5 months ago
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Calum McFarlane said he's had a “whirlwind” 24 hours astatine Chelsea since being elevated from Under-21s manager to interim manager and past tasked with facing Pep Guardiola and Manchester City connected Sunday (January 4, 2026).
The Englishman was enactment successful complaint portion Chelsea finds a replacement for Enzo Maresca. McFarlane led squad grooming Friday aft his information walk was upgraded truthful helium could entree the first-team building.
“It’s been a brainsick 24 hours, a whirlwind arsenic you tin imagine, but it’s besides been truly enjoyable and exciting,” McFarlane said.
The London nine announced connected Thursday that Maresca near his presumption arsenic manager — pursuing a reported deterioration successful his narration with the team’s hierarchy.
Liam Rosenior, who coaches French squad Strasbourg — a nine successful the aforesaid ownership radical arsenic Chelsea, has been reported to beryllium a starring contender for the job.
On Sunday, though, McFarlane volition pb the Blues astatine Etihad Stadium against a manager who has surpassed the 1,000-game people successful charge.
“The vigor and enthusiasm successful grooming was exceptional today,” said McFarlane, who worked successful City's academy successful the 2020-21 play earlier moving to Southampton and past Chelsea. “They look truly focused, they’re truly driven, hungry. They cognize we’ve got a monolithic crippled connected Sunday, and were going to person to beryllium astatine our best.”
Chelsea starts the 2nd fractional of the Premier League play successful 5th place. The Blues are 3 points backmost of fourth-place Liverpool but besides conscionable 3 points up of 11th-place Fulham.
The crippled astatine City is the archetypal of 9 matches for Chelsea this period successful each competitions.
Chelsea is seeking a 5th full-time manager since the takeover of the nine by American investors, fronted by Todd Boehly, successful May 2022.
Maresca was successful complaint for 18 months and won the Conference League and Club World Cup successful his archetypal play astatine Chelsea.
