Calum McFarlane has called on the Chelsea players to show the same fight and grit they displayed in the win over Tottenham Hotspur to make one last big push in our final game of the season.
The Blues conclude our Premier League campaign with an away trip to Sunderland on Sunday afternoon, with both sides eager to take all three points and secure qualification for European competition in 2026/27.
Our interim head coach is expecting a tough challenge in his last match in that role at the Stadium of Light, but believes the team have what they need to get the job done.
‘It's going be a great game. Both teams need to win as well,’ said McFarlane in his pre-match press conference at Cobham.
‘Sunderland have had a brilliant season. They're a really good side, a really challenging side, they cause you real problems.
‘So we need one more push, one more big game, another three points and hopefully get ourselves up that table.
‘We need to face what's in front of us. We're more than capable of going there and winning the game, but we know we have to be at our best to get three points because they're a very good side.’
Having battled to one important win already this week, defeating Tottenham 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening, McFarlane is hoping to see more of the same attitude on the pitch this Sunday.
‘We knew it was going to be a challenge physically and mentally [against Tottenham]. We pushed as hard as we could,’ he continued.
‘I thought the first half we were good value for the 1-0 lead, played some really nice stuff. We got the second goal and then I felt like maybe we didn't really have much more to push, so it ended up becoming a bit more about grit and determination and defending our box.
‘That's not how we want the game to look, but two or three days after a cup final, with lots of players who played big minutes in that game, in a tough game against a top side, you could see the effects from that.
‘So I was really pleased with the fight and the grit and the quality at times as well. It was great to get a win. We needed that.’
Now there is one more win needed if Chelsea are to book our place in Europe for next season. With Sunderland in an identical situation, that same grit and determination is sure to be needed again at the Stadium of Light.