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Chelsea interim manager Calum McFarlane has described a “crazy 24 hours” after being asked to step up from the under-21s to lead the first-team away in the Champions League. Manchester City on Sunday.
former southampton Youth team coach called into club Cobham Shortly after deciding to part ways with the company, Thursday lunchtime at the training center Enzo Marescaand told that he would be in charge of Etihad Airways.
After rushing to prepare a pass to get him into the first-team building, he led the team in training ahead of Friday’s trip to Manchester.
Sunday’s game will be McFarland’s first game in charge of the senior side.
“It was a crazy 24 hours, a whirlwind as you can imagine, but really exciting,” he said. “I can only feel positive. It was an amazing experience.”
Maresca left Chelsea on Thursday after the club became unhappy with talk of the Italian potentially replacing Pep Guardiola. City He was unwilling to listen to the advice of the club’s medical staff regarding the health of his players.
Within 24 hours of Maresca’s departure, Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior emerged as the favorite to take over at Stamford Bridge, the French Ligue 1 club owned by Chelsea owner BlueCo.
The former Hull City manager refused to rule out a move to west London during a pre-arranged press conference on Friday.
“In life, there are zero guarantees,” he said. “You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow. I’m just doing my job.
“There has been speculation. I don’t want to guarantee how long I will stay here, but I am happy here every day. I intend to continue doing this as long as I am here. I love this club, but I can’t guarantee anything. No one can.”
Ronniol, who was sacked by Hull at the end of the 2023/24 season after guiding the club to seventh place in the Championship, guided Strasbourg into La Liga after a strong performance in Ligue 1 last season.
In explaining his decision at the time, Tigers boss Acun Ilicali suggested the 41-year-old was unable to get the team to play the attacking style of football he wanted.
“There’s a lot of noise, a lot of speculation,” Ronniol said Friday. “But as a coach, if you get involved, you fail. This is my job and I love this club.”
Meanwhile, McFarlane, who only joined Chelsea from Saints last summer, will enjoy a rapid, albeit temporary, promotion.
He is currently tasked with getting the team ready to face Manchester City, but beyond that the immediate future is unclear.
“I was formally introduced this morning,” he said. “My pass was changed to let me in. It’s exactly the same as when you work. We’re all in it for the same reason, we both love football.”
“There was a lot of energy[in Friday’s practice]. We couldn’t ask for more.
“The energy and enthusiasm are extraordinary. They look really focused, driven and hungry. They know we have a big game on Sunday. They’re professionals, they’ve been doing this for a long time. They’ve been here before.”