Chelsea's Manager Maresca Describes Lead-Up Period as His 'Most Difficult Two Days' at the Club

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the run-up to the weekend's win against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian made a puzzling message in his post-match interview despite notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points lifted Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, potentially improving the mood after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's winless run to four fixtures.

But, when asked about the full-back's contribution and general display, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his annoyance over the preceding 48-hour period within the club.

"How the squad are eager to develop has been excellent and this is the reason why I applaud them - because with so many problems, they are excelling after a difficult week," he stated.

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

When pushed further on his meaning, the former Leicester City manager added: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When asked if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. In general," before specifying when asked if it was directed towards supporters or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely content with the fans."

Injury and Disciplinary Woes

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and disciplinary problems, remarking they had been missing star attacker 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 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, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are performing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our top player.

"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to recognize because the commitment from the players is remarkable."

Chelsea's win over Everton strengthened their standing in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come in the coming days.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was ambiguous who or what caused Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea manager.

In that period, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, conducted a training session at Cobham, faced a pre-game press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and secured a win over an high-flying Everton side.

It was hard to discern whether any specific press stories had irked him, if social media discourse played a role, 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 supporters, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester in July last year.