On May 9, according to Hupu news, Chelsea interim head coach Callum McFarlane attended the pre-match press conference against Liverpool. The following is the Embargo part.
MacFarlane explains why Levi Colwell is such a talented centre-back and why he is so important to Chelsea's tactical system.
The game against Nottingham Forest was played on Monday. The defender, who had returned from injury, came on as a second-half substitute. He had anterior cruciate ligament surgery during the preseason, and has been working tirelessly to regain his health since then and return to the game step by step.
MacFarlane, speaking ahead of the weekend's trip to Liverpool, claimed that Colwell's potential to start for the Blues at Anfield would be a shot in the arm at a crucial time in the season, with the interim manager highlighting the value the 23-year-old brings to the team.
In my opinion, he is one of the best central defenders in world football. For me, Colwell is a complete player in football.
No matter what you need from a central defender, he can do it, whether it is with the ball or without the ball, he can do it. The characteristics of his left foot bring excellent balance to the team. His passing range is very wide.
Based on what has been said above, he is a very outstanding person with a particularly outstanding personality. He is very eager to win, and he is a leader with leadership qualities. Therefore, he occupies a very, very, very important position in this club, and there are many, many reasons for this.
McFarlane said that there is one benefit to Colwell's return and one benefit to Reece James' return, and what these two benefits have in common is that what they bring is leadership.
“It’s great to have them back,” he said.
It's great to have them back together. Two top players, elite players, and England internationals. They will definitely help the team.
Although Joao Pedro surprised many people in the football field with his outstanding number of goals in his first season in West London, McFarlane, who served as the temporary head coach, was not surprised when faced with this situation. He did not care about it and did not show any unexpected performance.
This season, he has scored some unparalleled goals. He has brought many things to the team. He has extraordinary talents. His performance did not surprise me.
I've seen the quality he has in the Premier League, I've seen the talent he has in the Champions League, I see it every day. So, no, it didn't surprise me. I think he is an extremely talented player.
His outstanding performances in front of goal this season may have surprised former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca. Maresca declared in October: "He will score goals for us, he will give us assists. To be clear, Joao Pedro is not the type of No. 9 player who can score 20 goals a year. He belongs to another type of No. 9 player, like Robert Lewandowski, Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland, a No. 9 player who can score 20 to 25 goals a year." Full stop.
During his time at Chelsea, Joao Pedro was once assigned to the position behind the forward, that is, the No. 10 position. However, McFarland felt that the 24-year-old player was most suitable to serve as the forward arrow.
At present, I agree that he seems to be most suitable for the No. 9 position. However, I think that in terms of his skills, talent and physical fitness, he can play multiple positions, so I will not limit him to a certain position.
Earlier this week, Joao Pedro scored his 20th goal of the season, a consolation goal in Chelsea's 3-1 loss to Nottingham Forest. This defeat once again raised questions about Chelsea's attitude. However, McFarlane is adamant that it will be easy to motivate the young side ahead of this afternoon's Premier League clash with Liverpool as they remain keen to end the season with a win.
When it comes to motivating players, McFarland said, "It's not difficult." They are all elite players who have reached this level through talent, mentality and motivation. The key is how to stimulate their potential.
The team was disappointed with the performance against Forest. We also reviewed the game and I did not see any arguments, conflicts or anything unusual.
If you lack these qualities, then there is no way you can play at this level, for this club, or even in this country. All our coaching staff has to do is support them and do our best to provide them with everything they need so that they can perform well on the court.
However, Chelsea are currently 4 points behind sixth-ranked Bournemouth. Bournemouth's head coach is Andoni Illaura, who is also one of the candidates after Chelsea's head coach position is vacated. Chelsea's recent state has declined.
This club needs to be at the forefront of football and compete in the most important competitions, and that's exactly what this club needs.
Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez will miss the game against Liverpool due to a head injury, so Filip Jorgensen will replace him. This will be Jorgensen's first start since the 2-5 away defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
"I still trust Philip," McFarlane said of the 24-year-old goalkeeper.