Chelsea's Boss Maresca Describes Pre-Match Period as His 'Worst 48 Hours' at the Club

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca remarked that the run-up to Saturday's triumph against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The Italian delivered a rather mysterious statement in his after-game media briefing despite securing a 2-0 win at home thanks to strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points lifted Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's winless run to consecutive outings.

However, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and overall performance, Maresca surprisingly divulged his frustration over the preceding two days at the organization.

"How the squad are eager to learn has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with numerous problems, they are excelling after a difficult week," he said.

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

When pushed further on what he meant, the former Leicester City manager added: "Most difficult 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 clarifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I adore the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."

Injury and Disciplinary Woes

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent fitness and suspension issues, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, in addition to losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to two significant injuries.

"I truly commend the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are doing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our top player but we play the vast majority of the season without our top player.

"We play five games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to appreciate because the commitment from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's success over Everton cemented their standing in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come in the coming days.

Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was not immediately clear who or what caused Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea manager.

In that timeframe, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at Cobham, attended a pre-game news conference where he seemed at ease, and secured a victory over an high-flying Everton side.

It was not obvious whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if online discourse played a role, or if it was something more significant from within the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an issue involving the club's fans, a section of which have not yet fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.