Football Apr 24, 2026

Calum McFarlane: The 'tactical obsessive' who has been thrown in at the deep end at Chelsea again

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
Calum McFarlane: The 'tactical obsessive' who has been thrown in at the deep end at Chelsea again

Calum McFarlane will take charge of Chelsea until the end of the season after Liam Rosenior's sacking, starting with Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Leeds.

It's not McFarlane's first stint in interim charge at Stamford Bridge.

He took temporary charge after Enzo Maresca's exit in January for Chelsea's 1-1 draw away to Manchester City and the 2-1 defeat at Fulham.

But now he faces a crucial few days as he prepares to be in the dugout for the Blues' FA Cup semi-final at Wembley before being tasked with trying to achieve European qualification.

Analysis from Your Site' Nick Wright:

McFarlane completed an incredible rise from grassroots football to the Premier League during his first stint as Chelsea interim boss.

The 40-year-old, who was previously serving as club's former U21 coach having joined from Southampton's academy, formed part of Rosenior's first-team staff having impressed in the hot seat.

He earned particular praise after his tactical adjustments helped claim a 1-1 draw with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, when Enzo Fernandez scored a dramatic equaliser.

McFarlane's success is no surprise to those who worked with him during a six-year spell as academy manager at Kinetic Academy, a London-based charity with a history of producing professional players from disadvantaged backgrounds.

"I think the Man City game probably changed the narrative from being a nobody to being somebody who knows what he is doing, who is able to execute plans perfectly on the big stage," Fotheringham told Your Site in January.

"We found that it was always tactically where grassroots players struggled and Cal was great at relaying that information straight across to the kids to give them a chance.

"He was a massive student of the game and obsessed tactically with modern developments and what the managers were doing.

"There was a lot of time spent analysing games using the technology available to make sure that we knew, as a grassroots academy, how we could give the kids an advantage. He gave them tools to exploit to help them shine when they got opportunities.

"If you asked anyone, kid or adult, who played in teams that he has led or been a part of the coaching staff with, they would say he is one of the strongest tactical coaches out there.

"I am not surprised at all to see him make the leaps that he has done."

Former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink on Your Site News:

"They are believing in McFarlane.

"He's done a job against Man City, he's held it together so they must believe he can do it. He's been at the club over a year, everyone speaks really highly of him, so he's got an opportunity here like Michael Carrick.

"He knows the players, they like him, they fought for him against Man City. He's been helping Liam, so it will calm things down, hopefully.

"Hopefully he can get them going on Sunday."

Latest from Your Site' Kaveh Solhekol:

Chelsea are planning to take their time to make the right appointment.

They have not spoken to any candidates to replace Rosenior yet and no shortlist has been drawn up.

Having said that, the likes of Andoni Iraola, Oliver Glasner and Xabi Alonso will all be available.

Other names in the frame could be Marco Silva, if he leaves Fulham and Cesc Fabregas.

Chelsea have previously held talks with Luis Enrique, Hansi Flick, Julian Nagelsmann and Roberto De Zerbi when the top job has become available.

It remains to be seen whether elite-level managers are willing to work in the structure currently in place at the club.

Tags:

football news

Share this article

Related Posts

Chelsea head coach: Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola leading candidate to succeed Liam Rosenior after Stamford Bridge sacking - Paper Talk

Chelsea head coach: Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola leading candidate to succeed Liam Rosenior after Stamford Bridge sacking - Paper Talk

The top stories and transfer rumours from Thursday's newspapers...Outgoing Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola is a leading candidate to replace Liam Rosen...

Liam Rosenior: Chelsea part company with head coach after five straight Premier League defeats without scoring

Liam Rosenior: Chelsea part company with head coach after five straight Premier League defeats without scoring

Chelsea have parted company with Liam Rosenior - just 107 days after he took charge.Calum McFarlane will lead the team into Sunday's FA Cup semi-final...

Gary Neville on Liam Rosenior: Chelsea owners don't have a clue, fans will be disgusted with situation

Gary Neville on Liam Rosenior: Chelsea owners don't have a clue, fans will be disgusted with situation

Gary Neville believes Chelsea's hierarchy "don't have a clue what they're doing" after firing Liam Rosenior on Wednesday, their fifth managerial sacki...

Liam Rosenior wanted time to implement his ideas at Chelsea but the more he got, the worse they became

Liam Rosenior wanted time to implement his ideas at Chelsea but the more he got, the worse they became

Liam Rosenior's Chelsea tenure started with a run of 11 games in 35 days during which they had a maximum of only four days between fixtures. With time...

World Cup 2026 news and live updates - USA, Canada and Mexico build-up plus latest on Trump, tickets and fans

World Cup 2026 news and live updates - USA, Canada and Mexico build-up plus latest on Trump, tickets and fans

Arsenal increasingly confident of major summer signingsLatest from Your Site News' Anton Toloui:Arsenal are increasingly confident of making majo...

Bournemouth 2-2 Leeds: Sean Longstaff's last-gasp leveller puts visitors on brink of survival and dents Cherries' European hopes

Bournemouth 2-2 Leeds: Sean Longstaff's last-gasp leveller puts visitors on brink of survival and dents Cherries' European hopes

Sean Longstaff's leveller with the final kick of the game put Leeds on the brink of Premier League survival with a valuable point in a 2-2 draw at Bou...