Chelsea face Liverpool on Saturday looking to end a six-game losing streak in the Premier League, but caretaker manager Callum MacFarlane has been forced to protect his players.
Callum MacFarlane defended his players (Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Chelsea caretaker manager Callum Macfarlane has insisted his players are all heading in the right direction after manager Jamie Carragher claimed the club was “broken”. The Blues have lost six games in a row in the Premier League and are falling down the table as the season draws to a close.
A 3-1 defeat to a much-changed Nottingham Forest side on Monday night left them bottom of the table, in ninth place, 10 points out of the Champions League places with three games in hand. Now that the Champions League is gone, Chelsea are fighting to secure European football.
They travel to Anfield to face Liverpool in an early kick-off on Saturday and need to halt the slide. That seems unlikely, Carragher said. Carragher criticized the team’s recent performances, as well as the club’s overall outlook.
MacFarlane stepped in until the end of the season after manager Liam Rosenior was sacked and is confident his players are working to turn things around.
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“The group is disappointed with the performance against Forest. We reviewed it as well. We didn’t see any altercations or rifts or anything out of the ordinary,” MacFarlane said. “These are elite players who have reached this level with their talent, mentality and drive, it’s just a matter of bringing it out.
“Without that, you wouldn’t be able to play at this level of club or country that they play for. It’s just about supporting them and doing everything we can as a staff and giving them everything they need to go out on the pitch and perform.”
His comments came after Chelsea were punched by Carragher. “It’s shocking and it’s coming from the top,” he told Sky Sports. “There were five or six really top-class players on the pitch today and they lost to Nottingham Forest’s B team.
“Less than 12 months ago they were taking PSG to the cleaners. There is no connection between players and staff, players and fans.
Chelsea are 9th in the Premier League with three games remaining this season (Image: Getty Images)
“In a way it’s a good thing because it shows you that football isn’t all about spending money, signing players and buying this revolving door. It’s about creating unity and there’s nothing there. They look like a broken football club at the moment.”
Speaking on Monday Night Football, he added: “I said a few years ago that players should leave their contracts with Chelsea. I still stand by that, but it’s not about individual players and I think there’s something against Chelsea.”
“What I’m saying is if we keep buying and selling players, we’ll never build a bond as a team. We have to get through things together.”
“They buy two wingers every year, but how do the two they bought the year before feel? You can’t just come into a club and be a great player. You have to build something and grow as a group with the manager and the players. It’s a continuous conveyor belt.”
“If I was a young player, why would I sign for Chelsea? They would give me 12 months and if I wasn’t great they would sign someone else. How do you create a connection between players, fans and staff? That doesn’t exist.”
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