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

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca remarked that the build-up to Saturday's victory against Everton constituted "the most challenging 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old offered a rather mysterious statement in his after-game press conference despite notching a 2-0 win at home through strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those crucial 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 team's winless run to four fixtures.

But, when questioned about the full-back's contribution and general display, Maresca unexpectedly shared his annoyance over the previous 48-hour period at the club.

"The way the players want to develop has been excellent and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with a host of problems, they are excelling after a difficult week," he said.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the previous 48 hours have been the worst because several people withheld support from us."

Pressed on the specifics, the former Leicester City manager added: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When questioned if he meant people within at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. In general," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I adore the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."

Fitness and Suspension Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and disciplinary problems, remarking they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, as well as being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to two significant injuries.

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

"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are doing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer playing, we said many times that he's our top player but we play the vast majority of the season without our top player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to appreciate because the effort from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton strengthened their standing in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Speculation Over Maresca's Remark

It was unclear who or what caused Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his spell as Chelsea manager.

In that window, the coach had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a training session at Cobham, attended a pre-game news conference where he appeared relaxed, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton team.

It was hard to discern whether any particular 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 only sought to deny that it was an issue related to the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester during July 2024.