Chelsea's Boss Enzo Maresca Describes Lead-Up Time as His 'Toughest 48 Hours' at the Blues

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca remarked that the run-up to the weekend's victory against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.

The Italian made a rather mysterious comment in his after-game media briefing even after earning a 2-0 win at home thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points propelled Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, perhaps improving the mood following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to four outings.

Yet, when asked about Gusto's assist and overall display, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his displeasure over the preceding two days at the organization.

"The way the players want to improve has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with a host of issues, they are performing admirably after a difficult week," he said.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the previous 48 hours have been the most difficult because a lot of people withheld support from us."

Pressed 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 asked if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he answered: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before clarifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."

Injury & Suspension Crisis

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent fitness and suspension issues, noting they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, as well as losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

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

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are doing brilliantly. Today was five games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our top player but we play almost all season minus our best player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to recognize because the work from the players is remarkable."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton cemented their position in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was not immediately clear who or what caused Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea manager.

In that timeframe, the Italian had traveled back with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a training session at the training ground, attended a pre-match news conference where he seemed at ease, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton team.

It was hard to discern whether any particular press stories had unsettled him, if social media comments were a factor, or if it was something more significant from within the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an matter related to the club's fans, some of whom have not yet fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester during July 2024.