Chelsea's Boss Maresca Describes Pre-Match Time as His 'Most Difficult 48 Hours' with the Club

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca remarked that the build-up to Saturday's victory against Everton was "the most challenging 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.

The Italian offered a somewhat cryptic comment in his post-match media briefing despite earning a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points sent Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, perhaps improving the atmosphere after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's winless run to consecutive matches.

Yet, when asked about Gusto's contribution and general display, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his annoyance over the preceding two days within the organization.

"How the lads want to develop has been superb and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with so many challenges, they are doing very well after a complicated week," he commented.

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

When pushed further on what he meant, the former Leicester City manager elaborated: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When questioned if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was directed towards fans or the press: "I love the fans and we are very content with the fans."

Injury & Suspension Woes

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing fitness and disciplinary issues, noting they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the season, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

"I truly commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are doing fantastic. Today was 5 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 minus our best player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League minus 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 recognize because the effort 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 tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Comments

It was not immediately clear what exactly prompted Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his spell as Chelsea head coach.

In that window, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a session at Cobham, faced a pre-game press briefing where he seemed at ease, and secured a win over an in-form Everton team.

It was hard to discern whether any particular press stories had irked him, if online comments played a role, or if it was something deeper from within the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an issue related to the club's fans, some of whom have not yet fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester during July 2024.