LONDON: Chelsea interim boss Calum McFarlane was officially introduced to the squad on Friday after a “crazy 24 hours” following Enzo Maresca’s exit, with Manchester City looming.

Maresca left his position on Thursday with the club fifth in the Premier League table — 15 points behind leaders Arsenal — following just one win in seven top-flight games.

“It’s been a crazy 24 hours, a whirlwind, as you can imagine but also really enjoyable, really exciting, so I can only feel positive about this,” under-21s boss McFarlane told reporters on Friday.

McFarlane said there was a strong culture of support from the first team for younger players at Chelsea but that he was “officially introduced” to the first team on Friday.

“I met with a few of the individuals beforehand but I was officially introduced this morning,” he told reporters.

McFarlane, whose daunting first task is to prepare Chelsea to face second-placed City at the Etihad, said that training on Friday had been “exceptional”.

“They seem really focused, really driven and hungry,” he added. “They know we’ve got a massive game on Sunday and we’re going to have to be at our best, so you can feel that.

“They’re professionals, they’ve done this a long time, they’ve been here before.” McFarlane said that the Chelsea hierarchy had been supportive but that he did not know how long he would be in charge.

“The brief is to prepare the lads for Manchester City on Sunday and that’s honestly all I know at the moment,” he said.

Maresca’s departure came after he reportedly held talks with City over succeeding manager Pep Guardiola.

During his 18 months in charge at Stamford Bridge, the Italian led Chelsea back into the Champions League and won the UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup.

Liam Rosenior, the head coach of French club Strasbourg, owned by Chelsea’s parent company Blu­eCo, is the leading candidate to replace Maresca despite his lack of Premier League experience.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2026