The full transcript from Chelsea interim head coach Calum McFarlane’s pre-match press conference ahead of the Blues’ Premier League clash with Tottenham on Tuesday
Chelsea interim head coach Calum McFarlane has completed his pre-match press conference ahead of the Blues’ Premier League clash with Tottenham on Tuesday night.
While it is such a big game at both ends of the Premier League table, the focus of this morning’s press conference was unsurprisingly on Xabi Alonso.
With that being said, here is the full transcript of McFarlane’s latest presser.
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Thoughts on Xabi Alonso being appointed?
Yeah, really exciting news. Great coach, massive pedigree. Yeah, really exciting for the club. We’re all looking forward to working with Xabi.
And did it say something about the stature of Chelsea Football Club that despite it being a disappointing campaign, the club can still attract a manager of that calibre?
Yeah, it doesn’t surprise me. It’s a massive club. I think we’ve got really exciting players, some of the best players in the world who have shown, even though it’s been a disappointing season, they have shown at times this year the quality that we have. So yes, it’s a massive club and it will always attract top players and top managers.
Would you like to remain involved with the first team?
Yeah, I haven’t thought about that. There is so much to prepare for, there is so much at play. So, boring answer, but my focus is always on the next game, the next training session.
I imagine you’ve not seen the players too much since the FA Cup final. Have you got any indication of seeing any fresh concerns at all?
No, so they’re going to train this afternoon. We’ll have a much better idea of where they are. It was a tough game on Saturday, so we’ll have to see how they reported in and how they look in training before we have any final say on the squad.
Can Levi Colwill start?
Yeah, we need to be careful with Levi. He’s obviously come in the back of a very serious injury. He’s performed well in those two games. We’ll see how he looks today, we’ll see how he reports and we’ll make a decision on that. But definitely, I agree, we have to manage him right.
How motivated are this group to end this season on a high and also at the same time it would make things very difficult for Tottenham in terms of survival hopes if you were victorious tomorrow?
Yeah, we’re very, very focused. We need to win the next two games to give ourselves the best chance to finish as high up in the league as possible and get European football. That is our only focus in doing our job and putting in the performance we need to be a good side.
What have you learned about yourself in this spell as interim head coach?
I’ve enjoyed the challenge. I’ve enjoyed the pressure. It’s easier when you win games rather than losing games. But yeah, I’ve enjoyed it and we’re ready for the game tomorrow.
What have you made of Colwill’s return?
Yeah, it’s been great to have Levi back. Great for English football as well. I think we’ve got a really, really talented, really high potential player here and injuries are a part of it and he’s shown really good mental strength and character to come through that and perform away at Anfield and in an FA Cup final. So yeah, really, really excited about Levi. He’s added a lot to the team, not just on the pitch but off the pitch as well. So it’s been a brilliant two games for him and hopefully he can finish the season strong.
What specifically do you think needs to improve in the Chelsea squad to be able to get even closer to the likes of Man City on Saturday?
Yeah, it’s hard in such a small sample size to make that call. I think when I say that we’ve seen what they’re capable of and they need to do it on a more consistent basis, I felt like with all the injuries we’ve got in our squad, we went toe-to-toe with Man City and it was an even game. It was a 50-50 game in my opinion. [Antoine] Semenyo decided the game with a bit of quality, but there was other instances where that could have been a Chelsea player that decides that game. I think that shows the level of this group, the quality of this group and we haven’t done it on a consistent basis. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be where we are in the league. But there’s also been a lot of change. There’s also been a lot that’s gone on at the club that it’s not my place to say what’s right or wrong, but that can affect momentum, that can affect the group. But when this group is at their best, I think we’re up there with anyone in Europe. So how do we produce that on a more consistent basis? That’s what we’ll be looking at at the end of the season. That’s what we’ll be trying to help the group with and also they have to want to produce that and they’re capable of doing that. But for now, it’s two games left to get six points hopefully and push up the table as far as we can.
Why weren’t Romeo Lavia, Benoit Badiashile and Mamadou Sarr in the squad?
Yeah, Romeo took a slight knock in the build-up to the game. Nothing major, but with Romeo, we just don’t want to take that. I didn’t want to take that risk. We don’t want to take that risk. I thought he was brilliant in the games that he did play and he gave us a lot the same way Levi did, but we just have to be careful with players that have had injury history.
Badiashile and Sarr?
Yeah, they didn’t make the squad. They’re training really well, training really hard. We can use them in the next two games potentially, but we’ve got a lot of players in those positions. So you want to make sure you’ve got the right balance on your bench, but nothing to report with those two.
Will you have to manage Joao Pedro and Reece James’ fitness?
Yeah, with all the players, we have to see how they come back in today, how they were in yesterday. Hopefully it’s positive signs today when they report and when they train, they feel good. And we’ll make a decision on that as late as we possibly can.
Do the players understand the Chelsea vs Spurs rivalry?
I think the players have shown in the last two games that their fight and their heart has been questioned at times. I think they’ve shown in the last two games that for me, that’s not an issue. Everyone knows the rivalry between Chelsea and Tottenham, but ultimately both teams have got a lot to play for. So I don’t think we’re going to have to do anything extra special to motivate the lads. We need six points from our next two games. I think they need a point to almost guarantee safety. So both teams are fighting at different parts of the table, but both teams are fighting for the point. So we shouldn’t need to add any extra motivation. But it will naturally be there with a London derby between Chelsea and Tottenham.
Have you spoken to Alonso yet?
He sent me a text message yesterday. I’ll keep that private, but mainly just around the final. So I’ve had a brief conversation via text.
Are you going to be part of his backroom staff?
I don’t know at this moment in time. Our focus and those discussions haven’t really been had. We’ve got a lot to prepare for with the cup final last week and two massive games coming up. So that’s where all our focus is.
Have you noticed the buzz around Chelsea?
Yeah, I think everyone at the club’s excited. Like I said, a great coach who’s had a really good career so far. Won major trophies, great playing career. He’ll have a lot of respect from everyone. And it’s a really exciting appointment from the club.
We saw a Chelsea long throw this Monday at Wembley and you nearly scored from it. Does that suggest that in the next couple of games we might see a few more?
Potentially, but it was actually Bernardo [Cueva] who is our set-piece coach. He’s doing a great job. He came up with the idea and saw a weakness that he felt that we could expose and we were unlucky that we didn’t.
