'Workaholic' Wiegman v 'winner' Hayes as England host USA

Sarina Wiegman (left) and Emma Hayes have both won major trophies at international level

Two of the world's best coaches will go head to head on Saturday as England welcome the United States to Wembley Stadium for a friendly international.

The mouth-watering contest sees Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman face off with the USA's Emma Hayes for the first time.

Both coaches have enjoyed their fair share of success - but what are the differences between the two? BBC Sport takes a look.

'Her door is always open' - how players view the coaches

USA defender Emily Fox told BBC Sport that Hayes is a "winner" and it has been a seamless transition since her arrival in the summer.

The squad have regular "culture meetings" under Hayes and there is an "emphasis on days off" so players and staff can return refreshed.

"We have cook-outs [BBQs] for example and it’s not all about football. Emma and her son come in so it just brings a sense of humanity," added Fox.

"It's knowing that it’s not always going to be perfect but putting in effort and doing your best is what matters."

Meanwhile, England defender Lucy Bronze said Wiegman has given the players "confidence" and "calmness" - a theme of their Euro 2022 success.

"It’s nice when you have that confidence in your team-mates and the manager as well. She always has her door open so you can speak to her," said Bronze.

"She likes to be challenged but she is very honest. That works well for this team - having that honesty to tell you 'we need to push on, we need to change this' and being very open-minded.

"That is part of the reason we did so well at the Euros and why we have always done well under Sarina."

Two different managing styles

Players often spoke about being kept on their toes by Hayes and she would demand high standards from them daily in training and matches.

A big part of her coaching philosophy has been to create high-pressure situations so as to develop "mentality monsters" that were rife at Chelsea.

Fox said when Hayes arrived, the players wanted to "show what we could do" to return to winning ways.

"With Emma, the cohesion was perfect. She had players who were hungry and wanted to learn, with a coach who is also ambitious and wants to win," said Fox.

"It just worked and we were able to win gold. We knew it was going to be a grind. Each game mattered. We were up for it and wanted to be in the moment."

While Hayes is tactically shrewd and often reacts to situations in games, Wiegman has a clear gameplan and backs her team to see it through, no matter the opposition.

She did not change her starting XI once during England's Euro win and has not sprung many surprises in her team selections since.

"Everyone is on the same page so when things change it doesn't matter," Wiegman said after England beat Spain in the Euros quarter-finals.

On route to the 2023 Women's World Cup final, Wiegman had back-up plans for England's injuries.

Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo formed a partnership up front and Katie Zelem filled in for midfielder Keira Walsh when she suffered a knee injury.

Poems, pubs & privacy - dealing with the media

Hayes' punchy press conferences and humour often dominate headlines.

She said her Chelsea side "purred" after they beat Arsenal to win the Women's FA Cup, days after opposing manager Jonas Eidevall admitted he was superstitious about black cats.

She also read out a poem in response to criticism over her remarks on player-player relationships and admitted to playing "mind games" when she conceded Chelsea had lost the WSL title with defeat by Liverpool.

In the build-up to the USA's game against England at Wembley, Hayes returned to her local Camden pub and held a news conference there, in between pouring pints behind the bar and chatting with friends and family.

Wiegman is a stark contrast in public.

She is understated, does not particularly enjoy doing media, usually says things how they are and does not interact regularly on social media.

In media conferences, Wiegman rarely singles out individuals and has said before that the "outside world" is too "results focused".

At major tournaments, she encourages the squad to cut themselves off from the public as much as possible, often referring to "our bubble" and sticking to strict plans.

A 'life coach' and a 'workaholic'

Hayes was known during her time at Chelsea as a ruthless winner, leading them to five successive Women's Super League titles between 2019 and 2024, having been willing to make sacrifices and tough decisions along the way.

It was shown in the club's 2022 DAZN documentary how, when she delivered a team talk, she vowed to replace her players and "find better ones" if they did not deliver.

Off the pitch, Hayes regularly leads conversation on women's health, covering a range of issues such as the menstrual cycle and player welfare.

Chelsea captain and England defender Millie Bright once described Hayes as "a mentor, a friend and a life coach", adding it was "more than football playing under her".

There is a similar ruthlessness in Wiegman.

She did not waste time in naming a new England captain when she took over, handing the armband to Leah Williamson and leaving Steph Houghton out of her squad for Euro 2022.

But there is also pragmatism from Wiegman, a meticulous planner who was described as "a workaholic" by experienced Dutch coach Foppe de Haan.

Striker Beth England said in 2023: "She tells us when things aren't right and she's not shy to be savage and brutal when she needs to be."

Wiegman was a teacher before her coaching days and she is protective over her players, with some referring to her as a "mother-like" figure.

"The reality is my life before Sarina Wiegman and my life after Sarina Wiegman is totally different," goalkeeper Mary Earps said last year.

Respect is mutual - but 'it will be competitive'

"At kick-off, it will be competitive, it will be business," said Hayes this week as she reflected on the meeting between the two coaches.

During her time as Chelsea boss, she regularly worked with Wiegman as they managed England players.

"I'm looking forward to seeing Sarina. I love her. We had a great relationship when I was at Chelsea. She's someone I really look up to," said Hayes.

"She has done an amazing job for football in this country and for the Lionesses. I look forward to giving her a hug and saying hi."

The respect is mutual and Wiegman smiled as she was asked in her press conference last week about Hayes' success with the USA.

On Friday she told BBC Radio 5 Live that Hayes had done an "amazing job" with Chelsea and the USA - but she wants to beat her friend at Wembley.

"She was ready to start doing something else. You could tell the excitement she had. The USA team were ready for her and that showed in the summer," said Wiegman.

"Of course, when you work in this environment you must be competitive and I am. I have [the friendly rivalry] now with Andries Jonker.

"He coached me and now he coaches the Dutch team so I really want to beat him and he wants to beat me!

"We are all friends and are one big family [in this industry] but when we play each other, we definitely want to beat each other."