Erin Cuthbert: Chelsea's unsung star making a name for herself with Champions League heroics

Cuthbert hasn’t suddenly found this level in the last few weeks, though. The Scot has been superb for the past couple of seasons following a positional switch. Chelsea were crying out for a battling, deep-lying midfielder and, after operating in several different roles in her time in London to that point, Cuthbert was the player Hayes turned to for that duty in pre-season two years ago.

She had previous experience in the middle of the park, playing there in her homeland before joining Chelsea as a teenager, so it wasn’t completely new. However, the former Glasgow City star had more recently been playing as a wing-back in England and, as such, it was going to take some readjustment.

“During the [2021-22] season, I got thrown in [midfield] and didn’t really have a lot of time to work on it,” Cuthbert told Sky Sports at the time of the switch. “This pre-season, it’s actually been a blessing the Euros happening for me. I had a lot of one-to-one time to solidify and nail down that position and get to know the ins and outs of it. When we went on the pre-season tour, it was really good. I’m finally glad the time has come.

"It was a big reason in [my] contract renewal. I wanted to be a midfielder. I know that I’m best in midfield. You know as a player where you feel most comfortable, where you feel best and I feel that midfield is my home and I want to prove that to everybody.”

She’s certainly proved it in the 18 months or so since. Cuthbert has made the No.6 role her own with a well-rounded blend of tenacity, quality in possession and attacking intent. In fact, the stats show how brilliantly she impacts the game in all areas. In the Women’s Super League this season, the Scot leads the way for Chelsea in tackles won and interceptions made, she’s second for the number of times she has regained possession and sits just outside the top five for aerial duels won. That shows the important battling qualities she brings to the role.

In possession, she’s third for touches, successful passes in general and those that go into the final third, showcasing her influence on the ball. But the latter is a glimpse at how she still affects things in the attack, even if she’s moved into a slightly more reserved role. Cuthbert ranks fourth for chances created and joint-fifth for shots on target, boasting eight goals in all competitions.

After being deployed in various positions over the years, she has found her home in this Chelsea side, and the place where she can have her biggest and best influence for one of the best teams in Europe.

Hayes agrees. “She’s definitely in the form of her career at Chelsea,” she said of Cuthbert earlier this season. “I think she drives the midfield and she has been so consistent with that. She is getting more and more confident in all areas of the midfield play, where we’ve worked on with her. She’s fearless.”

It suits the approach that Cuthbert has to football, too, which is being on the front foot and in the thick of the action. “I like to be involved. I like to find the trouble. I like the chaos, so I go and find it in the game,” she told Sky Sports. "The problem at wing-back is that you rely on the ball coming to you. In midfield, you can go and get the ball, whether it is on the left or the right. If you are a right wing-back and it is on the left, you are not involved.

"You have to be open to learn,” she added of her time in other roles. “As disappointed as I was that I was not playing in midfield, it has taught me a lot. Playing in all of these different positions has taught me to have an appreciation and a better knowledge of the game. A lot of it in midfield is reading the game. I have more experience now than the average person my age given the number and the calibre of games that I have played in as well. When I play midfield now, I have better game knowledge, better understanding."

All of that has helped Cuthbert grow into one of the leaders on this team, too, with her regularly sporting the captain’s armband in the absence of usual skipper Millie Bright this season.

You only have to hear Cuthbert speak to understand why she suits this sort of role. After beating Arsenal earlier this season, the midfielder spoke about how “fired up” she was for the game. When asked more on why, her response showed how much responsibility she feels on the pitch. “I have a very good memory of the last game (a 4-1 defeat) and I know that certainly the midfield battle was won by them,” she replied. “I take that quite personally as a player.”

After seven years together at the club, Hayes’ influence on Cuthbert’s development into that leader is clear, too. The Scotland star has, in many ways, grown up in the blue corner of London, signed by the manager when she was still just 18 years old. She’s developed a lot as a player and a person in the time since.

“Emma has done a lot for me,” Cuthbert told the Evening Standard last month. “I feel like I behave more like Emma, like a mini-Emma. She is quite direct in her actions, likes to get things done, won't mess around, and I think I have become more like that. I see that when I go away to the national team that I start having behaviours like Emma. But you are a by-product of who you surround yourself with. Her and her staff have driven the whole culture in Chelsea to be one club, and for that I am eternally grateful.”

It’s no surprise, then, that Cuthbert is among the many keen to send Hayes out on a high as she prepares to depart to take charge of the United States women's national team. Just a month ago, the talk was of a quadruple, but back-to-back cup defeats have knocked that down to a double, with the WSL and Champions League still on the table.

The latter is the big one. Cuthbert herself has admitted it is the trophy she really wants and it is the only honour Hayes has not won in her 12 years as Chelsea manager.

Of course, it’ll be tough to get over the line in this semi-final, never mind lift the title. Barca are one of the best teams in the world, if not the best, and they are sure to up their level for the second leg. Chelsea’s challenge will be to ensure their defence is even sturdier than it was in a first leg in which they didn’t concede a single shot on target.

“It’s important to stay disciplined against a team like Barcelona, who try to drag you out of certain spaces,” Cuthbert said after the game in Catalunya. “As an aggressive player, I like to be front-footed, but if you go forward you then leave a lot of space behind. So I was really disciplined in my performance.”

And still, she managed to pull out a moment of magic to win the game and put Chelsea in an incredible position for Saturday’s return leg. Cuthbert really can do it all – and that is part of what makes her so brilliant. Her list of individual accolades may be small, but her team-mates, her coaches and even those representing the opposition know just how valuable she is.