Key Takeaways
- Liam Rosenior has left Chelsea after only 107 days and seven defeats in eight games.
- Calum McFarlane will again act as interim boss, starting with Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Leeds United.
- Chelsea have gone five league matches without a goal, slipping to seventh and risking European qualification.
Chelsea have shown Liam Rosenior the exit after barely three months in charge, replacing him with interim coach Calum McFarlane for the rest of the campaign.
The 41-year-old former Strasbourg boss took over in January on a long six-year deal, yet a run of seven losses in eight fixtures convinced the board to act before the season slips away.
McFarlane, previously youth-team coach, will steer the squad at Wembley on Sunday against Leeds in the FA Cup semi-final. He also filled the gap for two matches earlier this year when Enzo Maresca departed.
Rosenior’s final game, a 3-0 drubbing at Brighton on Tuesday, brought a fifth straight league defeat without a single goal. Supporters chanted for his removal during the match, and the team’s expected goals in the first half, 0.04, were the lowest recorded in any half under the previous regime.
Off the pitch, Chelsea say no huge pay-off is due because a break clause sat in the contract. A short club statement thanked the outgoing coach for “integrity and professionalism” but added that “results and performances have fallen below the required standard”.
Rosenior had guided the Blues to FA Cup victories over Charlton, Hull, Wrexham and Port Vale, yet cup exits to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup and a 8-2 aggregate loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last-16 undermined his record.
Chelsea now sit seventh in the Premier League, seven points behind Liverpool in fifth with a match extra played, making a return to the Champions League unlikely unless the team can produce a strong finish and win the FA Cup.
McFarlane’s first task will be lifting a side that has failed to register a shot on target in its last league outing and has been out-run in every single Premier League match this season.