The Boss Enzo Maresca Labels Lead-Up Time as His 'Worst Two Days' with the Blues

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca stated that the build-up to the weekend's triumph against Everton represented "the most challenging 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

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

Those crucial points sent Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, perhaps lightening the mood after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's drought without a win to four fixtures.

However, when questioned about the full-back's assist and overall performance, Maresca surprisingly divulged his displeasure over the previous 48-hour period at the club.

"The way the players want to develop has been excellent and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with so many challenges, they are doing very well after a tricky week," he stated.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the toughest because several people failed to back us."

When pushed further on what he meant, the former Leicester City boss elaborated: "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: "In general. Overall," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are very happy with the fans."

Fitness and Disciplinary Woes

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing injury and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, in addition to being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match 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, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are performing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer playing, we said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season minus our top player.

"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to appreciate because the commitment from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's success 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 journey to Newcastle to come in the coming days.

Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Comments

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

In that period, the coach had traveled back with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a session at Cobham, attended a pre-game news conference where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton team.

It was unclear whether any particular press stories had irked him, if online discourse were a factor, or if it was something deeper from within the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue related to the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July 2024.