On January 1, it was announced that Chelsea and Enzo Maresca had parted ways, with various new reports suggesting that Chelsea will be quick in appointing a new manager, with Liam Rosenior the red-hot favourite. In the meantime, Chelsea had to face Man City, with Calum McFarlane taking on the interim managerial role, assisted by Harry Hudson and Dan Hogan. The new Chelsea dug out found themselves 1-0 down with the game running away from them, when a teasing cross from Malo Gusto was turned in by Enzo Fernandez, giving Chelsea a deserved point. After the dramatic draw, McFarlane spoke to the press, reflecting on the dramatic draw.
Calum McFarlane Discusses Managerial Role and Earning a Deserved Point
McFarlane Reflects on Chelsea’s Dramatic Point
Reflecting on the player’s attitudes and earning a late draw, McFarlane said: “Great experience. I’m really proud of the players and how they performed, especially in the second-half.”
When asked if he felt any nerves, the Chelsea interim boss said:
“Surprisingly not. I was expecting to feel it when I got to the stadium but I felt normal. Honestly, it felt really normal. I’ve done it for a long time; not at this level, of course.”
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Revealing his reason for the half-time change, in bringing Andrey Santos on for Estevao:
“We didn’t expect them to shape up the way they did in the first-half with the No.6 on the front line. We were getting pinned back at times. We made a change at half-time to go more man-to-man on the ball. Andrey Santos coming on at half-time and Enzo moving up one, I thought Andrey was exceptional. I thought Liam was a good sub as well because he gave us a really good outlet. The most impressive thing is the players, 1-0 down at the Etihad with all of the change, for them to take all that information speaks volumes about the characters we have at the club,” said McFarlane.
Interim Boss Reveals What Pep Said and Looks to the Future
Revealing what Pep said to him at full-time, McFarlane said: “I don’t remember actually. I shook his hand and said ‘good game’. It’s an honour to manage against someone like Pep Guardiola, the best to ever do it.”
Looking ahead to the future, McFarlane was asked if he would be in charge of the Chelsea under-21s game against Benfica on January 7:
“That will depend when the new manager comes in, if he comes in before Wednesday, I’ll look forward to taking the Under-21s against Benfica. But if he’s not in and the club needs me to take the Fulham game, I’ll be happy with that too,” said Chelsea’s interim boss.
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The under-21 coach was also asked about going over to the fans at the end of the game:
“I didn’t want to do that, to be honest, but Reece told me to. Some of them were shocked by the Enzo decision, so the character they have shown in the last few days. Reece is a big one. Reece, Tosin, Enzo, they have really dragged the team together. I can’t speak highly enough of the group. That’s another moment of Reece being selfless,” said McFarlane, praising the experienced players in the squad.
Whatever comes next for McFarlane, Hudson, and Hogan, they can be proud of themselves, and the players for this point, and whoever comes in permanently to the Stamford Bridge hot-seat can look to use this morale-boosting point to their advantage.
Featured Image Credit:
IMAGO / Visionhaus
