- 5 hours ago
Chelsea interim boss Calum Macfarlane previews the FA Cup against Manchester City at Wembley on Saturday
Cobham, London, UK
Cobham, London, UK
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00:02Afternoon.
00:23Good afternoon and thank you for joining us.
00:26We shall be taking the usual format today.
00:29And we'll begin with Gail Davis and Sky Sports News.
00:33Off you go, Gail.
00:34Good afternoon.
00:35Can we do a little bit of a roll call in terms of injuries?
00:39Particularly some of the England guys.
00:42And Rhys James first of all had 27 plus minutes on the weekend.
00:47How is he?
00:47Did he come through okay?
00:49Yeah, he's trained well this week.
00:50Happy with Rhys.
00:51Good to get him some minutes.
00:52Thought he played well when he came on as well.
00:54So, yeah, largely positive around Rhys.
00:56And around him going forward, even if he's beginning to lose a few right backs,
01:02there's nothing in your mind that suggests that he won't be fit for good to go over the next few
01:08months?
01:09I can only comment on the last week probably and the lead up to the Liverpool game.
01:16We were confident he was able to play those minutes in Liverpool.
01:18He came through them well.
01:20He's trained well this week.
01:21So, yeah, we're really hopeful we can finish the season in that sort of form.
01:25On the same kind of thing, Levi Colwell obviously came back for you.
01:30He played the whole game.
01:32Strictly isn't it coming back mostly else.
01:34But he's been good to go this week?
01:37Same sort of story.
01:39He's had really good rehab.
01:40He's played a few games before.
01:42He played for us against Forrest.
01:44I think his first game back was.
01:45He played for the 21s two or three times.
01:47So, again, a really good training week.
01:50I thought Levi was exceptional against Liverpool.
01:51So, again, we're really hopeful.
01:53And in terms of him, he could have a few more games left.
01:59Is he targeting England?
02:01Because there's a feeling that Thomas Suka could well use a player with that skill set in his side.
02:07And does Levi feel comfortable and confident enough to kind of go after it?
02:12I actually haven't had that conversation with Levi.
02:14I think he's naturally focused on getting himself back playing for Chelsea.
02:20And which he's done that now.
02:21I'm assuming he wants to keep performing at the level we did against Liverpool.
02:25And I can't give you an answer on that one. Sorry.
02:28But as long as he's fully fit well and ready to go as far as you're concerned?
02:33Yeah.
02:33He played really well against Liverpool.
02:35I thought he was exceptional.
02:36Speaks a lot about him being able to put that sort of performance in after that time off at a
02:41really difficult place.
02:42He has trained well this week.
02:44And we're looking forward to potentially having him on Saturday as well.
02:47And how are a few of you others?
02:50Pedro Neto, who else?
02:53None of the other wingers are going to make it.
02:54Are there any other injuries outside of Saturday's final?
02:58Pedro Neto and Alia Gonaccio have trained well this week.
03:01So looking really good.
03:02Really hopeful with them as well.
03:03So yeah, positive signs.
03:06How much does this feel a little bit of a salvage mission?
03:11And how much can you use that in the build-up to the game to take something away from the
03:15season,
03:15which overall maybe hasn't delivered in the way that Chelsea have hoped?
03:20Yeah, I think our recent form in the league has been way below the standard we'd expect and that we'd
03:24showed previously.
03:26It's an FA Cup final, so we want to win it.
03:28It's a massive competition, prestigious.
03:30This club's got history in that competition as well, winning it eight times.
03:33So yeah, our focus is on that, performing as well as we can against the top side.
03:38We've seen at times this season, the players have maybe played within themselves sometimes,
03:43sometimes they've excelled.
03:45What have you seen this week to suggest that when it really matters, which it does on the weekends,
03:51that your players are going to be fully up for this and in the right mindset to go and get
03:56the job done?
03:57Yeah, I'm confident that we'll get a similar level, hopefully a similar level of performance we've got at Liverpool.
04:03I thought we ticked a lot of boxes in that game in terms of what we want from this team
04:07and how we get the best version of that.
04:09So I'm confident that we can get that again.
04:12Just wondering for me, this week we've heard a lot about some of the names that might come in.
04:18The Chelsea fans that have maybe struggled to love their side this season,
04:23how excited should they be by where the club look like they're going next,
04:28being linked to the likes of Xabi Alonso?
04:31It's a big week for you, you want the fans to be on your side,
04:34for them knowing that they've got this sort of possibility of a really big name manager coming in.
04:40Should that excite them?
04:41Yeah, there's a lot of names linked with the job.
04:44It's not really my place to say who's going to get it, who should get it,
04:46who's a good manager, who's not a good manager.
04:48My job is to prepare the team for Saturday and that's all I'll be focusing on.
04:52Thanks, Gail. John?
04:54Thanks, Adam.
04:56I think Pat said last night that Chelsea have had a big advantage on Saturday
05:02because obviously they played on Wednesday for a massive game coming up on Tuesday as well.
05:05What's your response to that?
05:08Yeah, it's tough when you have a game midweek and you have a triple game week.
05:11It's tough.
05:12We've had a lot of them this year, but we're focused on ourselves.
05:16We're focused on how we prepare.
05:17We're playing against an excellent side and an excellent coach,
05:20so we need to be at our best or relevant if they've had a triple game week or not.
05:24So that's what we're focused on.
05:31Who's to say?
05:44I haven't said he's not at his top level.
05:48You're suggesting that.
05:49I'm not suggesting that.
05:50So how do you think he's performed?
05:52I think he's had some really good games for us this year.
05:54He's had a lot of injuries that he's had to deal with.
05:58I was really pleased with Cole on Saturday.
05:59I thought he had moments where he showed his level and his quality.
06:02So really hopeful that Cole can produce that from now to the end of the season.
06:05He's a top player and he's proved that many times.
06:07Just to ask you about Gail Pedro, who's had a real influence this season.
06:10How have you seen him grow over the season?
06:13Gail's had a great year, played many different positions,
06:16but he seems to have settled into that number nine role
06:19and he's got everything you'd want from a top number nine.
06:23Big summer coming up for him with the World Cup at Brazil,
06:25but he's been excellent for Chelsea and hopefully we continue that for the last three games.
06:29I'm just wondering, what will this mean for you leaving out Chelsea in an FA Cup final?
06:34I think I'm right to say a lot of your family are Chelsea fans, is that right?
06:40My girlfriend's family are Chelsea fans, yeah. Not my family, but yeah.
06:43So what would it mean to them and to you as well?
06:46Well, they are my family to be fair. I shouldn't say that, should I?
06:50But yeah, they're massive Chelsea fans. Her dad and uncles have been season ticket holders for 50 years.
06:56She's a massive Chelsea fan. So, yeah, they're very proud and it means a lot to all Chelsea fans.
07:03It's a massive game and I hope we can put in a performance for all the fans.
07:06Have you got a few tickets for them? Yeah, they'll be at the game, yeah.
07:09Thanks, John. Ian?
07:11Hi, Kyle. How are you? Very well, you?
07:13I'm surviving. In terms of leading the team out on Saturday,
07:20being in the season, that would probably be the last thing you'd have thought you'd be doing in the middle
07:25of May,
07:25leading your team out in the Cup final. Would you be nervous?
07:29Would you be proud? Would you be nervous? Would you be excited?
07:33Probably feel all those emotions, I'd imagine. I can't tell you exactly how I'm going to feel on the day.
07:38Trying to make it as normal as possible. I've taken a few games now at this level.
07:42Not a game of this magnitude, of course, a Cup final, but I'll try and stay as level as possible.
07:47The players, the process, the way we work will be the same. So, yeah, I'm sure I feel a lot
07:51of emotions on that day.
07:53Obviously, you were there for the semi-final, but how different is a Cup final and a Cup final week
07:58to the semi-final and build up to the Leeds game and build up to this game?
08:02I think it will be very similar from our standpoint. We'll prepare.
08:06We'll have the same process in the way we work day to day.
08:09Whether it's meetings with players, individual meetings, it will all be the same
08:12and we'll try and make it as normal as possible and try and get the same sort of performance
08:16we've got against Leeds and Liverpool. But it's a massive game.
08:19You can't hide away from that and we all want to win that game.
08:22You've already pointed out this is a football club that wins trophies.
08:27Depending on what happens in the dugout, it always tends to win trophies.
08:32Does that put more pressure on you for Saturday or is it less pressure on you
08:36because you know that the difficulty that it's been maybe winning a trophy
08:41will be the ultimate bonus?
08:43I think when you're a club of this magnitude and like you've mentioned,
08:46the history that this club's got in this competition and winning silverware
08:50there's always pressure. There's pressure to win every game.
08:52But this game as well, there's pressure. You have to accept that and embrace that.
08:55And finally, while I appreciate you're not appointing the next Chelsea manager,
09:00being in Europe would greatly help the next Chelsea manager.
09:03So again, winning on Saturday in that respect, the European spot would be absolutely right.
09:09Yeah, that's very true.
09:11Thanks, Ian.
09:13Rob?
09:14Hi, Callum.
09:15How have you found the response of the leadership group in the squad
09:19to have been during this unsettled period over the last few weeks?
09:23Presumably for moments like this that there is a nominated group of senior players.
09:28How happy have you been there and what kind of help have there been to you personally?
09:33I've actually been happy with the whole group, the way the whole group responded,
09:38players in the squad, players out the squad.
09:40The level of professionalism that's been shown at all times.
09:44There's obviously players with great experience in there that have played in big competitions,
09:47had big moments in their career that you want their opinion,
09:51you want how they feel about the game.
09:53You want to have that dialogue with those players.
09:55So I have that with pretty much the whole squad.
09:57So I'm happy with the whole squad.
09:58There was a lot of attention on Mark Kukurea and Enzo Fernandez a couple of months ago.
10:04Some people thought it looked as if they had wavering commitment to the team.
10:09How much of a part of it have played in holding things together during this period of uncertainty?
10:16I think Enzo and Kukurea have got Man of the Match in two of the last three games.
10:20So I think that speaks for itself.
10:21And they're big players for this team, big players for this club.
10:25And at any moment they can make the difference in football matches.
10:28So I'm really pleased with both of them.
10:30Thanks, Rob.
10:30Simon.
10:32Hi Simon.
10:33Is Rob Sanchez fit enough to start?
10:36Yep, same news as the other lads to be honest.
10:38So really positive.
10:39He's trained well this week.
10:41And we're really hopeful looking into Saturday.
10:43Is that a decision for you?
10:46Like Rob or Phil?
10:47It's lots of decisions, yeah.
10:49Lots of decisions.
10:50Is Rob your go-to guy?
10:53I don't think I'm going to reveal my starting line-up on two days before the game.
10:59And in terms of Chelsea's record against Man City,
11:03it's been five years since the last FIFA,
11:06is sort of giving the players,
11:08do they have the belief that they can actually beat them in a big game such as this?
11:12And you lost them just recently as well.
11:13Yeah, definitely.
11:15They've got the belief they can beat anyone.
11:16We just know that we have to be the best version of ourselves.
11:19They're an exceptional side.
11:21We have an exceptional coach and exceptional players.
11:23So they're going to be a challenge.
11:24But we also have some really good players.
11:26And these players have shown that if they're at their best, they can beat anyone.
11:30Thanks, Simon.
11:31Thanks, everyone.
11:32Cameras off, please.
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