Calum McFarlane, Chelsea’s Under-21s coach, would fulfill the Enzo Maresca-sized hole at the helm of the senior team against Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.
Chelsea parted ways with Maresca with immediate effect in a shock New Year’s Day decision, less than two years into his five-year contract. Despite winning the UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup and remaining competitive in the Premier League, a poor run of results in December and a breakdown in relations with the club’s owners led Chelsea to conclude that a change was needed to get the season back on track.
McFarlane said he knows a lot of players in the senior team already, but was ‘officially’ introduced to the squad on Friday after a ‘crazy 24 hours’.
“It’s
been a crazy 24 hours, a whirlwind, as you can imagine, but also really enjoyable, really exciting, so I can only feel positive about this. I met with a few of the individuals beforehand, but I was officially introduced this morning,” McFarlane told reporters on Friday, as quoted by AFP.
Chelsea are just about in the Champions League places at fifth, but have seen only one win in seven top-flight games, and face the daunting task of playing City, who are unbeaten in the last nine matches across competitions, at the Etihad Stadium.
“They seem really focused, really driven and hungry,” he said about his squad. “They know we’ve got a massive game on Sunday and we’re going to have to be at our best, so you can feel that. They’re professionals, they’ve done this a long time, they’ve been here before.”
McFarlane said that the Chelsea hierarchy had been supportive but didn’t have any commitment to his future.
“The brief is to prepare the lads for Manchester City on Sunday, and that’s honestly all I know at the moment,” he said.
Calum McFarlane delivers Chelsea team news ahead of our clash with Manchester City. 💬
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 2, 2026
Liam Rosenior, the head coach of French club Strasbourg, owned by Chelsea’s parent company BlueCo, is reportedly the leading candidate to replace Maresca in the long-term. The London club is 13th in the Champions League and alive in the other two domestic competitions, with the two-legged League Cup semi-final against Arsenal and the FA Cup to begin in January.
