Chelsea interim head coach Calum McFarlane described a “crazy 24 hours” after he was asked to step up from the under-21s to lead the first team away to Manchester City on Sunday.
The former Southampton youth coach was called into the club’s Cobham training centre at around lunchtime on Thursday shortly after the decision was taken to part company with Enzo Maresca, and told he would be in charge at the Etihad.
After a pass was hurriedly prepared to enable him to access the first-team building, he led training with the squad on Friday ahead of the journey to Manchester.
Club statement: Enzo Maresca.
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Sunday’s game will be McFarlane’s first in charge in senior football.
“It’s been a crazy 24 hours, a whirlwind as you can imagine, but really exciting,” he said. “I can only feel positive. It’s been an amazing experience.”
Maresca left Chelsea on Thursday after the club became unhappy with the Italian’s conversations about possibly succeeding Guardiola at City and his reluctance to heed advice from the club’s medical staff about player fitness.
That meant a rapid albeit temporary elevation for McFarlane, who only joined the club from Saints last summer.
“There’s a really good culture at the club in terms the support from first team, from the directors,” he said. “Everyone seems interested. When we’ve had big youth league games, the first-team players come cross and watch. There’s an academy presence there as well.
“I was officially introduced this morning. My pass got changed to let me in. It’s exactly the same as whenever you work. We’re all in it for the same reasons, we all love football. There was a really good energy. We can’t ask for any more.”
