Chelsea interim boss McFarlane braces for Man City clash

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.

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AS Cole Palmer and Chelsea teammates prepare to face Manchester City today, former boss Enzo Maresca remains the main talking point as he is speculated to be in talks to replace Pep Guardiola at the Etihad. | AFP

(AFP)

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 topflight 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".