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

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to the weekend's win against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.

The Italian made a rather mysterious comment in his post-match interview even after earning a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points sent Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, potentially improving the atmosphere after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's drought without a win to consecutive matches.

Yet, when asked about Gusto's contribution and overall performance, Maresca surprisingly disclosed his annoyance over the previous 48-hour period within the organization.

"How the squad are eager to improve has been excellent and this is the reason why I praise them - because with numerous issues, they are performing admirably after a complicated week," he stated.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the most difficult because many people didn't support us."

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

When asked if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very happy with the fans."

Injury & Suspension Crisis

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary problems, noting they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the season, as well as losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

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

"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are performing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we said many times that he's our finest player but we play almost all season without our top player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to acknowledge because the commitment from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's success over Everton strengthened their position in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled next week.

Uncertainty Over Maresca's Comments

It was ambiguous what exactly caused Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea head coach.

In that window, the coach had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a session at Cobham, faced a pre-game news conference where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton team.

It was not obvious whether any specific media reports had unsettled him, if social media comments played a role, or if it was something more significant from within 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 last year.