After five successive Premier League losses to nil, Chelsea have acted swiftly and announced the departure of Liam Rosenior.
One of the club’s coaches, Calum McFarlane, will take temporary charge of the Blues till the end of the season.
The west Londoners are set to make a permanent appointment in the summer.
CLUB STATEMENT
“Chelsea Football Club has today parted company with Head Coach Liam Rosenior.
“On behalf of everyone at Chelsea FC, we would like to place on record our gratitude to Liam and his staff for all their efforts during their time with the Club.
“Liam has always conducted himself with the highest integrity and professionalism following his appointment midway through the season.
“This has not been a decision the Club has taken lightly, however recent results and performances have fallen below the necessary standards with still so much more to play for this season. Everyone at Chelsea FC wishes Liam every success in the future.
“Calum McFarlane will take charge of the team as Interim Head Coach until the end of the season with support from existing Club backroom staff, as we strive to achieve European qualification and progress in the FA Cup.”
“As the Club works to bring stability to the Head Coach position, we will undertake a process of self-reflection to make the right long-term appointment.”
WHO IS CALUM MCFARLANE?
The 40-year-old has been part of Rosenior’s coaching team since the outgoing manager’s appointment in January.
Before that, he was the Blues’ under-21 coach.
Prior to his arrival in west London, McFarlane held academy-level positions at Southampton and Manchester City.
Does the name ring a bell? In case you’d forgotten his brief stint in the Chelsea dugout in January, this won’t even be his first spell in temporary charge of the Blues in 2025/26.
MCFARLANE’S PREVIOUS TWO MATCHES IN CHARGE
McFarlane oversaw Chelsea’s matches in Gameweeks 20 and 21. The first was a 1-1 draw with Manchester City, the second a 2-1 defeat at Fulham.
GAMEWEEK 20: MANCHESTER CITY – AWAY (1-1)
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McFarlane’s side bagged a creditable 1-1 draw at the Etihad, their goal coming late on. Until the 89th minute, Chelsea had mustered just three shots.
The interim boss pushed Enzo Fernandez (£6.5m) into a more advanced no.10 role after the break, and it was the Argentine midfielder who bagged the equaliser.
GAMEWEEK 21: FULHAM – AWAY (1-2)
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It was hard to read much into this result as Marc Cucurella (£6.1m) was sent off after just 22 minutes.
Despite that, Chelsea still outdid their hosts on xG.
Liam Delap (£6.2m), starting in place of the benched Joao Pedro (£7.7m), grabbed the Blues’ goal. He hasn’t scored in the league since!
WHO DID MCFARLANE START IN HIS TWO MATCHES IN CHARGE?
McFarlane made five changes from Maresca’s final XI for his first Chelsea match, then six alterations for his second.
However, remember that the two-game spell came during a hectic run of matches over Christmas and New Year. Gameweeks 18-21 took place over 12 days.
Robert Sanchez (£4.8m), Marc Cucurella and Moises Caicedo (£5.7m) all missed the Man City match, through injury or suspension. They returned for the trip to Fulham.
Enzo Fernandez, Cole Palmer (£10.5m), Pedro Neto (£7.0m), Trevoh Chalobah (£5.4m) and Malo Gusto (£4.9m) started both games.
MCFARLANE’S NEXT FOUR LEAGUE MATCHES
The next league fixture actually has potential, as Nottingham Forest will be right in the middle of a two-legged UEFA Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa.
Trips to Liverpool and Sunderland aren’t easy, however.
And did we see the beginnings of a Tottenham Hotspur revival in Gameweek 33? Five of Spurs’ seven wins in 2025/26 have come on the road, too.
The FA Cup semi-final against Leeds United on Sunday will be an interesting watch to see if McFarlane’s temporary reappointment has stopped the malaise.
