Chelsea Women: 3 takeaways from deflating 2-0 defeat at Manchester City
Confusing first-half substitutions
After Hemp’s left-footed strike hit the back of the net, it was evident Chelsea Women had to shift the momentum back into their favor. Within six minutes of Hemp’s goal, Hayes decided to make two changes which included removing her most dangerous player with the ball at her feet. The west London side had not gotten a foot hold in the match, and before the halftime whistle, the Blues showed their cards.
After the match, Hayes commented on the early substitutions, stating,
"Sometimes you stimulate a response, particularly from a losing position. Often managers can be criticized if you’re 2-0 down you don’t do much. I think it helped a little bit to bring freshness into the wide spaces and losing a midfielder."
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd replaced Lauren James on the right wing while Niamh Charles took Sophie Ingle’s place as Hayes aimed for more firepower going forward. Bringing in a forward player like Charles makes a whole lot of sense, but taking off James before the half-time whistle even blew is a confusing move.
Three away games in seven days is quite a daunting task, but the 36′, is not the time to replace a player of James’ caliber. Hayes has been a serial winner for a reason. Her brilliance is hard to ignore, but this time around it is difficult to understand why she pulled two of her players off immediately after the second goal. James had touched the ball just 11 times during her time between the white lines.
She could have been looking forward to the Lyon match during the mid-week, but it did not seem like James was too pleased with her exit as she walked straight into the dressing room. The CFC manager knew her time needed to respond to two quick goals, and in the long run, those substitutions made a difference. Hayes backed her choices post-match despite the questions that came her way. Many may not have agreed with her tactical decisions, but Hayes clearly believed it was the right thing to do at that particular moment.