Watching Emma Hayes’ Chelsea with Mark Parsons: ‘These games are where she feels alive’

When Mark Parsons watches football, his brain is constantly ticking. He loves it, he’s intellectually stimulated, doesn’t show his emotion too much but you can see the cogs turning, eyes watching, observing, analysing all the time.

Tucked away in the south stand next to the teams’ dugouts, The Athletic joined the former Washington Spirit, Portland Thorns and Netherlands manager at Kingsmeadow in south-west London on Wednesday to watch Chelsea against Aston Villa in the Women’s Super League through his eyes.

Parsons knows what it is like to be on the touchline when the pressure is on. From chewing gum to standing up, tactical tweaks to team talks, counter-attacks to Catarina Macario, the 37-year-old provides insight on the league leaders as they prepare for their biggest game of the season against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final on Saturday.

After back-to-back defeats in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United and the Continental Cup against Arsenal, the footballing world was watching to see how Emma Hayes’ side would react

“The stress is really heavy right now,” says Parsons before the game. “But that’s also Emma’s super quality. When things get hard, she separates herself. What normally affects other people, she stays very stable. Chelsea players know their roles and responsibilities. These games are probably where Emma feels most alive. November at home to Bristol, no disrespect, I don’t know if that gets Emma excited. Other coaches will get to these games and they’re a bit of a tourist, they haven’t been here. Emma has lived in this space every year.

“I think Chelsea are going to be way too much for Villa tonight. If Villa score in the first 10 minutes, this could become a very difficult game the longer it goes on. If Chelsea score early, it becomes the game that we expect because of the difference in quality.”

But a surprise absentee from the Chelsea squad is one of their star players Lauren James, who is ruled out with an injury. It is another issue Hayes has to navigate but the same goes for her opposite number, Carla Ward.

“I’d be relieved because Lauren James is one of the best in the world and to nullify her is unbelievably difficult,” says Parsons. “She can do anything she wants, when she wants.”

Instead Hayes hands USWNT’s Catarina Macario and Japan’s Maika Hamano their first starts. “I wouldn’t be happy about seeing both of them playing because I probably wouldn’t have prepared my team for them as well,” says Parsons. “Those two can be unplayable.”

Hayes makes seven changes from Sunday’s 2-1 loss to United, a “psychologically smart move from Emma,” says Parsons. “I know it’s probably about Barcelona but a lot of players are playing for the first time in a long time. Other players who have been involved in the past two games are probably physically, mentally, emotionally fatigued, they could be fragile, whereas these players are probably in the opposite place. They won’t have the chemistry and the cohesion that others have been building, but they have a point to prove.”

As the game gets under way, Ward is on her feet in her technical area, Hayes takes her customary seated position. “When I went to the Netherlands, they said, ‘You stand up a lot. Sarina (Wiegman, his predecessor in that job) always sat down’ and I said, ‘What did Sarina do in the big games? She stood up because you can see more.’

“I have to stand for a better view. But even if it wasn’t about the view I’d stand to be emotionally connected.”

When Parsons manages a game he thinks about one thing: space. “It’s about identifying the numbers and the space for your players so they can make decisions off that..”

“Wow! How good has (Sjoeke) Nusken been?” as she picks the ball up in the Villa half in the third minute. She spots goalkeeper Anna Leat is out of her area and shoots. Leat gets a touch to it and is sent off.

“Oh wow! Red card, she’s gone. Ten players, four minutes in. If you’re Man City and Arsenal, you’re pissed off right now. You’re watching this game hoping…”

Hayes calls Jess Carter over. Parsons says Chelsea have two options: go to a back three, move Niamh Charles forward to enhance their attacking build-up or keep it the same and look at Villa’s shape. Ward brings striker Ebony Salmon off and brings on back-up goalkeeper Sophia Poor.

Macario stands over the resulting free kick. “They are unbelievable, unbelievable. She’s beaten me three or four times with her free kicks against Portland. We would play the U.S. Under-23s every pre-season and she would always score. It got to the point where I said, ‘Don’t give any free kicks away if she’s on the pitch. She would destroy us.”

Now Hayes is on her feet. “To get a better view,” says Parsons. Macario’s set piece doesn’t hit the target. “No, average.”

Chelsea make the most of their extra player and hit on the attack with Hamano and Charles combining well in the space which Parsons calls “the wide box area”, the channel right by the width of the penalty box. They continue these waves of attacks in the opening stages of the first half. Parsons believes Chelsea were the best in the league at finding these threatening crossing positions but have done it less often in the past two months.

“Why has it not been so good?” asks The Athletic.

“I don’t know, I think new players. Bringing Mayra Ramirez in, Macario off the bench. Chelsea against United at Stamford Bridge, 3-1, Chelsea were on fire. They were so cohesive, their non-verbal communication was at a superior level. They just know their roles, that’s been missing a little bit. They’re back to it tonight which is a good sign ahead of the weekend. This is the old Chelsea.”

The home side are knocking at the door. “Villa have to stop the game, come together and have a conversation. People don’t like to hear this, most often the goalkeepers go down. But it’s a key part of the game. You haven’t had a chance to speak to your team yet. Chelsea have just put on an onslaught of two or three attacks. The goal is coming, I can feel it as if that’s my team. How do I slow Chelsea down? How do I pick my group up? If Villa don’t stop this game and just get a breather…”

Villa get their chance and counter but it breaks down. Parsons explains they have two options: finish the attack or slow the game down and recycle the ball around Chelsea’s box.

“If they finish a counter-attack, their chance of scoring is potentially higher but they’re going to defend again for another 10 minutes. If they slow down and keep the ball, when they do lose it they have a chance to counter-press, winning the ball back when you’ve just first lost it. When you’re an inferior team, counter-pressing is such a big way to create opportunities.

“Especially with 10 players, I would say we have to slow down, get numbers into their half and move the ball. When we lose it, we’ve got to keep it in their defensive half to give us rest. Look at Chelsea, they have 10 players back. Villa need rest. That’s game management.”

Hayes, in a black jacket, chewing gum, shouts, “Quicker!”.

“Whatever makes you feel good, feel good, play good,” says Parsons, who isn’t a gum-chewer. Charles gets into that aforementioned dangerous wide box area and Aggie Beever-Jones scores the opener with a left-footed volley in the 18th minute.

Aston Villa, who have gone to a back five, are “just not going to get pressure on the ball, which means you’re going to accept crosses”, says Parsons. He notes Beever-Jones, who is closest to the touchline, has been the most-coached player.

“Beever-Jones has been the widest player and now she’s coming inside the wing-back, making direct runs in behind.”

Chelsea have become more aggressive than Parsons anticipated. Kadeisha Buchanan and Carter are building in a back two, Hampton steps up to make the back three, while full-backs Charles and Ashley Lawrence push forward. “That’s why Beever-Jones is coming inside but the two centre-backs being that wide will leave them more open.”

As for Villa, Parsons says they have to make a choice. “What are they going to allow and not allow?” he wonders. “They need some control, keep them on one side of the pitch, save some energy.

“If Chelsea can go left to right, this becomes very difficult for your players.”

Not for the first time, Hayes instructs Hampton to be quicker with her passing.

“Emma’s been on it for about 20 minutes. It can make a huge difference in a game because it tires the opponent. Your play is faster, energy higher, keep alert, don’t fall asleep with Villa, who want to slow the game down. Stay sharp. Villa can’t cover the spaces if you keep it quick. The better they move the ball now, the second half Villa are going to just die. They won’t be able to keep up this work rate, surely.”

One positive for Villa is their breaks on the counter. It’s a concern for Chelsea.

“With 10 players, we shouldn’t be seeing the counter-attacks. Chelsea’s recovery has been great but a better team are going to be lethal. Chelsea have not been aggressive or tight enough. Villa have just been too good at playing one or two-touch, third-player movement. Chelsea have been the most complete team but they can still improve how they control that moment when they lose the ball in the opponent’s half. If Villa can get that right, they have a chance of getting back in. I don’t think they will. Chelsea will get another goal shortly.”

Parsons is not looking at the ball but players’ movement. “Nuksen, she’s so good. She’s just always moving. As soon as Beever-Jones was high and started coming towards the ball, Nusken made the run in behind. I can’t believe how many different positions she’s played for Chelsea already.”

Once again Chelsea occupy the space right by the width of the box. This time it’s closer to the byline as Lawrence cuts the ball back for Hamano to score her first Chelsea goal. Hayes shows the most emotion yet and puts her clenched fists in the air, gets to her feet and talks to Buchanan who, like she did with the first goal, comes over to receive instructions.

“Ninety per cent do it to talk to a player, 10 per cent of coaches like to talk to someone just because they’re excited and they want to look like they’re doing something,” says Parsons.

As for the goal, he says: “This goal was more of a second-phase cross, but still part of their attacking DNA. They cross from narrower areas which have higher probability of scoring goals. The ball is going to get to the danger zone quicker because it’s from closer range so the defence have less time to react. It’s a really smart tactic.”

At 2-0 up with Villa a player down, Chelsea look comfortable and it’s a “perfect situation”, in Parsons’ eyes, for Hayes.

“If Villa had scored in the first 10 minutes, 11 v 11 I would have been really curious to see how people would have reacted. This game is no problem. But the red card changed everything, so we’ll never know.”

Asked what his key messages would be at half-time, Parsons says he would reinforce the structure which has led to chances with positive videos but also warn that if the ball speed slows down it gets easier for Villa. In defence they have to stop the counter-attacks earlier. “Stay true to the process,” he says.

For Villa, they have to have more control, slow down on the counter if they can’t get to goal and choose where they want Chelsea to build from and keep them there. “I’d keep them on their left. When Charles is high, they isolate Buchanan or Carter. Get the next goal and the game changes.”

Interestingly, most substitutes stay out on the pitch and do a small-sided passing drill. Parsons prefers everyone to go into the dressing room. “If someone is coming on, they listen to the core message at the beginning and the performance staff then get them out.”

Chelsea make their first substitution in the 56th minute, with Guro Reiten replacing Charles. The last thing you want to see if you’re Villa, according to Parsons.

Charles hands the armband to Sophie Ingle.

“A key job of leaders is to create more leaders,” says Parsons. “Sharing leadership is positive. Leaders are leading, armband or no armband. Jess Carter, she’s been big-time for Chelsea, more quiet, but you’re telling me she isn’t leading?”

Asked about Reiten’s introduction, Parsons thinks it is either to win the game or for Reiten to “get a loan in” i.e minutes before the Barcelona game, or both.

“Ramirez, (Erin) Cuthbert, Reiten, (Johanna) Ritting Kaneryd, I would have been dreaming of getting those three or four players on for 30 minutes. Let’s assume they start against Barca. If they don’t play tonight, they need a big training session. Did they do that yesterday? Do they do it tomorrow? If you can get it in the game, it’s always positive. The players want to be in the game, physically and cognitively — they need to play to feel sharp. It’s a big enough load that they’re going to be able to recover with the rest of the group. If they didn’t play they’re doing it after the game, running, which is not great, or they’re doing it tomorrow and now they’re in a different rhythm to the rest of the team.”

Meanwhile Macario, who is having fun after nearly two years out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, juggles the ball in the Villa box.

“When fully fit, you guys are gonna love her. It’s going to take time. She’s such a talent. Great technique, great athlete but the football intelligence… She’s so smart, she can feel the game, see the game, scanning, perception, I spent five years trying to recruit her to Portland. It’s exciting to see in the next six to 12 months for Chelsea, but also for the USWNT. When they have Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson, Macario all available, it’s just going to be scary.”

Macario puts in a teasing corner and in the 64th minute Buchanan makes it three.

(Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

“The set-piece coach will be happy, great delivery. The build-up to earn that corner is the most positive sign. They had two or three waves of attack getting into great crossing positions, causing big problems, winning the ball back quickly around the box and recycling the attack.”

Five minutes later Cuthbert and Ramirez come on, replacing Carter and Macario respectively.

“Ramirez, such a good signing. If I’m every other club in England, I would have been like, ‘These guys are just cheating, you can’t do this’. You get an injury and you sign Ramirez, are you kidding me? You can’t replace Kerr but you have to choose some of her qualities that you want to replace. Ramirez, just like Kerr, is an absolute monster in wanting to score goals. She just has that killer instinct. She’s technical, quick, powerful, she beats players, runs in behind, links up. One of Kerr’s best qualities is the bigger the moment, the bigger she is. We’ll see if Ramirez also has that special quality. Who can pick up a ball one vs one and absolutely eliminate their defender and get in on goal. How many players in the WSL can do that? Not many. That can be impactful in tight games.

Parsons notes the pace, energy and quality have gone up since Ramirez and Cuthbert have come on. “I love Cuthbert,” he says. “Wow, what a player. Jonathan Giraldez at Barcelona likes Cuthbert too.

“She’s a warrior, built for the big moments, midfield general, energy to run, controls games with her intelligence and technique. She’s a pitbull when it comes to defending.”

It’s the 93rd minute and Hamano makes a small error. Cuthbert, from the middle of the pitch, advises her. “Hamano , she’s done, she can’t move,” says Parsons. “But also how Cuthbert delivered that, it was strong but very warm: ‘I want to help you.’ When you have two or three players with that leadership in your team, my god, everything gets so much easier.”

The full-time whistle goes. Chelsea have been in “cruise control”, says Parsons, for the last part of the game, especially with Villa being a player down.

“Chelsea’s chance creation was back to some of their best, I’d reinforce that, they need to take that into Barcelona,” says Parsons. “At some point Chelsea are going to have the ball and lose it. Barca have some electric players. Villa had some great moments with one-two touch. Well that’s Barca every moment. Emma’s a seasoned traveller to days like this. Other coaches are tourists and it could have become a lot harder than it was.”

(Top photo: Charlotte Harpur/The Athletic)