It’s been a whirlwind start to 2026 for Chelsea Football Club, and few could have predicted the dramatic turn of events that saw Under-21 coach Calum McFarlane thrust into the first-team spotlight. With the Blues set to face Manchester City at the Etihad on January 4, 2026, McFarlane’s rapid promotion comes on the heels of Enzo Maresca’s sudden departure—a move that has left the club scrambling for stability at a pivotal moment in their Premier League campaign.
Maresca, who left Stamford Bridge on New Year’s Day after an 18-month tenure, departs with a respectable legacy. His time in charge saw Chelsea lift the Club World Cup and the Conference League, achievements that sparked hope of a new era of success. Yet, behind the scenes, tensions simmered between Maresca and the club’s hierarchy. Coupled with a dip in form—just one win in the last seven league outings—the Italian’s exit felt both sudden and inevitable.
Enter Calum McFarlane, a coach whose journey to this moment has been anything but conventional. At 40, McFarlane’s playing career was, as some have put it, “non-existent.” Instead, he dedicated himself to coaching from a young age, amassing experience across Europe. His CV includes stints with Manchester City’s youth teams—where he worked alongside Maresca and current Chelsea Co-Director of Recruitment Joe Shields—plus roles at Southampton, Tromso in Norway, and youth setups at Fulham and Crystal Palace. He even served as assistant manager at non-league sides Croydon and Whyteleafe.
McFarlane joined Chelsea in August 2025, taking charge of the Under-21s and quickly impressing club officials. His side sat fourth in the Premier League 2 table, boasting six wins from nine matches. “It’s just a great environment,” McFarlane said after his arrival at Cobham. “Everything’s done so well and to such a high standard that it gives the lads a great chance to succeed. I’m really proud to be at a club like Chelsea.”
But nothing could have prepared him for the call to lead the senior squad into battle against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City—a team chasing Arsenal at the top of the table. McFarlane faced the media for the first time on Friday, revealing the support he’d received from Chelsea’s owners. “Yeah, I spoke to the directors and the owners and like I said, they’ve been really supportive,” he told reporters. “They’ve given us everything we need to be successful and nothing more we can ask for. They’ve been fully on board and we’re all in it together.”
The timing of Maresca’s departure could hardly have been worse. The City clash is one of Chelsea’s biggest fixtures of the season, and the Blues entered the weekend fifth in the Premier League—15 points adrift of leaders Arsenal. Their recent form has been a concern: just one victory in their last seven league matches, with a string of underwhelming performances leaving fans anxious about their Champions League prospects.
Complicating matters further, Chelsea arrived at the Etihad with a depleted squad. Moises Caicedo was suspended, while Marc Cucurella, who had been recovering from a hamstring injury, was absent after failing to prove his fitness. The team was also without goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, sidelined by a small muscle issue he aggravated during the warm-up against Bournemouth. Defender Wesley Fofana was another late scratch, having woken up on match day with a high fever. “Rob felt his injury in the warm up against Bournemouth, he played through it and trained on Friday, and then yesterday felt like he wasn't right. Wes trained well yesterday but woke up today with a really high temperature so he's ill and can't play,” McFarlane explained, as quoted by Nizaar Kinsella.
Given the circumstances, McFarlane’s starting XI was a blend of youth and experience: Jorgensen in goal; Acheampong, Chalobah, Badiashile, and Gusto across the back; James partnered with Enzo Fernandez in midfield; and an attacking trio of Estevao, Palmer, and Neto supporting Joao Pedro up front. The bench featured Slonina, Merrick, Tosin, Hato, Andrey Santos, Garnacho, Gittens, Delap, and Guiu—a lineup that reflected both necessity and the club’s faith in their academy talent.
Tactically, McFarlane stuck close to the blueprint laid out by Maresca, favoring a 4-2-3-1 or attacking 4-3-3 formation. That continuity, at least, offered some stability in a week of upheaval. Yet, as McFarlane prepared for his first senior professional match in management, he faced a daunting task: outmaneuvering Pep Guardiola, a six-time Premier League champion, on his own turf. The odds, frankly, were stacked against the Blues. Chelsea had not beaten Manchester City since May 2021, and the bookmakers had them pegged as clear underdogs.
Off the pitch, the search for a permanent manager was already underway. Liam Rosenior, currently impressing at Strasbourg—the Ligue 1 club also owned by Chelsea’s parent company BlueCo—emerged as the leading contender. Appointing Rosenior would require BlueCo to install a new boss at Strasbourg as well, a logistical wrinkle that underscores the interconnected nature of modern football ownership. Other names linked to the vacancy included Cesc Fabregas, Francesco Farioli, and Eddie Howe, but Rosenior’s familiarity with the BlueCo structure made him the favorite.
For McFarlane, the opportunity to step up—even temporarily—was both a challenge and an honor. “So really excited to be a part of an elite programme and excited to be working with the next generation of talent coming through at Cobham,” he had said of his youth role. Now, that excitement was tinged with the pressure of expectation at the highest level of English football.
Manchester City, meanwhile, entered the match second in the table, four points behind Arsenal after a goalless draw with Sunderland on New Year’s Day. Guardiola’s side had the momentum and the home advantage, but football has a habit of defying the odds when least expected. Could McFarlane inspire a shock result? That question hung in the air as the teams took to the pitch.
With Chelsea’s long-term managerial future still unresolved, and key players sidelined, all eyes were on McFarlane and his young charges. Would this be the start of a new chapter, or just another twist in a season of upheaval for the Blues? For now, the action at the Etihad remains ongoing, and the football world waits to see how Chelsea’s latest gamble will play out.