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

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to the weekend's win against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old made a rather mysterious comment in his post-match media briefing despite securing a 2-0 win at home through finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points propelled 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 side's drought without a win to consecutive matches.

Yet, when asked about Gusto's assist and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his frustration over the preceding two days within the organization.

"The way the squad want to develop has been superb and this is the reason why I commend them - because with a host of issues, they are performing admirably after a tricky week," he stated.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the toughest because a lot of people withheld support from us."

Pressed on his meaning, the ex- Leicester City manager continued: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When questioned if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he answered: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the press: "I adore the fans and we are extremely content with the fans."

Fitness & Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing injury and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, in addition to losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of serious injuries.

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

"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are doing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer there, we have said many times that he's our top player but we play the vast majority of the season without 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 triumph over Everton strengthened their standing in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled next week.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments

It was not immediately clear what exactly prompted Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea head coach.

In that timeframe, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a training session at the training ground, attended a pre-match news conference where he appeared at ease, and secured a win over an in-form Everton side.

It was unclear whether any particular media reports had irked him, if social media comments were a factor, or if it was something deeper from within the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's fans, some of whom have still have yet to fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester during July 2024.