USWNT boss Emma Hayes reveals how bizarre training method helped Chelsea usurp Arsenal as dominant force in WSL

Hayes, who currently manages the United States women's national team, parted ways with Chelsea at the end of the 2023/24 season. In the last 12 years, under the British manager's tutelage, the Blues won multiple accolades including a record seven WSL titles and five Women's FA Cups.

However, when Hayes moved to Stamford Bridge in 2012, the Blues women's side were yet to win any major trophy and were completely dominated by their city rivals Arsenal who at that point had won back-to-back league titles. The 47-year-old manager recently revealed how she removed the fear of losing from her players' minds and eventually transformed them into a world-class unit.

Speaking on BBC The One Show, the ex-Chelsea manager said, "Chelsea, when I took them over, couldn't beat Arsenal. I'm gonna desensitise the player's brains in and around. So I got a kit from Arsenal and I used to coach Arsenal so I managed to get hold of one. I almost used to use it every day in training. We were having a waiver game, if you were stuck in the middle, you'd get the Arsenal jersey. And by a few weeks of using it, players became less fearful of it."

The new era at Stamford Bridge under French coach Sonia Bompastor is set to kick off on September 20 as Chelsea take on Aston Villa in their WSL opener.