The Manager Maresca Describes Lead-Up Period as His 'Toughest 48 Hours' with the Club

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to Saturday's victory against Everton constituted "the toughest 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian offered a puzzling message in his post-match press conference even after notching a 2-0 win at home through strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points propelled Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's drought without a win to four fixtures.

However, when questioned about the full-back's contribution and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly shared his displeasure over the previous 48-hour period within the organization.

"The way the players are eager to learn has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with numerous challenges, they are doing very well after a complicated week," he stated.

"Since I joined the club, the past 48 hours have been the toughest because several people didn't support us."

When pushed further on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City manager continued: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When asked if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he responded: "In general. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are very content with the fans."

Injury and Suspension Woes

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing injury and disciplinary problems, remarking they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, as well as being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

"I really praise the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are performing exceptionally. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season without our best player.

"We play five games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to appreciate because the effort from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's win over Everton consolidated their standing in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled next week.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was ambiguous what exactly caused Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea head coach.

In that timeframe, the Italian had traveled back with his staff and players from Bergamo, conducted a training session at the training ground, attended a pre-game news conference where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a victory over an in-form Everton team.

It was unclear whether any particular media reports had unsettled him, if online comments played a role, or if it was something deeper from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue related to the club's fans, some of whom have not yet fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July 2024.