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

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the run-up to the weekend's triumph against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club.

The Italian made a somewhat cryptic comment in his post-match media briefing even after earning a 2-0 win at home through finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points sent Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, perhaps improving the mood following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's winless run to consecutive outings.

However, when questioned about the full-back's contribution and overall display, Maresca surprisingly shared his displeasure over the preceding two days within the club.

"The way the lads want to improve has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with numerous challenges, they are doing very well after a complicated week," he stated.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the previous 48 hours have been the worst because many people didn't support us."

Pressed on his meaning, the former Leicester City boss continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When questioned if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."

Injury & Disciplinary Woes

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing injury and disciplinary problems, remarking they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of serious injuries.

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

"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are performing brilliantly. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we said many times that he's our top 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 like people externally to recognize because the commitment from the players is remarkable."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton strengthened their position in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Uncertainty Over Maresca's Remark

It was not immediately clear what exactly prompted Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea manager.

In that period, the coach had traveled back with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a training session at the training ground, attended a pre-match press briefing where he seemed at ease, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton side.

It was not obvious whether any specific media reports had irked him, if social media comments were a factor, or if it was something deeper from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an matter involving the club's fans, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester in July 2024.