The Boss Maresca Labels Lead-Up Period as The 'Worst 48 Hours' with the Club

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca stated that the run-up to Saturday's victory against Everton constituted "the toughest 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club.

The Italian delivered a somewhat cryptic statement in his after-game press conference even after notching a 2-0 win at home thanks to finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points propelled Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, potentially improving the mood following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to consecutive outings.

But, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and general display, Maresca surprisingly divulged his frustration over the previous two days at the club.

"How the players are eager to improve has been superb and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with so many issues, they are performing admirably after a complicated week," he stated.

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

When pushed further on his meaning, the former Leicester City boss elaborated: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When questioned if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he answered: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely content with the fans."

Injury & Suspension Crisis

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing fitness and suspension problems, remarking they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to two significant injuries.

"I really praise the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are performing exceptionally. Today was 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer there, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season without our best player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to appreciate because the commitment from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's win over Everton cemented their position in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled next week.

Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was not immediately clear who or what prompted Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea head coach.

In that timeframe, the Italian had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a training session at Cobham, attended a pre-match press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton side.

It was not obvious whether any particular media reports had irked him, if online comments were a factor, or if it was something deeper from within the hierarchy 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 arrival from Leicester during July 2024.