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Calum McFarlane is once again Chelsea's interim head coach after a second managerial departure of the season at Stamford Bridge
Calum McFarlane could finish this season having managed Chelsea in eight games. That is quite the rise from someone who moved to the Blues' academy less than 12 months ago.
McFarlane, joining from Southampton last summer, impressed when replacing Filipe Coelho at the start of the season. The newly-appointed Chelsea interim head coach also spent time working at Manchester City's youth team before joining Southampton.
During his time in Manchester, he got to know Joe Shields, part of the Blues' five-strong team of sporting directors, who was head of academy recruitment at the Etihad Stadium, as well as Glenn van der Kraan, Chelsea's academy technical director.
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After Enzo Maresca's chaotic departure on New Year's Day, McFarlane went with his family to a light show in Windsor, only for there to be a call on his phone asking him if he wanted to take the job on a temporary basis. While his partner was presumably delighted for him, she may have been irritated that their big day out was cut short as McFarlane dashed to the club's training base in Cobham to begin preparation for the toughest task imaginable: Manchester City away.
In his very first session, sources say everyone involved was impressed with McFarlane and how he handled an undoubtedly daunting, yet exciting, experience. There are some big-name players in the Chelsea dressing room - Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and so on - but McFarlane looked at home when taking the session on the grass at Cobham.
A trip to Manchester followed and up against arguably the greatest the Premier League has ever seen in Pep Guardiola, McFarlane led his side, whom he had worked with for just a few sessions, to an impressive 1-1 draw at the Etihad.
It was a big moment for McFarlane, and Chelsea captain Reece James was keen for the interim boss to enjoy it. When the Blues players were clapping the away end in Manchester, James pushed McFarlane towards the supporters for him to take in what was happening in front of him.
McFarlane impressed so much in his two-game spell, which included a 2-1 defeat to Fulham a few days after the City draw, that Liam Rosenior decided to make him part of his backroom staff. Rosenior formed a close relationship with McFarlane over their three-and-a-half months working together.
With Rosenior out of the picture, McFarlane will now take his side to Wembley. This time, with more of a chance to work with his players in preparation. As well as this, he now knows each and every one of the first-team squad, something he could not say before he took the interim role the first time around - that is why choosing McFarlane to take the reins until the end of the season was a no-brainer from Chelsea's point of view, sources say.
McFarlane will hold his pre-match press conference at 1:30pm this afternoon ahead of Chelsea's huge FA Cup semi-final with Leeds on Sunday. If the Blues can progress, the interim head coach is set to take charge of what could be six remaining matches (should they reach the FA Cup final) - and if that is the case, McFarlane will finish the campaign having managed almost 14 percent of the club's 58 first-team games.
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