“I don’t think I’ve ever had so much energy,” says Maren Mjelde with a big grin. “I prefer having this many games now, because of the Covid situation.” Matches are coming thick and fast now for the Chelsea right‑back. An intense tie against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League last 16 (where they played 78 minutes of the first leg with 10 players) were sandwiched between a London derby against West Ham, while on Sunday they meet Bristol City in the Continental League Cup final at Vicarage Road.
The Norwegian, though, is enjoying the ride. “The whole year has been weird, the whole season has been a bit weird, so it’s good to have as many games as possible,” Chelsea’s captain says. “The games are the highlight of the week and we have three a week, we’re so privileged. Privileged that we get to play, train every day and see our teammates.”
The 31-year-old has become an increasingly important part of Emma Hayes’s team since she joined from Avaldsnes in 2016. A key factor is her versatility: after Sophie Ingle’s red card against Atlético, Mjelde was shifted to centre-back, where she plays for Norway. Meanwhile, of the five penalties awarded across both games, two were scored by Mjelde. More than a jack of all trades, she is a master of them all. In fact, it is easier to ask her where she has not played.
“I did have one game as a goalkeeper, but I was really young so I don’t count that. At senior level I haven’t played goalkeeper and I haven’t played striker, but all the other positions I’ve played.”
If asked a couple of years ago where she prefers to play she would have said midfield and, after some agonising, concedes it is probably still her “dream position”.
Being versatile or a utility player is often viewed somewhat negatively. Mjelde herself has questioned whether she should stick in one place, but now she has embraced the advantages. “Being able to adapt to different positions makes me a better player. I’m able to read the game properly, in a different way to other players,” she says.
“I know what almost the whole of team needs from me because I’ve seen the whole pitch, the whole picture and I can control the game a bit more.
“I can help players too, like this week, Niamh [Charles, who was brought on after the red card] has played at right-back three times. So I’m thinking about what would I need from my centre-back if I was her. I can relate, and I want to help people around me, I think that is one of my strengths.”
Much like her position on the pitch, Mjelde is keeping her options open off it. As well as playing three games a week she is also working towards gaining her Uefa B licence and is studying for an MBA.
Perhaps because Mjelde has always lived and breathed football, that has led to a positional awareness that makes her so adept at adopting new roles. Her older brother Erik was also a footballer, her father was her first coach and her mother and younger brother played, too, but not to a high level. It was Erik that she idolised.
“He was a Liverpool fan and his favourite player was Robbie Fowler and so he was obviously my favourite player as well. I didn’t have a clue. I was probably five,” she says. “But he said: ‘No, you have to pick someone else.’ So then I picked Stan Collymore. I don’t even know why I did. I remember when he left Liverpool I was crying, which is a bit bizarre,” she says with a laugh.
There were no women as role models because she did not see female footballers until she joined up with the national team’s senior side aged 15. “I remember in my first session with the women’s team I was shocked at the level of some of the players, they were incredible.”
Now it is the training at Chelsea that continues to surprise and push her. As a defender, facing teammates such as the European player of the year, Pernille Harder, the Australia striker Sam Kerr and England’s Beth England and Fran Kirby day in, day out is helping her improve.
“The quality and intensity in our training is unbelievable,” she says. “If you play against our attacking players you won’t rest, there is 90 minutes of hard work and high intensity. So the internal games have been some of the hardest and worst games this season.”
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It is not those forwards taking penalties, though – it is Mjelde. Hayes described her as “cold as ice” when she steps up to the spot. That attitude epitomises the ruthlessness that runs through Chelsea. They put 14 goals past fellow finalists Bristol City across two WSL games this season and remain on course for the quadruple.
“It’s going to be a totally different game playing against them now,” cautions Mjelde. “They’ve done well recently. It’s a cup final for both teams. We know that we won it last year for the first time but our group is so hungry and focused.”
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