McFarlane Prepares Chelsea for Tottenham Clash Amid Alonso's Arrival
On the surface, it was a routine pre-match press conference before a derby with European stakes. In reality, Cobham felt like a club standing in two different seasons at once.
Calum McFarlane sat down to talk about Tottenham, about fitness, about the final stretch of Chelsea’s Premier League campaign. Almost every question bent back towards one man who was nowhere near the room: Xabi Alonso.
The Spaniard’s four-year deal as Chelsea’s new permanent head coach was confirmed on Monday morning, less than 48 hours after the club’s FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City. The timing changed the mood. What could have been a flat, post-Wembley inquest turned into something else entirely – a bridge between the end of one project and the promise of another.
For now, though, the team still belongs to McFarlane.
“We’re very, very focused,” the interim head coach stressed when the subject finally did return to football on the pitch. “We need to win the next two games to give ourselves the best chance to finish as high in the table as possible and get European football.”
Tottenham arrive at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night in Chelsea’s penultimate league fixture of 2025/26. The rivalry sells itself. The stakes add an extra edge. Both sides still have something to chase.
McFarlane doesn’t believe motivation will be an issue.
“The players have showed fight and heart in the last two games,” he said. “Everyone knows about the rivalry but both teams also have lots to play for. Both teams are fighting for the points, so we shouldn’t need to add extra motivation but it will naturally be there.”
Alonso’s Shadow Over a Derby Week
Alonso will not officially take charge until July 1, yet his presence already hangs over the club. The announcement, coming so soon after the FA Cup heartbreak, lifted a fanbase that had spent Saturday evening nursing fresh scars from another near miss against City.
Inside the dressing room, the reaction has been just as lively.
“Everyone is excited,” McFarlane admitted. “He’s a great coach, won major trophies, a great playing career. He will have lots of respect from everyone. We’re very excited.”
Respect is a word that keeps coming up around Alonso. As a player, he collected some of the game’s biggest prizes. As a coach, he has already built a serious reputation. Chelsea believe that combination will give them a powerful pull this summer, both in the transfer market and inside their own training ground.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” McFarlane said when asked what it says about the club that they could attract Alonso. “We’re a massive club with some of the best players in the world.”
The two men have already made contact. Alonso reached out after the weekend.
“He sent me a text message yesterday,” McFarlane revealed, choosing not to share the details. “I will keep that private, but mainly about the final.”
Whether that brief exchange grows into a working relationship remains to be seen. Asked if he could stay on as part of Alonso’s backroom staff, McFarlane was honest.
“I don’t know at this moment in time,” he said. “I haven’t thought about that. There’s so much to prepare for.”
His job, for now, is simple and unforgiving: squeeze six more points out of a squad that has been through a long, chaotic season and a draining Wembley defeat.
Injury Juggles and Levi Colwill’s Return
Team selection against Spurs will be shaped by both opportunity and caution.
Romeo Lavia, still easing back from long-term issues, took “a slight knock” in the build-up to the FA Cup final. McFarlane described it as “nothing major” but made it clear Chelsea will not gamble.
“With Romeo, we don’t want to take that risk,” he said. “We need to be careful.”
Benoit Badiashile and Mamadou Sarr were left out of the Cup final squad entirely, more a reflection of depth than a setback. “We can use them in the next two games potentially,” McFarlane explained. “We have a lot of players in their position.”
The real defensive headline has been Levi Colwill. His return to the XI for the trip to Anfield and the FA Cup final offered a glimpse of what Chelsea hope will be a central pillar of both club and country for years to come.
“It’s been great to have Levi back – great for English football as well,” McFarlane said. “We have a really talented, high potential player here. To perform away at Anfield and in the FA Cup final, we’re all really excited about Levi.”
Can he start again so soon after those exertions?
“We need to be careful with Levi,” came the measured response. “He’s performed well in those two games. We’ll see how he looks today.”
The squad will train in the afternoon, with a final assessment on fitness to follow. “They’re gonna train this afternoon and we will have a much better idea of where they are,” McFarlane said, leaving the door open for late decisions.
A Club Between Two Timelines
This is a strange moment for Chelsea. The season is not over. European qualification is still alive. A derby with Tottenham is never a footnote. Yet the narrative has already started to move towards Alonso and what comes next.
Inside the camp, there is no attempt to hide that excitement.
“Really exciting news,” McFarlane said of the appointment. “Great coach with a massive pedigree. We’re all really looking forward to working with Xabi.”
The anticipation is real, but it will not count for anything on Tuesday night. That task falls to the man in the dugout now, not the one watching from afar.
McFarlane’s Chelsea have two games left to shape the table, the mood, and perhaps the platform Alonso walks into on July 1. A rivalry, a race for Europe, and the first steps towards a new era all collide under the lights at Stamford Bridge.
