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Did Chelsea deserve more against Manchester City in the FA Cup Final? Interim coach Callum McFarlane breaks down the 1-0 defeat, reflecting on tough penalty calls and a "one in a hundred" goal conceded.

McFarlane felt the game was evenly matched, with both teams having periods of control. He expressed disappointment over missed penalty opportunities, particularly highlighting the collision between Jarrell Hatto and Kusinov as a strong contender for a spot-kick.

Despite the loss, McFarlane acknowledged the team's performance against a top-tier opponent. He emphasized that the squad possesses significant talent and showed fight and heart, even if consistency has been an issue.

The coach remained focused on the present, preparing the team for the next major challenge against Spurs, and deferred questions about future implications for the club.

#FACupFinal #ChelseaFC #ManCity
Transcript
00:14Okay, guys, who'd like to get us started?
00:18Kieran, just in the middle here, please.
00:21Hi, Callum.
00:22Hi, Kieran.
00:23Can you just give your thoughts on how the final unfolded
00:25and you had a few penalty claims,
00:28which one stands out in your mind that you're disappointed
00:31didn't go any other further?
00:34I thought it was an evenly matched game.
00:36I thought both teams had moments of control.
00:38Both teams had momentum at different times.
00:41Two really good sides.
00:42Got a lot of respect for Manchester City
00:44and what they've done over the last period of success.
00:48So congratulations to them first.
00:51Disappointing result, but a very evenly matched game
00:54in terms of the penalty incidents.
00:55I thought they're tough calls,
00:57but for me, the Jarrell-Hatto and Kusinov collision in the box
01:01is a penalty.
01:01Jarrell gets in front and it's a collision in the back.
01:05If that's anywhere else on the pitch, it's a foul.
01:07Very similar to last week at Liverpool with Jao Pedro
01:09and Fringpong.
01:10I said the same.
01:11I thought that was a penalty as well.
01:12So sometimes you get them, sometimes you don't.
01:16James Svindra, just in the front here, please.
01:19Callum, in terms of the goal itself, a brilliant finish,
01:22but is there more you could have done to prevent it?
01:25Not for me, no.
01:26Not personally for me.
01:27I think we hold the line really well.
01:30Semenyo goes into an offside position.
01:32The ball is meant for him.
01:33Bernardo's trying to slide Semenyo in.
01:35Haaland reads it, gets onto the ball.
01:38We make him play an awkward right foot cross under pressure.
01:42Semenyo finishes from outside the line of the front post
01:44under pressure.
01:45So for me, it's a one in 100 goal.
01:47It's a really low XG goal.
01:48So for me, no, there's not much more we could defend
01:50in that moment better.
01:51Can I just ask you what it was like for you personally
01:53to lead the side out at Chelsea today,
01:55considering your own journey as a coach?
01:58The same as any other game.
02:00We prepared the same.
02:02I wasn't thinking about the occasion
02:04or that there's enough to think about
02:06with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.
02:08So that was my focus.
02:10I'm just disappointed that for me,
02:12the lads didn't get what they deserve today
02:14and sometimes football can be cruel.
02:16Thanks, James.
02:17Simon?
02:18Hey, Callum.
02:18Commiserations.
02:19Is there any consolation that Chelsea can take
02:22from the man in the performance
02:23and perhaps a reminder that there are talented players
02:26in this squad, despite, you know,
02:29sort of how it's gone over the last few months?
02:33Yeah, it's hard at this moment in time
02:34to think like that because of the recent form
02:36and losing a cup final.
02:39But I felt we went toe-to-toe.
02:41We were one of the best teams in the world
02:42and I thought there was very, very little
02:43between the sides.
02:45And in those sort of games
02:46against two really good sides,
02:48when you have momentum,
02:49I thought we had momentum
02:49at the end of the first half.
02:50I thought we had momentum
02:51at the start of the second half.
02:53If you get that moment of quality
02:54and you get yourself in front,
02:56it makes the game very different
02:57and we didn't manage to do that.
03:00So, yeah, we know what this team's capable of.
03:02They need to produce that
03:03on a more consistent basis
03:06and they've shown that this year
03:07that when they're at their best,
03:08they're a very difficult side to play against.
03:11And I appreciate you don't want to talk too much
03:12about the Knicks coach,
03:14but if they are watching,
03:16they're obviously going to like
03:17what they perhaps saw
03:18from some of the players on the pitch today.
03:20Yeah, it's a really talented group.
03:22Lots of quality in that group.
03:24The fight and heart has been questioned at times,
03:26but the last two performances,
03:29I don't think you can question that.
03:31I think they gave everything today
03:32to try and win that trophy for the club.
03:39One more over here, please.
03:45What would it mean
03:46if Chelsea didn't get into Europe next season?
03:48What would be the implications for the club?
03:51You're asking an interim coach
03:53what the implications of the club are going to be.
03:55I'm not privy to that information.
03:58My job is to prepare the team
03:59for games and training,
04:01which I'll be doing on Tuesday for Spurs,
04:03which is a massive game for this club.
04:07If there's no more questions,
04:09we'll end it there.
04:09Thanks, guys.
04:10Thanks, guys.
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