THE MOVERS AND SHAKERS PART 2 RECAP OF CHELSEAS SEASON 2024

In the second half of the season, she has had more twists and turns than the first. January pre-season was a chance to train somewhere above 10 degrees in Morrocco. But don’t all fans wish this camp never happened as it was in a training session where the golden star Sam Kerr damaged her ACL, which has plagued the women’s game and future wonder players.

SAM KERR

The Australian international, with 99 goals in 128 matches since joining in 2019, was ruled out for the rest of Emma’s hates last season as Chelsea boss and likely not to partake in the Paris Olympics for her national team. This was a significant loss for Chelsea as their central striker was out for a significant period, and they had to find their goals elsewhere. It was fortunate timing as the January transfer window was open, and they needed a striker desperately, especially as soon after Kerr's ACL injury, a second Chelsea women's striker, the young and promising Mia Fishal, also sustained the same injury. This injury would lie taken out for 10-12 months, depending on the physio and rehab provided based on other players who have had similar injuries in her position on the pitch with the likes of Manchester City and England legend Chloe Kelly. However, there were some possible goal-scoring replacements with her unexpected debut season Aggie Beever-Jones being thrashed into the spotlight and th. The first team squad as a super sub and the return to fitness of Cartina Macario, who is not an outright number nine like Sam Kerr, made it hard for Chelsea to win most games in the future with a convincing scoreline. Still, it was just their scoreline that won them the league in the end. It’s been made worse by the fact that due to Bright's injury, Kerr had taken over the captaincy temporarily, so they also lost a team leader and would have to find a new one quickly.

With the loss of Kerr upfront and bright in defence, there were some gaps to be filled. Chelsea's defence had become fractured and unstable, possibly due to Magdalena Erickson leaving Chelsea at the end of the previous season.

Chelsea desperately needed some fresh legs to step up to the plate. First came Nathalie Bjorn, the 26-year-old centre who moved from Everton on a three-and-a-half-year deal to summer 2027, a similar length as the summer 2023 signing. She joined her fellow compatriots Muscovite and Rytting Kaneryd after an eventful summer, finishing third in the World Cup. She is known for her ability to score not just defend but also perfect mix and a suitable cover for the absent Bright with tons of WSL experience under her belt. However, she was cup-tied in the FA Cup as she had already played in that competition at Everton and, therefore, could not help Chelsea in those games. Bjorn said within Chelsea Football Club: "It feels amazing! To sign for one of the biggest clubs in Europe feels like part of a dream that you had when you were young. I’m very excited to get this journey started."

Next came the last-minute sweep of Mayra Ramirez, who signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with the Blues. She was seen as an automatic replacement for Sam Kerr. However, she was more for the future than the present, as she had to learn the game in a new environment and language. This was helped by Hampton being bilingual in Spanish. The main thing to come out of her signing is to become the most experienced female footballer, a record previously held by Kiera Welsh on her move to Barcelona. Ramirez said to Chelsea Football Club: “I am very honoured to be a part of Chelsea. To be part of such a huge club is a dream come true and one I’ve had since I was a little girl.”Concerning Ramirez, “the operation amounts to 450,000 euros, plus 50,000 euros in bonuses,” said the Spanish club in a press release. These will be unlocked if the Colombian plays “at least 30% of matches”. These figures remain very far from the record for men's soccer, still held by Neymar (from Barça to PSG for 222 million euros in 2017).

The change-up did not end with the ACL injury to Mia Fishal, only in her first season at Chelsea has been ruled out extensively; however, she will not miss out on Emma Hayes's words of wisdom when she becomes her international manager for the USA. The first few months of the new year plagued Chelsea as another forward was out. Mia fished and sustained her injury while on international duty. United States interim head coach Twila Kilogre said in a press conference with the US Soccer: "I'm gutted for Mia, and I know the team and the entire staff is as well.” Like Kerr, she will not be able to represent her country at her first-ever Olympics in Paris. She had moved from tigers on. £250,000 deal and had to deal with a more significant goal-scoring burden since the injury of Sam Kerr. However, both ACL-injured players have received—the necessary surgeries and rehab with the club's medical team to get them back to goal-scoring fitness.

Things just kept going wrong for Chelsea; after scrapping into the final of the continental cup by the skin of their teeth, the hopes for the triple ended quickly. Emma Hayes has now lost back-to-back conventional cup finals, which is uncommon for her side to do. This was the only silverware Arsenal will achieve again this season and the only trophy in which Jonas has one. It was not until the 116 minutes that an adrenalin goal hit the back of the net by Balcksetnius. It seemed everything was going against Chelsea, with a first-half goal by Mayra Ramirez being ruled out by VAR for Erin Cuthbert's handball in the build-up. However, that was not the main story of the game. There was a matching delay of seven minutes as Arsenal Midfielder Frida Maanum collapsed in extra time; however, she was announced to be conscious and talking when the final whistle was blown. There is a whole article run down of this match on the match review page. This match meant the end of the possibility that, in her initial season, she would win the triple, which only Arsenal had completed; however, not in the modern era when Hayes was part of the staff there.                                

The main news on the front page after the game was not the Arsenal win or the collapse of their midfielder but was the disagreement between Jonas Eidevall and the somewhat unsuccessful Arsenal women's manager, who is in tenure has only one the conventional cup with Emma hayes the most decorated WSL manager ever. It started with the altercation by the arsenal boss with Erin Cuthbert during the game. It was an issue with the agreed one-ball game instead of a multi-ball game in which Erin wanted to use another ball in the last few minutes, which Eidevall aggressively told her was not part of the original agreement. To be fair to him, he was correct, but it was merely how he went about it that was the problem for the Chelsea manager, leading him to be booked for the incident, though Hayes believed a dismissal was more justified. That was only the beginning of an aggressive handshake; Chelsea's boss then pushed him away in her anger at the result, her reasoning being he did not conduct himself correctly on the touchline, so she went for an eye for an eye ideology. However, there have been previous rumours of Joan's aggressive behaviour and Emma Hayes's aggressive passion for the games in this deep-rooted rivalry between the London clubs. Earlier this season, Manchester City boss Gareth Taylor accused Eidevall of “bullying” a fourth official. Jonas suggested he was happy with how he conducted himself; however, it's plain and simple if he did. No wrong, then why did he get carded? He did not professionally conduct himself, and his emotions got the better of both managers. Both managers are hungry for trophies and push for the best and have prominent personalities; therefore, it is no surprise they have bumped heads on numerous actions. 

That day's statement surrounded male aggression on the touchline due to his harassment/altercation with Cuthbert. It did shadow the win, but it painted an actual image of the lack of female diversity in managerial roles in the WSL. However, Emma Hayes avoided the topic and diverted WSL in many poems; it was a season that she wanted to move forward and soak up the time she had left at the club. She did acknowledge her behaviour and her need to control it and professionally go about this. However, no actions will be taken by either manager by the FA after a detailed investigation.

The spotlight on Cobham did not end there. They had to face their archnemesis in the Champions League, the retaining champion Barcelona, in the semi-final of the Champions League. It was a historic day in Barcelona with the first home defeat in 5 years due to a half-strike, but Erin Cuthbert gave Chelsea the upper hand after the first leg. Chelsea, who have faced Barca on many occasions, know they play a possession game; Chelsea just needed to hold their nerve. The goal came from a quick counterattack as the goal curled past Cata Coll after an intelligent one-two with Melanie Leuploz on the edge of the box. It felt like Chelsea could finally beat Barcelona and win the Champions League. Jess Carter came out of the player of the match with a stoic performance, being a crucial player all season due to the injury-ridden Millie Bright's absence. The house was given a penalty halfway through the second half; however, by the power of VAR, it was overturned due to Parlluelo being offside and interfering with the play. Barcelona was stunned, never tailing at home all season and did little to recover from this at the beginning of the second half. Chelsea was also declined a penalty after Ramirez appeared to be floored by Irene Paradne. 

The losses kept on coming. Chelsea, who in the past have reigned victorious in the FA, come to a crashing end. Away from home after the Champions League exit, united beat Chelsea 2-1 with goals from Lucia Garcia and Rachel Williams, a former Chelsea player. Chelsea started on the back foot in the first minute, with the advantage doubling near the end of the first half, but James did pull one back somewhere that was not enough for the visitors to save the FA dreams. This was the first time in history that United won against Chelsea and, in the end, lifted the trophy at Wembley by smashing Spurs, crowning a new FA Cup winner. This did not set Chelsea in a good mindset for the Champions League match; however, could there be some redemption? Also, having three games in a week was not helping their cause. Many unsuccessful attempts for James and Rytting Kaneryd, Ramirez and James and Charles all had missed opportunities they could collect the goal from. The game was controversial, from placing Millie Turner in a coke hold to a collision and a near penalty between Charles and Williams. On leaving the FA Cup Emma Hayes said to BBC: "I'm grateful for everything. I've been unbeaten in four years; that's an unbelievable record. As always, I'm reflective on what I need to do. Congratulations to Manchester United. Their fans put in a great shift for them. As a team, they performed well, and congrats to them." This was another game that went wrong. Still, there was no aggression and unnecessary sportsmanship by either manager but pure respect, with Hayes saying Earps produced a couple of world-class saves. This is the first time in 4 years that Chelsea has not won or got to the final of the FA Cup, and it was the only league they could retain for the 5th year in a row.

That high came crashing down at home, Stamford Bridge, in front of a sell-out crowd with the ending of Hayes's hopes to win the Champions League, but it did not come without controversy. In the 25th minute, Ballon D’or holder Bonmati's deflected strike put the visitor level in aggregate. Chelsea had chances through which Leupolz struck the crossbar from close range, but it was wasteful from the blue. They failed to capitalise on their chances. The red card of Buchanan was controversial, and it was seen that the defender appeared to win the ball in the battle with Patri Guijarro. It kept getting worse with Bonmati winning a penalty, Rolfo converting it into the side going to the final, and Chelsea beating the Spaniards. More heartbreak, it being Emma Hayes's last game at Stamford Bridge and another chance of a trophy slipping out of her hands. These games were the ones where the likes of Bright and Kerr were missing in converting those near misses and opportunities into goals. The ending of Buchanan, as described by Hayes, is the “worst decision” in the competition's history. "I didn't think it was a foul, let alone a yellow card," Hayes said to BBC.

She was not the only one with this view. The commentators and the likes of Ian Wright commented on the disgraceful decision. This came after long and tiring practice and training by the players to get to this point, but they were unfortunately pipped at the last hurdle.

This meant that the double was out, and it was all on the league now. For Emma Hayes to go trophyless would have been a disaster and a disservice to her impact on women's football in England.

Then the loss to Liverpool, which could only be seen as the last nail in the coffin in a season to forget for Chelsea women's fans, 4-3 defeat at Prenton Park put Manchester City ahead in the league. Even Hayes wrote off the team winning the league from quadruple hopes to a trophyless scrambled season. Things kept going wrong for the Blues, something they did not experience in the league. However, all this changed thanks to Arsenal forward Blaksteinous's two injury-time goals, meaning the city lost to Arsenal and Chelsea were back in the game again and with newfound desire and conviction that they could do it on the final day with only goal difference separating the sides equal on points. This does not dampen the Red's efforts and ability to break down again this Chelsea team, which is a remarkable feat in the first place and a shock to the players, though the lack of goal scorer Ramierez or James and those injured was no surprise goals were few and far between. 

Chelsea still had to beat Bristol City and the Spurs with an impact goal line to take advantage over City, who had Aston Villa on the final day, compared to Chelsea playing Manchester United, who had just won the FA Cup at this point. However, it seems impossible for Chelsea to win. "I couldn’t tell you [who will win the title]. It's not over," former England midfielder Fara Williams told BBC One. "Chelsea have a game in hand to play. The pres, sure, is on. It’s wide open for the last game of the season, and it’s super exciting." after a score line of 8-0 Against Bristol City, it seemed that things were looking up, and they had found their spark again and were given another chance and were going to grip onto it. But the lack of goals away from the Spurs meant only a goal difference between first and second place going into the last day. Still, Chelsea was happy enough to take the three points with a first goal in blue for the young Hamano, which was a beautiful moment for her and the players.

Manchester United was still riding the high from its trophy in the FA Cup at Wembley, which Chelsea won against them the year before. That high could either push them into the final game and squeeze everything out of Chelsea or still be recovering from the Victory hangover. 

Cup competitions this season have proved tricky. There was a defeat to Arsenal in the Conti Cup final and semi-final exits in the Champions League and FA Cup. Man Utd knocked them out in the latter, and Bright admits Chelsea do not want to lose in their first meeting with them since that game.

It's not just the fifth year Chelsea has won the WSL but also the fifth successive year the title race went down to the final day. The city relied on the United, their City rivals, to help it claim its first wsl crown since 2016. but they had to face Aston Villa, who wanted to go out on high at Villa Park for the end of the manager's time with the club.

However, up north, something was brewing in the Chelsea side, a side that, last time they faced United, produced an under-armed performance, to say the least, came out all guns blazing, knowing they were given a second chance a redemption in the league and that they needed all the goals they could get to increase the previous two goals different with the city. They precisely achieved that in a 6-0 victory at Old Trafford. It was the perfect send-off for Emma Hayes and a range of go scorers from Rameriz, Rytting Kanaryd, Nusken, Leuopolz and the Chelsea all-time top scorer on her last game in blue Fran Kirby as she bids farewell after coming off the bench. It was a sense of reliance for Hayes to retain the title, saying it was the toughest title race ever. But it was the quirky connection by Sam Kerr said to Chelsea Womens instagram “thank you, Blacksteinus”, who, without her late double goal against the city, would not have given Chelsea the trophy. It is the humour that can be found that makes Victor sweeter and the fact Chelsea had to dig deep for this one, and it was not handed to them quickly, and they had to work for it due to the lack of a striker due to injuries. Captain Millie Bright, who was back in top performance just before England camp, said, "It was pretty special, but when half the country writes you off - we've got the monster mentality, we've shown it season after season," she told Sky Sports. in the end hayes did come aware with the league in her final season which probably drove the player more in the final game knowing it was there to lose for the second time after that defeat to Liverpool and at home to city months before ended a long streak of home victories at kings meadow. But it was bittersweet for Manchester City veteran Steph Haughton, who could not lift her final trophy before retiring from professional football after a personal battle with an injury ending her international captaincy.

Bright's injury return has been timed well. She was called up to Sarina Wiegman's latest squad for the European Qualifiers against France, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland this week - her first involvement since October.

"I adore representing my country, being out there doing what I love and being with my friends," Bright exclusively told Sky Sports said. "I can't wait to get back out there; I'm super excited that I was able to make the end of the season to get some minutes in before selection.”

 Emma Hayes spoke exclusively with The Telegraph on how Sir Alex Ferguson warned him how hard it is to retain and dominate a league over a long period, Hayes being 12 years as a Chelsea manager. 

I'm going to have a glass of wine with Sir Alex. He warned me of this, and let me tell you, this is the hardest thing to do. She said she "wouldn't change a thing" about her time in charge. "I had my last drive into work today, my office is already cleared out, it's my last coaching session with a group of people who I have built strong bonds with," she said as she reflected on her career in a news conference.

Hayes said in a pre-match press conference "I wouldn't change a single thing, and I am so delighted to get one more training session with my team and one more game, and I know we're going to enjoy it.”

November 2023, as announced of her departure. The face of English women's football is leaving after over a decade of blue dominance has come to an end. 

Lauren James is the season's top scorer with 18 goals in all competitions. But my top 4 players of the season were Nusken, making the most appearances for a Chelsea player. Beever-Jones, in her first team break-out season, came in and scored crucial goals for the club when they needed them. Jess Carter, who was voted players Player of the Season for her impeccable defensive work, took a firm hold position in the back due to the season-long injury to Millie Bright. and Rytting Konaryd constantly delivered a perfect ball into the box and honestly and listening genius. It was a team effort by all that was able to take heartbreak and injuries and a rough season for the women's team and still be successful and competitive and bring some trophies back to Cobham.