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Chelsea Daily: McFarlane on Wembley team news and final hopes
Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist
Chelsea interim boss Calum McFarlane has been speaking to the media before Saturday's FA Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley (kick-off 15:00 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
McFarlane confirmed captain Reece James and Levi Colwill have trained well this week and are available for the final.
The Blues boss is also hopeful Pedro Neto, Alejandro Garnacho and Robert Sanchez can also be in contention.
He said their recent league form "has been way below the standard" expected, but the final of this "prestigious" competition is an opportunity to add more silverware to the club's cabinet, adding: "We want to win it."
In response to Xabi Alonso being linked with the full-time job: "There are a lot of names linked with the job but it's not my place to say who should get it."
On how he will feel managing Chelsea at a final at Wembley: "I'll feel all the emotions, I'd imagine. I can't tell you how I'll feel on the day."
McFarlane said he hasn't managed in a game "of this magnitude" before, but they are preparing in the same way as if it was any other match. He added: "We'll make it as normal as possible, but it's a massive game and you can't hide away from it because we all want to win the game."
On opponents Manchester City playing midweek: "It's tough when you have a game midweek and have a triple gameweek. We've had a lot of them this year but we are concentrating on ourselves. We need to be at our best."
He said City "are going to be a challenge," but his team "have the belief they can beat anyone if they are at their best."
On whether there's any pressure to win: "When you're at a club like this, there's always pressure. There's pressure to win every game but this game as well - we have to accept it and embrace that."
Watch Saturday's FA Cup final on BBC One and iPlayer or listen to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news
Got a question about Chelsea? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts
Chelsea and Manchester United have Real Sociedad's 24-year-old Spain forward Ander Barrenetxea on their list of potential signings this summer. (Marca - in Spanish), external
Blues and Galatasaray are interested in signing 23-year-old English forward Jonathan Rowe from Bologna. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian), external
Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande, who will reportedly cost £80m, has been linked to Chelsea and Liverpool but the 19-year-old is in no rush to leave RB Leipzig. (The Athletic - subscription required), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Former Premier League assistant referee Darren Cann has outlined his idea to improve how corners are officiated in future.
In the aftermath of weekend controversy over players grappling in the penalty area, he has told BBC Sport a rule whereby attacking players cannot enter the six-yard box until a corner has been taken would be his preference.
Ex-Premier League defender Nedum Onuoha backed the idea and thinks it will add "creativity" to corner kicks and the move would force "people to think in a different way".
You can watch a clip of the debate above, with Onuoha stating:"Twenty players standing in the six-yard box, you have to ask yourself, is that what you want to see? And is that the best version of the game?"
Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesMathis Eboue scored 10 goals and delivered six assists in 24 under-18s Premier League appearances this season
Forward Mathis Eboue was on Chelsea's first team bench at Liverpool on Saturday in a breakthrough season.
The 17‑year‑old has been nominated for the league's Player of the Season award alongside striker Chizaram Ezenwata, after his side lifted the Under-18s Premier League this weekend.
He has six goals and provided three assists in his final six matches of the season. It was also the year he earned his first professional contract and made debut appearances in the EFL Trophy, Uefa Youth League and Premier League International Cup.
Eboue, typically operating as an inverted left winger and using his pace to score and create goals, joined Chelsea just 18 months ago amid interest from Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Wolves.
While it may appear a straightforward rise‑and‑rise story, the youngster — who prides himself on being a good team‑mate behind the scenes — is described as "resilient" by those who know him well.
One example cited is how he manages Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy, a medical condition diagnosed in April 2022. The condition does not prevent participation in elite sport but can involve muscle jerks and, if poorly managed, seizures.
His mother, Aurelie Bertrand, has guided Eboue's career to date, from kicking a ball at the age of four to joining the Total Football Academy in north London, where he was also mentored by former Arsenal academy player and EFL footballer Jo Kuffour.
It was at the Top Ballerz Academy that the now England Under-17 international was spotted by Watford at the age of 13 — unusually late for such a highly rated youngster.
He has also shifted from idolising Neymar as a child to citing Cristiano Ronaldo as his inspiration, particularly for his work ethic.
It will take further hard work, more goals and continued resilience for Eboue to establish himself at Chelsea — but that remains his ambition as he looks to maximise his potential.
Real Madrid are unsure whether to trigger a buy-back clause for Como's Spanish defender Jacobo Ramon this summer, so Chelsea could have a chance to sign the 21-year-old. (Sun), external
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola has been ruled out of contention for the Manchester United job as Michael Carrick edges closer to being appointed on a permanent basis, leaving Iraola free to discuss the vacancies at Crystal Palace and Chelsea. (Mail - subscription required), external
Chelsea have held initial talks with ex-Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, and contacted Andoni Iraola and Marco Silva. (Times - subscription required), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your views on which manager you would like to see at Chelsea next.
Here are some of your comments:
Graham: Andoni Iraola would be my choice. Love the high intensity football, and he knows how to get the best out of the hand he is dealt. No matter what manager is chosen, they need to have more of a say on the running of the squad. Let's hope BlueCo has finally woken up.
Mak: Cesc Fabregas should be the next manager, period. His passion for the game coupled with Premier League experience and a bit of Blue in him makes him the top choice for me.
Nick: Too soon for Cesc Fabregas. Iraola my strong preference, because of his style of play and his ability to improve players and gel them into a team. But no decent manager will take the job unless they have ultimate say over transfers. That would mean Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart [sporting directors] taking a back seat. Or, preferably, leaving.
Peter: We need to stop looking at mid-table team managers and look for those with vision - the new Pep Guardiola or Jose Mourinho - but that requires the management to allow them to manage. The best manager Chelsea could have had in the past two years manages the US women's team [Emma Hayes] but even she would struggle with ownership intervention.
Clayton: Why are all the people who put down Liam Rosenior and Graham Potter wanting Iraola? He's been great this season, but so were Potter and Rosenior. I thought people wanted someone with experience at the top level and who can be a bit of a mentor to the players. Only Xabi Alonso ticks this from the list, although Frank Lampard is a proven winner as player and now manager.
Olu: We need a coach with trophies in his cabinet. No more trials, we need a winner and Xabi Alonso is the only choice.
Scott: It would be a real coup if we got Alonso in. He's a class manager and even at Real Madrid, the job he did was respectable. If there's one manager on the market who's guaranteed to take us back to top four and could have us competing for the league again, it's him.
Steve: Anyone but Marco Silva, he is the most underwhelming candidate; which under this ownership and sporting directors means that he is probably who we are going to end up with.
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Will Faulks
Fan writer
Image source, Getty ImagesChelsea broke a losing run and picked up a draw against Liverpool in the Premier League, giving them a sliver of hope as they head into a week of preparation for Saturday's FA Cup final.
But is there any reason to believe this Blues team have a chance against Manchester City? Did they really show signs of improvement at Anfield or were they just up against a Liverpool team who matched them for fragility and disorganisation?
Certainly, the early signs in the game weren't good. After conceding after a couple of minutes against Nottingham Forest a week ago, the Blues made it just five this time before allowing Ryan Gravenberch space on the edge of the box to blast one in.
Despite coaches and players saying after every recent game that this issue is something they need to work on, nothing has changed.
What did improve a little compared with recent months was the response. Chelsea actually looked like a team with belief they could get back into the game, a huge departure from their usual defeatist shrugs and recriminations.
But the reason that belief was able to grow was the home team were so hesitant themselves. Huge gaps in midfield allowed the likes of Moises Caicedo to get on the ball and turn the tide. Manchester City won't give up even a fraction of the space Liverpool did.
If Calum McFarlane's team can defend well for at least an hour at Wembley, they might have a chance. If they continue their habit of conceding early, the game could be over before it ever really begins for a Chelsea team who are very lucky to be playing in this match at all given their recent form.
Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external
Juventus are considering a loan move for Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson. The forward is on loan at Bayern Munich but will not be with the German champions next season. (Bild - in German), external
Sporting and Portugal midfielder Francisco Trincao, 26, is attracting attention from Chelsea and Liverpool. (Caught Offside), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column
Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent
Image source, Getty ImagesChelsea have started to make contact with prospective managerial candidates as they move towards appointing the club's next permanent head coach.
Andoni Iraola, Xabi Alonso and Marco Silva are among those already known to be on the list of names to replace Liam Rosenior, who was sacked last month, while it is understood Crystal Palace head coach Oliver Glasner also features in Chelsea's thoughts.
Former Flamengo head coach Filipe Luis and Como boss Cesc Fabregas, who both played for Chelsea, are understood to have admirers at Stamford Bridge.
It is hoped that a new head coach will be appointed well before the start of pre-season training in early July.
Iraola, Alonso, Silva and Glasner are all out of work, or scheduled to be without a club, by the end of the season which means Chelsea would not be required to pay compensation.
Blues fans, who would be your preferred candidate? And why?
We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Liverpool and Chelsea.
Here are some of your comments:
Liverpool fans
Ben: Yet again, Liverpool look like the Liverpool from the 90s/2000s: a lot of hope and expectation, but no end product and struggling against teams that others have been knocking seven bells out of. Although it looks like Champions League football should be coming back to Anfield next season, barring a serious problem, it should still be with a different manager at the helm. Slot is not the person to take the club forward, especially given how backwards they have been this season!
Chris: Liverpool's greatest strength is arguably the Anfield crowd, with whom Slot's relationship is hanging by a thread. His job must be too.
Erik: Just flat, devoid of ideas and seeing the season out really. Really hoping for change and some spark next season.
Fuzzy: No pressing, no intensity, no identity, no passion. If Rio was subbed because of an injury, then fine. But if it was another Slot tactical change, it was criminal to take him off, because he was our best player going forward. As for Slot, no ideas!
Chelsea fans
Tristan: Finally, we have found some courage and confidence. Again, conceding early and a disappointing second half but this is a boosting performance. Although we are not going to do it, let's just keep on believing for Champions League football and pray Villa win the Europa League.
Andrea: I thought that we were much improved. We created chances and were on top for some parts of the game. We could have won it during the second part of the first half.
Edmund: Excellent performance by these Chelsea lads. Proved they still can put up a fight. Hopefully, once we sort out our manager's position, we will be back to our usual Chelsea self next season. But the appointment of our manager must be an inspiring and competent one. No more experiments.
Pete: Chelsea are a young team but they are not playing consistently as a team yet. Can somebody teach them to put in a well-managed game, with some flair, and know when to tighten up? Will anyone stay as manager long enough to do that? Everyone who knows football understands multiple managers within a season is a sign the owners do not understand.
Pundits Wayne Rooney and Ashley Williams join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.
And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:
Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesThis was the upturn in performance Chelsea badly needed.
After a six-match losing run in the league, this felt like a small step in the right direction.
Fan protests are planned on Wembley Way before next weekend's FA Cup final against Manchester City, but at least Chelsea will not go into that game on the back of another defeat.
If the losing cycle had continued at Anfield, it would have meant Chelsea suffering seven consecutive league defeats for only the second time in their history, and for the first time for 74 years.
They would also have become the first team in English football history to lose seven matches heading into an FA Cup final.
It was crucial, therefore, to stem the bleeding in a bleak spell that has already cost former head coach Liam Rosenior his job.
Monday's 3-1 defeat by a second-string Nottingham Forest side was a dismal way for interim head coach Calum McFarlane to mark his first league match in charge.
McFarlane can, however, point to a number of positives. He earned his first victory of this second spell in charge in the FA Cup semi-final against Leeds at Wembley and, now at Anfield - albeit against another side struggling for form - his selection decisions were largely vindicated.
The return of centre-back Levi Colwill, making his first appearance for 10 months, coincided with Chelsea switching to a back three for just the third time this season.
Chelsea conceded from Liverpool's first shot of the match and briefly lost their way, but they recovered to equalise deservedly.
It was not a vintage performance, but it was an improvement and something to build on. The decision to focus attacks down the left through Marc Cucurella paid dividends, Cole Palmer showed signs of rediscovering form within the system, and it helped Chelsea manage an attacking injury crisis, with four wingers currently out.
Chelsea remain just about in the hunt for European football, though there is plenty of work to do in their remaining two Premier League matches.
More importantly, they now have something to cling to before the cup final, even if Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side remain strong favourites.
Chelsea interim boss Calum McFarlane, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "It's a good point, a good performance in a game that could have gone either way. It was disappointing to concede so early, and it's something we'll have a look at.
"But I was pleased with the response. I thought the reaction was brilliant and I knew it was something we could do.
"I thought we played some really nice stuff, we finished the half really well. As a whole the effort, commitment, work rate and desire was good.
"Last Monday (home defeat to Nottingham Forest) was disappointing. We reviewed it and spoke about the reaction we wanted. I felt we got that and it's something we can build on."
On Levi Colwill: "Levi was the best player on the pitch. He was a leader. It was his first 90 minutes for a long time."
Did you know?
Chelsea have conceded in each of their last 14 Premier League games, their longest run without a clean sheet in a single league campaign since a 15-game streak between March and May 1979.
Chelsea have conceded nine goals in the opening 10 minutes of games in the Premier League this season, the second most behind Burnley (10) and the Blues' most ever in a single campaign.
Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.
Have your say on Liverpool's performance
What did you make of Chelsea's display?
Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies
Arne Slot makes three changes from the side that lost to Manchester United last weekend.
Giorgi Mamardashvili returns in goal while Rio Ngumoha starts.
Alexander Isak is back on the bench but Florian Wirtz is out with illness and Mo Salah is not fit enough to return from a hamstring issue.
Liverpool XI: Mamardashvili, Jones, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Frimpong, Szoboszlai, Ngumoha, Gakpo
Subs: Woodman, Gomez, Isak, Chiesa, Robertson, Nyoni, Morrison, Wright, Ndiaye.
Interim boss Calum McFarlane makes five changes, including giving a first start of the season to Levi Colwill after his return from a serious knee injury.
Goalkeeper Rob Sanchez and teenage forward Jesse Derry are ruled out after sustaining head injuries last week, with Filip Jorgensen in goal and Chelsea switching to a back five to compensate.
Academy attackers Ryan Kavuma-McQueen and Mathis Eboue are included in the matchday squad at Anfield.
Chelsea XI: Jorgensen, Gusto, Fofana, Hato, Colwill, Cucurella, Andrey Santos, Caicedo, Fernandez, Palmer, Joao Pedro
Subs: Slonina, James, Acheampong, Adarabioyo, Chalobah, Lavia, Eboue, Kavuma-McQueen, Delap
There are five games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.
Liverpool v Chelsea (12:30)
Brighton v Wolves
Fulham v Bournemouth - listen BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
Sunderland v Manchester United - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live
Manchester City v Brentford (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live
Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated
Follow all of the action and reaction here
You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Fulham v Bournemouth" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Man City v Brentford", for instance.
Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds
Liverpool face Chelsea at Anfield on Saturday (12:30 BST), with both sides looking for a late-season lift.
Reds hope to avoid landmark defeat
Liverpool's place in next season's Champions League could be confirmed this weekend, which would bring some relief in what has been a difficult campaign, one that captain Virgil van Dijk says has been "very disappointing" and "unacceptable".
Last weekend's defeat at Manchester United meant Liverpool's old foes had done the double over the Reds for the first time in a decade. Liverpool finished 42 points clear of United last season but look set to finish behind them in 2025-26.
It also meant Arne Slot's side have suffered 18 defeats in all competitions this season, the most since they lost 19 in 2009-10. Another defeat would be only the fourth time that Liverpool have lost more than 18 games in a campaign since 1962.
But they do now have the chance to bounce back against another big rival in the shape of a woefully out-of-form Chelsea, who have won on just one of their last 10 Premier League visits to Anfield, a 1-0 victory in March 2021.
Arne Slot said recently that the summer represented the start of a new cycle and he has a lot of things to sort out.
They include how to bolster a defence that has conceded two or more goals in 16 different Premier League matches this season, their second-highest such figure.
Chelsea's goal search
Bar an upturn in form and a helping hand from Aston Villa, Chelsea's minimum pre-season target of Champions League football will be missed.
Any hope that FA Cup semi-final success would permeate into their league form was quashed with their lacklustre home defeat by Nottingham Forest on Monday, described by interim boss Calum McFarlane as "massively disappointing".
It's now six league defeats in a row for Chelsea – another at Liverpool means they will equal their worst-ever such run of seven in a row, set in 1952.
The problems have come at both ends. They have scored just once in their last six games - Joao Pedro's injury-time consolation against Forest - which ended a run of 565 minutes without a league goal.
The Brazilian striker is Chelsea's top scorer in all competitions with 20 goals but it is in the league where his 15 goals have been most vital, given the lack of contribution from most of his team-mates, bar Cole Palmer.
Joao Pedro has been directly involved in seven of the Blues' past nine league goals, scoring six and assisting one. He and Palmer have scored 10 of Chelsea's last 11 league goals, with the other coming from an own goal.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the pitch, Chelsea have conceded in each of their last 13 league games, letting in three goals in four of their past five.
The Blues need to arrest their alarming league form or they are in danger of suffering their worst league finish this century, which was when they were 12th in 2022-23, the first season under current owners BlueCo.
Liverpool still look like they will finish in the Champions League places even after their defeat by Manchester United last time out, but that result was the latest disappointment in what has been a poor season by their standards.
Chelsea have bigger problems, however. It is all falling apart for them and, after six straight league defeats, they are down in ninth place and absolutely desperate for a result here.
I just don't see them getting anything at Anfield though. Cole Palmer looks a shadow of the player we know he is and they are struggling defensively too.
Sutton's prediction: 2-1
