Chelsea interim boss Calum McFarlane has defended his struggling side after Jamie Carragher labelled the club “broken” during their disastrous Premier League run.
Calum McFarlane believes Chelsea still have the foundations to become a successful side despite mounting criticism following their dreadful recent run in the Premier League.
The Blues head into Saturday’s clash against Liverpool on the back of six consecutive league defeats, a sequence that has left them down in ninth place and seemingly out of the race for Champions League qualification.
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Former Liverpool defender and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher recently described Chelsea as a “broken club” after their latest setback, a 3-1 defeat against Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge. McFarlane, however, pushed back against those claims while acknowledging the team’s poor form since he replaced Liam Rosenior last month.
“It’s Jamie’s job, he’s a pundit, he’s got to give his opinion and I respect that,” McFarlane said. “I can only speak on my experience at this club, and I think there are a lot of foundations for this team to have success.”
The Chelsea interim boss admitted performances have fallen well below expectations but insisted the squad remains committed and fully engaged despite their alarming slide down the table. McFarlane pointed to last month’s FA Cup semi-final victory over Leeds United as evidence that the team still possesses quality, although he acknowledged Chelsea have failed to build momentum since that result.
News on the fitness of several Blues ahead of our trip to Merseyside. 📝
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The 41-year-old also confirmed that teenage winger Jesse Derry will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a serious head injury against Forest. McFarlane added that the initial signs regarding the youngster’s recovery have been “positive” after he was stretchered off following a clash of heads on his first Premier League start.
