Chelsea take on Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge on bank holiday Monday, in Calum McFarlane’s first Premier League game in his second stint as interim manager. McFarlane’s first match following the departure of Liam Rosenior was a huge 1-0 win over Leeds at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-final.
The match was a far cry from the 3-0 battering at the hands of Brighton which led to Rosenior’s departure, and posed more questions than answers regarding the commitment of the players under the former Hull and Derby manager.
Chelsea will now play Manchester City in the FA Cup final in May, and the game has brightened what looked like a very dark end to the season, though gray clouds remain.
Chelsea’s Off-Pitch Problems
Fans protested against the owners and sporting directors only two weeks ago before the 1-0 loss to Manchester United, and there was a van driving around Wembley before the game against Leeds that had the words ‘BlueCo Out’ projected onto it.
The van had been organised by the same fan group that organised the protest before the Manchester United game.
McFarlane has also come under questioning as he does not hold a UEFA Pro License, the highest coaching qualification which is required for any full-time Premier League manager.
But the 40-year-old shrugged off any concerns, saying: “I haven’t heard any criticism. So, I don’t know where that’s come from. But I just focus on doing my job day-to-day. Enjoying it, like you said before. And giving the players what they need from a preparation standpoint.”
McFarlane also provided a positive injury update ahead of the Forest clash. “We’ve got Reece [James] back in training, Levi [Colwill] is back in training, both looking good. A little bit away to the game, so we’ll see how they do day by day, but both are looking promising.”
Forest’s Late Season Surge
Nottingham Forest will be going into the game buoyed by the result of the first leg of their Europa League semi-final. They beat Aston Villa 1-0, and are one game away from a European final.
Striker Chris Wood scored the decisive goal, and Forest also look to have potentially saved themselves from relegation. They are five points above 18th-placed Tottenham and have not lost in any competition since March 12.
Vitor Pereira’s side have won three of their last four league games and Morgan Gibbs-White has scored four goals in his last two league appearances.
Explaining their brilliant form, Pereira said: “When you start in the middle of a season, it is because something is missing. Maybe it’s not about the previous coaches because they are top coaches, top managers. Sometimes it’s about, or most of the time, in my opinion, it’s about the energy. We need to recharge the energy of the team.
“Tactically, I try my ideas. We have our ideas and we try to, if they buy the idea, if they feel that we are trying to make them comfortable in the roles, try to give them confidence to play, to express themselves and in the end to connect everybody. This is the most important for me, to connect everybody in the club.”
What’s at Stake
Chelsea do have a good recent record against Forest: they are unbeaten against them since 2023. And the Blues will need a win to keep any chance of a finish in the European spots alive. They are currently 10 points behind fifth-placed Aston Villa going into game week 35 of the Premier League.
Forest simply need to balance the weight of a European campaign against the pressure of staying up in England’s top flight.
