{"id":1093,"date":"2026-04-26T17:53:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T17:53:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=1093"},"modified":"2026-04-26T17:53:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T17:53:53","slug":"who-is-calum-mcfarlane-chelsea-interim-manager-in-charge-for-rest-of-the-season-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=1093","title":{"rendered":"Who is Calum McFarlane? Chelsea interim manager in charge for rest of the season | Football"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n\t\t\"Chelsea\t<\/div>
Calum McFarlane is in the Chelsea hotseat once again (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Calum McFarlane is back in the Chelsea hotseat once again following the sacking of Liam Rosenior earlier this week.<\/p>\n

Rosenior was relieved of his duties on Wednesday after the disastrous 3-0 defeat to Brighton, which saw the Blues lose five matches in a row, without scoring, for the first time since 1912.<\/p>\n

And stepping into Rosenior\u2019s shoes will be McFarlane, who has been appointed as the club\u2019s interim head coach until the end of the season.<\/p>\n

McFarlane is no stranger to the position, of course, having undertaken the role earlier in the season.<\/p>\n

After Enzo Maresca left Chelsea at the start of this year, the 40-year-old was tasked with leading the first team for the games against Manchester City and Fulham, before Rosenior himself was appointed.<\/p>\n

The game away to City finished as an extremely respectable 1-1 draw courtesy of an injury time equaliser from Enzo Fernandez.<\/p>\n

The second game wasn\u2019t quite as successful, with the Blues slipping to a 2-1 defeat at Craven Cottage, but McFarlane still walked away from the temporary spell with a huge amount of credit in the bank.<\/p>\n

McFarlane, who was part of Rosenior\u2019s backroom staff during his three months in charge, will be tasked with lifting the mood after a miserable few months at the club.<\/p>\n

His first assignment is today\u2019s FA Cup semi-final against arch rivals Leeds United, before attention will turn to securing some form of European football for next season with Champions League qualification now surely beyond reach.<\/p>\n

Playing and managerial career<\/h2>\n

McFarlane\u2019s playing career was \u2013 to put it bluntly \u2013 non-existent and at a relatively young age he opted to move into coaching.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Leicester\t<\/div>
Prior to joining Chelsea, McFarlane worked for Man City and Southampton (Photo: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He joined Man City in 2020 and worked primarily as assistant manager for the Citizens\u2019 Under-18 side during his three years at the club.<\/p>\n

He would have known Maresca well as the Italian was also working in City\u2019s academy at the same time before becoming Pep Guardiola\u2019s second in command.<\/p>\n

In Manchester he also crossed paths with Joe Shields, Chelsea\u2019s current Co-Director of Recruitment and Talent, and Academy technical director Glenn van de Kraan.<\/p>\n

In 2023, McFarlane moved to Southampton, serving as U18 and U21 manager before the Blues hired him last summer as the U21 coach.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Manchester\t<\/div>
McFarlane took charge of the visit to Manchester City in January (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tactics and preferred formation<\/h2>\n

McFarlane set Chelsea up in a 4-2-3-1 formation for the games against Manchester City and Fulham, and that system is likely to be deployed again for the remainder of the season.<\/p>\n

That 4-2-3-1 shape is familiar to Chelsea\u2019s players, who have set up in that system for the overwhelming majority of their games this campaign.<\/p>\n

Who could be Chelsea\u2019s next manager?<\/h2>\n

Former Chelsea left back Filipe Luis is amongst the frontrunners to become the next permanent manager.<\/p>\n

The 40 year-old impressed in his first role in management at Flamengo, winning a host of trophies including the Brazilian league title and the Copa Libertadores, before leaving the club back in March.<\/p>\n

The likes of Cesc Fabregas, Oliver Glasner and Andoni Iraola have also been linked with the job.<\/p>\n

For more stories like this,\u00a0check our sport page<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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