Chelsea's Boss Maresca Calls Lead-Up Period as The 'Most Difficult Two Days' with the Blues

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the run-up to the weekend's victory against Everton constituted "the toughest 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The Italian offered a rather mysterious statement in his post-match press conference even after securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points sent Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, potentially lightening the atmosphere after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's winless run to consecutive matches.

However, when questioned about Gusto's assist and general display, Maresca unexpectedly shared his frustration over the preceding two days at the organization.

"The way the squad are eager to learn has been excellent and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with so many problems, they are performing admirably after a tricky week," he stated.

"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the most difficult because several people withheld support from us."

When pushed further on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City boss continued: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When questioned if he meant people within at Chelsea, he answered: "Broadly speaking. In general," before specifying when asked if it was directed towards fans or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."

Injury & Disciplinary Woes

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing injury and suspension problems, noting they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to two significant injuries.

"I really applaud 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 without Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are doing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer available, we said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season minus our best player.

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

Chelsea's win over Everton consolidated their position in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come next week.

Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was ambiguous what exactly prompted Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea manager.

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

It was not obvious whether any specific press stories had irked him, if social media comments were a factor, or if it was something more significant from within the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an matter involving the club's supporters, some of whom have still have yet to fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester during July 2024.