Whatever animosity there was between the teams in the past, the current managers have packed their media appearances with mutual compliments, and radiated enough warmth to defrost the Wembley pitch. Emma Hayes, who swapped Chelsea for the USA, is looking forward to a hug from Sarina Wiegman. The Dutchwoman, in turn, was thrilled for Hayes's instant gold in Paris this summer, only 72 days after she began training the side.
If the Netherlands, Wiegman's previous team, hadn't scuppered Team GB's Olympic qualification, the first meeting between Wiegman and Hayes might not have been quite this friendly. But the first time that the English game's two most successful female football coaches met on the pitch was always going to be a fascinating prospect, whenever it happened.
Their only previous clashes have been over player availability, during the years they shared custody of some of the same star names. That must have been an interesting tussle, given that both women have a reputation for being "direct". And yet their personalities don't appear, at first sight, particularly similar. You can't imagine Wiegman going off script to deliver an on-camera takedown of Joey Barton's misogyny. It's just as hard to picture Hayes turning up on the sidelines in an M&S suit and oversize glasses.
This story is from the November 29, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the November 29, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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