By Olukayode Olumuyiwa.
Chelsea has confirmed that Under-21 head coach Calum McFarlane will take charge of the senior team as interim manager for their Premier League clash against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium this Sunday. The appointment follows a turbulent New Year’s Day at Stamford Bridge, which saw the departure of Enzo Maresca after 18 months in charge due to a breakdown in relations with the club hierarchy.
McFarlane, who joined Chelsea from Southampton last summer, described his promotion to the first-team dugout as a whirlwind experience during his first pre-match press conference on Friday. He revealed that he was officially introduced to the squad at the Cobham training center on Thursday shortly after Maresca’s exit was finalized, noting that the transition had been a crazy 24 hours of preparation.
To support him during this high-stakes debut in senior management, McFarlane has brought his entire Under-21 coaching staff with him. This includes assistant coaches Andy Ross and James Simmonds, as well as chief analyst Adam Keep. While the majority of Maresca’s backroom team departed with the Italian, McFarlane confirmed that set-piece coach Bernardo Cueva has remained at the club and will be part of the coaching setup for the trip to Manchester.
The interim boss emphasized that he felt comfortable stepping into the role due to the existing culture of integration between the academy and the first team. He noted that many senior players already had a presence at youth matches, which helped ease the transition during Friday’s training session. Club captain Reece James has reportedly been instrumental in helping the staff and players focus amidst the sudden change in leadership.
As the search for a permanent successor begins—with Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior currently cited as a frontrunner—McFarlane’s immediate focus remains on steadying the ship. Chelsea enters the weekend in fifth place, looking to improve on a run of form that has seen them win just once in their last seven Premier League outings. Sunday’s match represents a unique challenge for McFarlane, who previously worked in the Manchester City academy and will now face his former employers in his first game as a senior manager.
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