The Boss Maresca Describes Pre-Match Time as His 'Most Difficult 48 Hours' at the Blues

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca revealed that the run-up to the weekend's win against Everton represented "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.

The 44-year-old made a puzzling message in his after-game press conference despite notching a 2-0 win at home thanks to strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points lifted Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the mood after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's drought without a win to four outings.

Yet, when questioned about the full-back's assist and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly shared his displeasure over the previous 48-hour period at the club.

"The way the lads want to improve has been fantastic and this is the reason why I commend them - because with numerous challenges, they are doing very well after a complicated week," he said.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the most difficult because many people failed to back us."

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

When asked if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. In general," before clarifying when asked if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."

Fitness and Suspension Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent fitness and suspension 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 striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

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

"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are performing exceptionally. Today was five games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our top player but we play almost all season without our top player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to acknowledge because the effort from the players is outstanding."

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

Speculation Over Maresca's Comments

It was ambiguous who or what prompted Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his spell as Chelsea head coach.

In that timeframe, the coach had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a training session at the training ground, attended a pre-match press briefing where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a victory over an in-form Everton team.

It was not obvious whether any specific media reports had unsettled him, if social media 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 involving the club's fans, some of whom have still have yet to fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester during July 2024.