Interim Chelsea coach readies side for Man City
LONDON—Calum McFarlane said he’s had a “whirlwind” 24 hours at Chelsea since being elevated from Under-21s coach to interim manager and then tasked with facing Pep Guardiola and Manchester City on Sunday.
The Englishman was put in charge while Chelsea finds a replacement for Enzo Maresca. McFarlane led team training on Friday after his security pass was upgraded so he could access the first-team building.
“It’s been a crazy 24 hours, a whirlwind as you can imagine, but it’s also been really enjoyable and exciting,” McFarlane said.
The London club announced on Thursday that Maresca left his position as manager—following a reported deterioration in his relationship with the team’s hierarchy.
Leading candidate
Liam Rosenior, who coaches French team Strasbourg—a club in the same ownership group as Chelsea, has been reported to be a leading contender for the job.
On Sunday, though, McFarlane will lead the Blues at Etihad Stadium against a manager who has surpassed the 1,000-game mark in charge.
“The energy and enthusiasm in training was exceptional today,” said McFarlane, who worked in City’s academy in the 2020 to 2021 season before moving to Southampton and then Chelsea.
“They seem really focused, they’re really driven, hungry. They know we’ve got a massive game on Sunday and we’re going to have to be at our best.”
Chelsea starts the second half of the Premier League season in fifth place. The Blues are three points back of fourth-place Liverpool but also just three points ahead of 11th-place Fulham.
Nine matches
The game at City is the first of nine matches for Chelsea this month in all competitions.
Chelsea is seeking a fifth full-time manager since the takeover of the club by American investors, fronted 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.
Meanwhile, in Madrid, Mauro Arambarri scored in the last minute to give Getafe a 1-1 draw at Rayo Vallecano on Friday and rob the capital club of a first La Liga win since October.
Rayo took the lead seconds before halftime when David Soria fumbled Jorge de Frutos’ volley from a tight angle.
The home side looked destined to hold on and secure three points until Arambarri popped up in the 90th minute to head home a cross from Getafe’s assist specialist, Luis Milla.
The result ended Getafe’s four-game winless run and left it in 10th place, two points and two places ahead of Rayo.
