LONDON (AP) — Calum McFarlane said he has had a “whirlwind” 24 hours at Chelsea since being appointed Under-21 coach…
LONDON (AP) — Calum McFarlane said he has had a “whirlwind” 24 hours at Chelsea since being promoted from Under-21 coach to interim manager and then tasked with playing against Pep Guardiola and Manchester City on Sunday.
The Englishman got the lead while Chelsea finds a replacement for Enzo Maresca. McFarlane led the team training on Friday after his security pass was upgraded to allow him access to the first-team building.
“It’s been a crazy 24 hours, a whirlwind as you can imagine, but it was also really fun and exciting,” said McFarlane.
The London club announced on Thursday that Maresca has left his position as manager following a reported deterioration in his relationship with the team’s hierarchy.
Liam Rosenior, who coaches French team Strasbourg – a club in the same ownership group as Chelsea, is said to be one of the leading contenders for the job.
But on Sunday, McFarlane will manage the Blues at the Etihad Stadium against a manager who has surpassed the 1,000 game mark the leadership.
“The energy and enthusiasm in training today was exceptional,” said McFarlane, who spent the 2020/21 season in City’s youth academy before moving to Southampton and then Chelsea. “They seem very focused, they are really driven and hungry. They know we have a huge game on Sunday and we have to be at our best.”
Chelsea starts the second half of the Premier League season in fifth place. The Blues are three points behind fourth-place Liverpool, but also just three points ahead of 11th-place Fulham.
The game at City is the first of nine games for Chelsea this month in all competitions.
Chelsea are looking for a fifth full-time manager since the Premier League takeover of the club by US investors, led by Todd Boehly, in May 2022.
Maresca was in charge for 18 months and won the Conference League And Club World Cup in his first season at Chelsea.
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