Calum McFarlane reveals what he told Chelsea players after Liam Rosenior sacking
By Robert O'Connor, Press Association
Chelsea interim head coach Calum McFarlane said there have been no clear the air talks among the players and coaching staff following Liam Rosenior’s sacking.
The Blues were hammered 3-0 by Brighton on Tuesday, their worst performance of the season as their woeful run extended to five Premier League losses in a row without scoring.
Speaking afterwards, Rosenior said the display had been unacceptable, questioned the players’ desire and accused them of lacking professionalism.
He was dismissed less than 24 hours later, three months into the six-and-a-half-year deal he signed in January, with first-team coach McFarlane put in charge for the remainder of the season. The rest of Rosenior’s backroom staff have also remained in their positions.
Despite Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Leeds seemingly representing the last chance to salvage their campaign, McFarlane said the events of the previous few months had not been addressed.
“We haven’t had a clear the air meeting,” he said. “We’ve got the group focused for Sunday, the game plan and how we’re going to approach the game. It’s really important we have a real focus. We can’t be thinking about anything else.
“What’s gone on in the past doesn’t need to be spoken about. It’s everything geared towards Sunday.”
The current run is Chelsea’s worst since 1912 and has seen them almost eliminated from contention to qualify for the next season’s Champions League.
Their hopes of rescuing European qualification either through their league position or by winning the cup – and reducing the risk of the club failing to comply with UEFA’s financial regulations – now rest on the shoulders of McFarlane, whose only two games as a manager in senior football came in January when he took the team following the sacking of Enzo Maresca.
For a place in the FA Cup final. ð pic.twitter.com/j2TKRe4BbJ
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 23, 2026
He was promoted from his former role with the under-21 side to the first-team staff by Rosenior in January.
“It’s not my place to say what’s gone wrong or what’s gone right,” he said. “My full focus is on Leeds. We’ve got a massive game on Sunday. All I’m thinking about is Leeds as a team, weaknesses and strengths, and how we’re going to prepare.”
Asked whether he had identified what went wrong during the Rosenior’s final weeks ahead of taking the reins at Wembley, he said: “I’m not going to discuss (that) today. All our focus is on is improving the team performance for Leeds.”
McFarlane said he was unsure whether Rosenior had been given chance to say goodbye to the players.
“I’m not sure how it’s been done,” he said. “I spoke to him on the phone on Wednesday. He was good. It was a good conversation.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Liam. He welcomed me and made me a part of his staff. I have a really good relationship with Liam and I’m gutted it hasn’t worked out.”
McFarlane was hopeful of Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro being fit to play at Wembley after missing the Brighton game, but confirmed Estevao is out for the season with a hamstring injury.
