Lauren James: Chelsea boss Emma Hayes hails 'maverick' forward for 'unplayable' performance against Arsenal

Emma Hayes described Lauren James as a "maverick” after she was instrumental in Chelsea’s 3-1 victory over Arsenal on Friday night.

The victory moves Hayes’ side three points clear of Manchester City, though the latter have a game in hand, and Arsenal are now six points behind having played 16 games, the same as Chelsea.

James was crucial in the win, as she scored the first goal of the game, was part of the build-up to Sjoeke Nusken's first of her brace. The home side raced to a 3-0 lead after just 32 minutes at Stamford Bridge, before conceding a consolation late on.

James has scored 13 goals in 22 Women's Super League matches so far this season, putting her second in the goal-scoring standings, and Hayes said she was “unplayable”.

"It's a playground for her out there,” she told press afterwards. "We coach many different players. Lauren is a maverick. It's not always perfect, it's not always on point. It's not always consistent in every element of her game, but I will tell you this much: I understand that person.

"I do really well with maverick players. If I look over the course of my career, I don't know why but I just deal really well with that type of player. Do I relate to her as a Londoner? Maybe. I try to teach her all the time little bits that are really, really valuable on the way.”

However, she cautioned that both she and England manager Sarina Wiegman can find her a difficult player to guide.

She added: "She's not easy to manage, Sarina would say the same thing. Sarina and I work together to try to get on the same pages for LJ, and I think Sarina and I's relationship has been top in terms of managing that.

"You just have to put people in the right positions to be able to perform, simplify their roles. Sometimes I don't think I will get it from her all the time, I wish I would. That's the next step but she's played so many more minutes than last year at a higher level.

"Sometimes I think we all expect extraordinary things from her and don't get them. But tonight, I thought she was just unplayable."

Hayes gave more details on the challenges faced by managing James.

She said: "She doesn't always understand her boundaries with certain situations. If she wants something, she can be extremely demanding. But I love LJ, I love that kid and she can be infuriating sometimes for her team, but I love her."

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