Chelsea interim boss Calum McFarlane has insisted that his players are all pulling in the right direction after Jamie Carragher claimed the club was “broken”. The Blues have lost six successive Premier League matches and are in freefall down the table as the season draws to a close.
Their 3-1 defeat by a much-changed Nottingham Forest side on Monday night was the nadir and left them in ninth place, 10 points off the Champions League places with three games left. With the Champions League gone, Chelsea are now fighting to secure any European football.
They travel to Anfield to play Liverpool in Saturday’s early kick-off needing to stop the slide. That doesn’t look likely, according to Carragher, who slammed the squad for their recent performances, while also criticising the entire club’s outlook.
McFarlane has stepped in until the end of the season after Liam Rosenior was sacked and is confident his players are working to turn things around.
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“The group are disappointed with the performance against Forest. We reviewed it as well. I haven’t seen any rows or rifts or anything out of the ordinary,” McFarlane said. “They are elite players who have got to this level by having the talent and the mentality and drive. It’s just about bringing it out.
“You don’t get to play for this level of club or countries these guys play for if you don’t have that. It is just about supporting them and doing as much as we can as a staff and giving them everything they need to go out on the pitch and perform.”
His comments come after Chelsea were hammered by Carragher. “It’s shocking and it comes from the top,” he said on Sky Sports. “There’s five or six really top players on the pitch today and they’ve been beaten by Nottingham Forest’s B team.
“Less than 12 months ago, they were taking PSG to the cleaners. There’s no connection between the players and the staff, the players and the fans.
View 2 ImagesChelsea sit ninth in the Premier League with three games of the season remaining(Image: Getty Images)
“In some ways, it’s a good thing because it tells you that football isn’t just all about spending money, buying players and this revolving door. It’s about creating togetherness and there’s nothing there. They look like a broken football club right now.”
Speaking on Monday Night Football he added: “I said a few years ago that players have got to stop signing for Chelsea. I still stand by it, but it wasn’t about the individual players and that I’ve got something against Chelsea.
“My point is if you’re continually buying and selling players, you can never create a connection as a team. You’ve got to go through things together.
“They buy two wingers every year, so the two they’ve bought the year before, how do they feel? You can’t go into a club and be amazing straight away – you have to build something and grow as a group with a manager and players. This is a continual conveyer belt.
“If I was a young player, why would I sign for Chelsea? They’d give me 12 months and if I’m not amazing, they’ll go and sign someone else. How do you build a connection between players, fans and staff? It’s not there.”
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