Calum McFarlane has singled out Chelsea captain Reece James for praise as he prepares for Sunday’s game against Manchester City.
Under-21s boss McFarlane has been tasked with leading the team at The Etihad after Enzo Maresca parted ways with Chelsea on Thursday.
Maresca spent 18 months in charge in which time he guided Chelsea back into the Champions League and won the Conference League and Club World Cup.
Calum McFarlane praises Reece James
McFarlane has very much been thrown in at the deep end, and faces the toughest task of his career against Pep Guardiola.
The Blues are without the suspended Moises Caicedo, whilst McFarlane confirmed a final decision is yet to be taken on Cucurella.
Chelsea are on a run of one win in their last seven league matches, and McFarlane faced the media for the first time on Friday, and praised James for his support.
“Reece [James] has been brilliant,” he told his pre-match press conference.
“He’s been a real leader in the group and supported the staff and the players.
“You can’t ask for any more. It just seems like a real focus for getting the best performance we can on Sunday.”
Chelsea close to appointing Liam Rosenior
Whilst McFarlane will lead the team against City, Chelsea are working on finalising a deal for Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior.
Rosenior is reportedly the leading candidate to replace Maresca, and it’s believed an appointment could be finalised by the conclusion of the weekend.
The 41-year-old is currently preparing to take charge of Strasbourg in their game against Nice this weekend, but it’s expected he’ll be named the new Chelsea boss.
It’s believed the deal hasn’t yet been finalised because BlueCo want a replacement sorted at Strasbourg to replace Rosenior which they haven’t yet found yet according to Fabrizio Romano.
