Calum McFarlane, the interim manager of Chelsea, has expressed his disappointment that Liam Rosenior's tenure at the club did not succeed, following Rosenior's dismissal less than four months into the job. Rosenior was sacked after Chelsea's 3-0 defeat at Brighton on Tuesday, marking their fifth consecutive league loss without scoring—a 114-year low for the club.
McFarlane's Respect for Rosenior
McFarlane emphasised his respect for the former manager and disclosed that the two spoke on the phone the day after Rosenior's exit. "I spoke to him," McFarlane said. "I am not sure how he has done that [spoken to the players] or how that has been done. I've spoken to him on the phone on Wednesday. He was good, it was a good conversation."
"I have a lot of respect for Liam, I didn't know him before he came to the club, he welcomed me in brilliantly. I have a great relationship with him and I am gutted it didn't work out," McFarlane added.
Focus on FA Cup Semi-Final
McFarlane declined to elaborate on what went wrong under Rosenior and stated that he has not held a "clear-the-air meeting" with the players as he begins his second stint as interim boss this season. He previously took charge for two games after Enzo Maresca's departure in January, with his first match seeing Chelsea secure a late draw away at Manchester City.
Now, the stakes are higher as he leads Chelsea into their FA Cup semi-final clash with Leeds United. "We have got the group focused for Sunday," McFarlane said. "Spoken about the game plan and how we are going to approach the game both in and out of possession. It's important we have a real focus for the game on Sunday."
"We can't be thinking about anything else, what's gone on in the past doesn't need to be spoken about. It's just everything geared towards Sunday," he emphasised.
Injury Updates
The 40-year-old manager has been dealt an early injury blow, with Estevao ruled out for the season after scans confirmed his hamstring injury was worse than initially feared. "Estevao unfortunately won't play for us this season. He is going to be out for a little bit of time. We're here to support him," McFarlane said.
When asked about Estevao's chances of being fit for the World Cup, McFarlane replied: "I'm not sure on that if I'm honest. He won't be available for us. I'm sure he's very hopeful he can make the World Cup but I don't know on that."
McFarlane also provided a positive update on Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer, who missed the Brighton match with thigh and hamstring injuries respectively. "They trained, they're in a good place," he said. "We don't know yet [on whether they will play against Leeds], we'll make a call tomorrow."
