Daniel Farke ‘feels for’ Liam Rosenior after Chelsea boss sacked days before FA Cup semi-final — Independent 23/4/26
Farke was due to share the touchline with Rosenior for Leeds’ FA Cup semi-final with Chelsea but the Englishman’s sacking means he will play no part
Will Castle
Leeds manager Daniel Farke admitted he felt for Liam
Rosenior after the former Chelsea boss was sacked mere days before the pair
were set to share a touchline at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Rosenior was axed by the Blues hierarchy following a dismal
3-0 defeat to Brighton on Tuesday - the club’s fifth Premier League loss on the
bounce without scoring a goal, taking the club to a 114-year low.
It means Calum McFarlane will take charge at Wembley for
what is his second stint as interim manager in four months, charged with
arresting this slump and taking Chelsea within 90 minutes of silverware.
Farke, whose Leeds side have not reached the last four in
this competition since 1987, cannot help but have sympathy for Rosenior and has
backed him to come back stronger.
“I mind my own business and don’t take decisions for other
clubs. First of all, you feel for a colleague and a really good human being and
a promising manager like Liam,” he said.
“[He had] just one year in charge for Hull in English
football, then he went abroad and has done really well. Sometimes we forget
it's his second season more or less in English football and this job comes with
lots of pressure.
“I’m pretty sure he will have a big career in management and
let’s not forget how young he is. He will take this as big experience and grow
on it. And for that you always feel for the manager and you don’t want a
manager to lose his job, that’s for sure.”
Farke highlighted that changeover in the opposition dugout
does create challenges for preparation and is expecting the club to experience
a “new manager bounce”, now without the excuse of Rosenior’s struggles.
“If someone overtakes just before your game, it doesn’t make
the preparation easier,” he added. “That’s a fact and it also feels a bit
tricky because it’s like a fresh start for the [Chelsea] players. Not to
mention the quality of the Chelsea players.
“Everyone was talking about the manager in recent weeks but
now that 'excuse' is away and it’s up to the players to deliver. Everyone
speaks that they have to show the basics. It’s always the same, when some top
class players are showing the basics and have no excuses, then it can be a
really dangerous side.
“For that, I expect a Chelsea side who are back to their
best. I expect a side that will try to prove it’s a fresh start and right now
the burden is a bit away and we want to show more or less what we’re capable
of. And I expect them to be back to their best free-flowing football.
“But we want to this doesn’t take anything away that we want
to be successful again. For that we will prepare to face a really strong, a
really dangerous side. We are greedy to also be successful in this game.”
Farke also confirmed that Ilia Gruev has sustained a
meniscus injury that has ruled him out for the season, while being hopeful that
Jayden Bogle, Sebastiaan Bornauw and Anton Stach will be included in Leeds’
semi-final plans.
