Chelsea vs. Leeds United: Calum McFarlane dismissive over claims of Blues being divided ahead of FA Cup semi-final

Chelsea interim head coach Calum McFarlane has insisted that "everyone's on board" ahead of Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Leeds United.

Earlier this week, Liam Rosenior was removed from his position in the dugout after just 23 matches in charge.

Rosenior laid the blame for Tuesday's 3-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion at the feet of his players, and reports have since emerged of there being long-standing doubts within the squad over the Englishman's appointment in January.

Given the level of the performance against the Seagulls, the mentality and unity of Chelsea's first-team squad has naturally been questioned.

Nevertheless, ahead of the Wembley Stadium showpiece, McFarlane claimed that he had a group of players motivated to reach the FA Cup final.

McFarlane dismissive over divided Chelsea talk

He told reporters at a press conference: "I have a really good relationship with the players. Our process will be the same as when I was an interim before.

"I'll work the way I know how to work. Everyone's on board and we're ready for Sunday."

McFarlane added: "We've spoken to the group about the remaining games and what's still to play for.

"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 year. We'll make it as simple as that and we'll start that on Sunday.

"Again, the same thing I'm saying to you guys is what I'm saying to the players. Let's just get the next three days right. Let's make sure we're ready for Leeds and make sure we're performing well against Leeds and we'll go day by day on that."

Chelsea fanbase will be equally dismissive of McFarlane comments

Chelsea have suffered five successive Premier League defeats without scoring a goal. Furthermore, Marc Cucurella's barber seemingly leaked team news prior to the Brighton game, and Enzo Fernandez's future remains a topic for debate.

When none of the squad are performing to the level required and key players remain injury doubts, there is minimal optimism among the Chelsea fanbase.

The solitary positive is McFarlane having been able to deliver a 1-1 draw at Manchester City when he was previously in interim charge, and the hope will be that he can have a similar impact.