Latest Blues news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page<\/strong><\/p>\n“Potentially,” said McFarlane, when asked if a few players are playing for their futures. “I do think that these are top-level professionals, elite athletes that only get to this level by having a certain mindset and they will want to win those two games regardless if there is a manager in place or not.<\/p>\n
“I think you saw that at Liverpool. I think you saw that in the cup final that they went there. There’s a professional pride there that we need to tap into. But yeah, maybe it gives them a little bit more incentive to know that the manager is watching.”<\/p>\n
McFarlane thinks his Chelsea players are capable of competing with the very best in the world, as shown by the narrow defeat to Man City in Saturday’s FA Cup final, but consistency has been their downfall this term.<\/p>\n
He said: “We’ve seen what they’re capable of and they need to do it on a more consistent basis. I felt like with all the injuries we’ve got in the squad, we went toe-to-toe with Man City and it was an even game. It was a 50-50 game, in my opinion. (Antoine) Semenyo decided the game with a bit of quality, but there was other instances where that could have been a Chelsea player that decides the game.<\/p>\n
“I think that shows the level of this group, the quality of this group and we haven’t done it on a consistent basis, otherwise we wouldn’t be where we are in the league. But there’s been a lot of change.<\/p>\n
“There’s also been a lot that’s gone on at the club that it’s not in my place to say what’s right or wrong, but that can affect momentum, that can affect the group. But when this group is at their best, I think we’re up there with anyone in Europe.”<\/p>\n
There were some question marks from the outside whether Alonso would want to take the Chelsea job given BlueCo’s reputation when it comes to managers, with five permanent head coaches leaving the club under this ownership.<\/p>\n
McFarlane, though, is not surprised the Blues have lured Alonso: “It doesn’t surprise me. It’s a massive club. I think we’ve got really exciting players, some of the best players in the world who have shown, even though it’s been a disappointing season, they have shown at times this year the quality that we have.<\/p>\n
“So yes, it’s a massive club and it will always attract top players and top managers.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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