Chelsea lost 2-1 to Fulham at Craven Cottage on Wednesday night, which was a letdown. This was the end of Calum McFarlane’s short time as interim head coach. The Blues lost to their rivals from West London after Marc Cucurella got a red card in the first half, leaving them with only 10 men for more than 70 minutes.
Raul Jimenez scored the first goal with a great header, and Harry Wilson scored the game-winning goal with a deflection. Liam Delap gave Chelsea a brief glimmer of hope when he tied the game in the 72nd minute, but the Cottagers deservedly won. As a result, Chelsea have only won one of their last nine Premier League games.
Even though they lost, McFarlane said great things about his time in charge of the first team after the game. He said:
“It’s been amazing. I’ve been coaching since I was 17, a long time. The last week has been the best experience I’ve ever had. That’s down to the players, the way they’ve treated us. I’m really fortunate to have been put in that position.”
After Enzo Maresca left on New Year’s Day, McFarlane, who is the head coach of Chelsea’s Under-21s, took over as interim coach. His first game as manager was a respectable 1-1 draw against Manchester City at the Etihad on Sunday. The 40-year-old will now return to coaching the youth team while the new permanent manager, Liam Rosenior, prepares to take over.
When will Liam Rosenior be in charge of Chelsea?
Liam Rosenior has been named Chelsea’s new head coach, and his contract will last until 2032. The 41-year-old decided not to take charge against Fulham because there wasn’t enough time between his appointment on Tuesday and the game on Wednesday.
Rosenior said before the game that he flew in from Strasbourg on Tuesday morning, which didn’t give him enough time to do the tactical work he wanted to do with the players. Instead, he chose to watch from the stands and let McFarlane keep getting ready for the derby.
Rosenior will train with the first team on Thursday, and then on Saturday, he will make his touchline debut in the FA Cup third round against Championship side Charlton Athletic. He takes over a Chelsea team that are currently eighth in the Premier League and still in the semifinals of the EFL Cup and the Champions League.