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

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the build-up to Saturday's win against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The Italian offered a rather mysterious comment in his after-game press conference despite securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points sent Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, potentially improving the mood after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's winless run to consecutive fixtures.

But, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and overall performance, Maresca unexpectedly disclosed his frustration over the previous two days within the organization.

"How the squad want to improve has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with a host of issues, they are performing admirably after a difficult week," he stated.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the most difficult because many people withheld support from us."

Pressed on what he meant, the former Leicester City boss continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When asked if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he responded: "In general. Overall," before clarifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."

Injury and Disciplinary Woes

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing injury and disciplinary problems, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, in addition to losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

"I truly commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are performing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer there, we have said many times that he's our top player but we play almost all season minus our top 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 acknowledge because the commitment from the players is outstanding."

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 journey to Newcastle to come next week.

Speculation Over Maresca's Comments

It was ambiguous who or what caused Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the worst of his spell as Chelsea manager.

In that period, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a session at Cobham, faced a pre-game press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton team.

It was not obvious whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if online discourse played a role, or if it was something more significant from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an matter involving the club's fans, some of whom have not yet fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July 2024.