McFarlane has stepped in as interim head coach until the end of this season and his task begins with a huge game on Sunday, when the Blues take on Leeds United in the FA Cup semi-finals.

Recent results and performances have not been at the level he and the rest of club expects, but he is determined to correct that as soon as possible, with a morale-boosting win against our old rivals at the national stadium.

‘Everyone at the club has to feel responsible, staff and players. The players know that, the staff know that,’ said McFarlane, who is in his second spell in the Chelsea senior dugout, having also taken charge on a temporary basis for two games in January.

‘We've all spoken, we know that the recent form has not been good enough, and we're going to do absolutely everything we can and work as hard as we possibly can to make sure that we can put in a good performance on Sunday.

‘That's where it starts. I think a lot of football is about momentum, and we've obviously had a bit of a losing streak. That can change with one positive result, one positive performance, and that's what we're aiming to do.’

Of course, as much as another trip to Wembley for the FA Cup final would be its own reward, there is also the desire to go into the crucial Premier League run-in off the back of a win, as we attempt to close the gap on the top five and UEFA Champions League qualification.

‘We've spoken to the group about the remaining games and what's still to play for,’ McFarlane continued. ‘From my perspective, the whole group are united in the fact that we want to try and win every single game from now to the end of the season.

‘So we make it as simple as that and we start on Sunday. It’s the same thing I'm saying to the players. Let's just get the next few days right. Let's make sure we're ready for Leeds and make sure we perform well against Leeds, and we'll go day-by-day from there.

‘They're top players. They can perform at a really high level and that hasn't happened for whatever reason – and they'll take their responsibility in that, of course – but you've got to adapt, you've got to move on. You've got to be ready for the next challenge, and the next challenge is Leeds.

‘We’ll just try and give the lads everything they need – on the grass, off the grass, in meetings – to make sure that they're comfortable with what they're going to face and what we need to do to win this game.’

Get ready for the semi-final!

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