Chelsea's Boss Maresca Labels Lead-Up Time as His 'Worst 48 Hours' with the Blues

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the build-up to the weekend's victory against Everton was "the toughest 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.

The Italian offered a puzzling comment in his post-match press conference despite earning a 2-0 win at home courtesy of finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points propelled Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, potentially lightening the mood after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's winless run to four matches.

Yet, when asked about the full-back's assist and general display, Maresca unexpectedly shared his displeasure over the preceding two days within the organization.

"The way the squad are eager to learn has been superb and this is the reason why I praise them - because with numerous challenges, they are excelling after a difficult week," he stated.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the toughest because many people failed to back us."

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

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

Fitness & Suspension Crisis

Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent injury and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of serious injuries.

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

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are performing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season without 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 like people externally to appreciate because the work from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's success over Everton strengthened their standing in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come in the coming days.

Speculation Over Maresca's Remark

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

In that period, the Italian had traveled back with his staff and players from Bergamo, conducted a training session at Cobham, attended a pre-game press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and secured a victory over an high-flying Everton side.

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

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