Chelsea's Boss Enzo Maresca Calls Lead-Up Time as His 'Most Difficult Two Days' with the Blues

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

The Italian made a rather mysterious message in his after-game media briefing even after securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points sent Chelsea once again into the Premier League'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 four outings.

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

"How the players want to improve has been fantastic and this is the reason why I commend them - because with a host of issues, they are performing admirably after a complicated week," he said.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the most difficult because a lot of people failed to back us."

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

When questioned if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. In general," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."

Injury & Disciplinary Woes

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder 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, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are doing exceptionally. Today was five games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer there, we have said many times that he's our top player but we play almost all season without 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 outside to recognize because the effort from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton strengthened their standing in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.

Uncertainty Over Maresca's Remark

It was unclear who or what prompted Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea manager.

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

It was hard to discern whether any particular press stories had unsettled him, if social media discourse were a factor, 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 involving the club's supporters, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester in July 2024.