The Boss Maresca Labels Lead-Up Time as The 'Worst Two Days' at the Club

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

The 44-year-old made a puzzling statement in his after-game interview despite notching a 2-0 win at home through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points sent Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, potentially lightening the atmosphere following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's winless run to four outings.

However, when asked about the full-back's assist and overall display, Maresca surprisingly disclosed his displeasure over the preceding two days at the club.

"The way the squad are eager to develop has been superb and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with a host of issues, they are performing admirably after a tricky week," he stated.

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

Pressed on his meaning, the former Leicester City boss added: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."

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

Injury & Disciplinary Crisis

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

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

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

"We play five games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to recognize because the effort from the players is remarkable."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton cemented their standing in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Speculation Over Maresca's Comments

It was not immediately clear what exactly caused Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his spell as Chelsea head coach.

In that window, the coach had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a training session at Cobham, faced a pre-game news conference where he seemed relaxed, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton team.

It was hard to discern whether any specific media reports had unsettled him, if online discourse played a role, or if it was something deeper from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

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