia and New Zealand this summer, netting three goals and three assists as the Lionesses reached the World Cup final.
After serving a two-match ban for being sent off against Colombia, James returned to play the second half of the World Cup final against Spain but couldn’t help the Lionesses overcome a 1-0 deficit.
However, the 21-year-old’s impressive performances at her first major tournament have seen her become one of the most recognisable faces in women’s football and she penned a new long-term deal at Chelsea this summer, keeping her at the club until 2027.
James hit eight goals in 33 appearances in all competitions for the Blues last season and Hayes has no concerns about her mindset ahead of the new Women’s Super League season.
Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT, Hayes said: “Lauren’s feet are on the ground and she loves football. So, for her, her focus will be on getting better every day in training.
“I don’t worry about Lauren in that capacity. I think she’s firmly focused on her football and she loves it. She’s an obsessive about training and all those details. I know she’s looking forward to being back with the team.”
Hayes was speaking to talkSPORT around the launch of her new audiobook Kill the Unicorn, which the Chelsea boss hopes will give people an insight into management and how to get the best out of a group of players.
There aren’t many who are more experienced than Hayes, who has guided Chelsea to four successive WSL titles.
In a hugely successful career, Hayes has won every domestic trophy with Chelsea, but the one piece of silverware which has proven to be elusive has been the Champions League.
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The Blues were knocked out in the semi-finals by Barcelona last year and have recruited the likes of Catarina Macario, Mia Fishel and Ashley Lawrence in a busy summer transfer window.
Chelsea will also play at least seven times at Stamford Bridge this season – including all their Champions League ties – and Hayes believes that could be key as the Blues aim for glory in Europe.
“That will be great. I want to do that more,” she finished.
“The team want to do that more and we want to be supported as best as we can to make that happen more often. I definitely think Arsenal have led the way in how they’ve managed their women’s team at the Emirates.
“I think we all have to learn from the example they have set and how to sell-out stadiums for women’s games and we’re certainly working hard behind the scenes – not just to close the gap – but hopefully, across the league, all teams will be in a position where we’re getting higher attendances.
“That belief [to win the Champions League] is there every year. The objective doesn’t change. The focus doesn’t change.
“I think with the improvements we’ve made off the pitch and with the personnel [we’ve brought in], I suspect training will become more competitive and for me, everything is done in training. So, the better that can become, the better prepared the team will be to compete for things such as the Champions League.”
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