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

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to Saturday's victory against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.

The 44-year-old made a puzzling statement in his post-match media briefing despite notching a 2-0 win at home through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points lifted 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.

But, when questioned about the full-back's contribution and general performance, Maresca surprisingly shared his annoyance over the previous two days at the club.

"How the squad want to develop has been excellent and this is the reason why I commend them - because with a host of challenges, they are performing admirably after a tricky week," he stated.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the toughest because several people didn't support us."

When pushed further on the specifics, the former Leicester City boss elaborated: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When asked if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. In general," before clarifying when asked if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very happy with the fans."

Injury and Disciplinary Woes

Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent injury and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, as well as losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

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

"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are performing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our best 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 like people externally to acknowledge because the commitment from the players is fantastic."

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

Speculation Over Maresca's Comments

It was not immediately clear who or what caused Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his spell as Chelsea manager.

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

It was not obvious whether any particular press stories had irked him, if online discourse played a role, or if it was something deeper from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an issue related to the club's supporters, a section of which have not yet fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July 2024.