Chelsea's McFarlane admits Champions League hopes fading but calls for positivity

[p]McFarlane, who returned for ‌a second spell as interim coach last ‌month after [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/chelsea/4fGZN2oK/"]Chelsea[/a] sacked Liam Rosenior following a five-match ‌losing run, began with a 1-0 win ‌over Leeds United that secured a place in the FA Cup final.[/p][p]Chelsea, eighth in the Premier League on ‌48 points, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/chelsea-4fGZN2oK/nottingham-UsushcZr/?mid=n1pZG14F"]host Nottingham Forest on ⁠Monday[/a], and McFarlane ‌struck a realistic tone when pressed about Champions League ​qualification being out of reach.[/p][p][b]"I think you're right when you say that. We ​have to win our games and not think about anything else," [/b]he told reporters on Friday.[/p][p][b]"We ⁠need the fans ​to bring a positive energy and get behind the team. There's a lot to play for."[/b][/p][image alt="Chelsea's upcoming matches" id="01144a75-d317-40a6-a23c-a49f32bcd89c" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="9021448a-6187-43c6-97a6-27265774c1fd" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][p]Chelsea will face Manchester City in the FA Cup ‌final on May 16th, and McFarlane said last week’s victory had lifted spirits at Stamford Bridge.[/p][p][b]"It's always difficult when you're not performing and not getting the results,"[/b] he said.[/p][p][b]"It's amazing how a win can change the feel and atmosphere of the group."[/b][/p][embed guid="1a9a9a25-3394-4555-9538-d5c98bf572c5" url="https://x.com/ChelseaFC/status/2050151884250370225" social-type="twitter" /][p]On the injury front, McFarlane said captain [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/james-reece/nLBC7ERa/"]Reece James[/a], who is recovering from ‌a hamstring strain, and defender [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/colwill-levi/CQXNItIG/"]Levi Colwill[/a] had ​returned to training.[/p][p]"A little way to the game, ‌so we'll see how they do, but both are looking promising," he said.[/p][p][b]"Levi has had a long injury, Reece had a really good run and was then injured again, ⁠so we don't ⁠want to push ‌too much."[/b][/p]