Calum McFarlane Sides With Chelsea Over Family Obligations

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A Sudden Shift in Leadership

Chelsea's interim head coach, Calum McFarlane, was on his way to a family day out in Windsor on Thursday when he received an unexpected call that would change the course of his week. The under-21 coach was diverted to the club’s Cobham training center at around lunchtime after getting a call from sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart. There, he was informed that he would be stepping into the dugout for Sunday’s match against Manchester City following the sudden departure of Enzo Maresca earlier that day.

McFarlane’s first-ever match in charge of senior football will be against six-time Premier League winner Pep Guardiola. He had to quickly get a new pass made so he could access the first-team building at Cobham. “I was actually on the way to a Windsor light show with my family,” said McFarlane. “I got a call that said ‘when can you get in?’ I said I can be there in an hour. The missus wasn’t very happy about that.”

He rushed to the training center where he was briefed on the situation. “They explained what happened and said you’re going to be preparing to play Manchester City on Sunday. We really support you and trust you, and good luck.” After understanding the situation, McFarlane worked with the staff to put together a plan for the upcoming match.

A New Challenge

McFarlane only moved to Chelsea in the summer from Southampton, where he had spent two years coaching their under-21s and previously their under-18s. Before that, he worked at City with various youth teams, including under-15, under-16, and under-18. He also spent three years working at Tromso in Norway and held youth coaching roles at Fulham and Crystal Palace.

“We’ve got limited time,” said McFarlane, who took first-team training on Friday morning and will have another session on Saturday before the squad travels to Manchester. “There’s been some really good work done previously. It will be about introducing some of my own ideas, some of my own concepts around how you think you can be successful. But not trying to reinvent the wheel. There’s been some great work done and we’ll try and continue that.”

Potential Replacement

Meanwhile, Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior remains the leading candidate to replace Maresca on a long-term basis. During a pre-scheduled press conference, Rosenior appeared to open the door to a move to Stamford Bridge, saying: “In life, there are zero guarantees. I love (Strasbourg), but I can’t guarantee anything. Nobody can.”

The Ligue 1 side is owned by BlueCo, the investment group that owns Chelsea, which could make a move to Stamford Bridge smoother. However, the group would also need to consider who might replace Rosenior in Alsace.

For now, McFarlane is in charge, and he is focused on preparing the team for the challenging match against Manchester City. His experience in youth coaching and his background with other clubs provide a solid foundation as he steps into this high-pressure role. With limited time, he will need to quickly implement his strategies while building on the existing work done by previous coaches.