Chelsea's Boss Maresca Labels Pre-Match Time as His 'Toughest Two Days' with the Club

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca stated that the run-up to the weekend's triumph against Everton constituted "the toughest 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old offered a rather mysterious statement in his after-game media briefing even after notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those crucial points lifted Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, potentially improving the atmosphere following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's drought without a win to four outings.

However, when asked about the full-back's contribution and overall display, Maresca unexpectedly shared his frustration over the previous 48-hour period at the organization.

"How the squad want to learn has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with a host of problems, 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 most difficult because many people didn't support us."

When pushed further on his meaning, the former Leicester City boss continued: "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 responded: "Broadly speaking. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was directed towards fans or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."

Fitness and Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary problems, noting they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

"I truly applaud the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are doing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure 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 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 externally to recognize because the work from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's win over Everton consolidated their position in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled next week.

Uncertainty Over Maresca's Remark

It was ambiguous what exactly caused Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea manager.

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 news conference where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton team.

It was unclear whether any particular media reports had irked him, if social media discourse played a role, or if it was something more significant from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.

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