Chelsea's Manager Enzo Maresca Describes Pre-Match Time as His 'Toughest 48 Hours' with the Club

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca stated that the build-up to Saturday's victory against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old made a rather mysterious comment in his after-game press conference even after earning a 2-0 win at home through strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points lifted Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, potentially improving the mood following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's winless run to consecutive outings.

But, when questioned about Gusto's assist and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his displeasure over the previous 48-hour period within the organization.

"The way the players want to develop has been excellent and this is the reason why I applaud them - because with numerous problems, they are doing very well after a tricky week," he said.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the toughest because a lot of people failed to back us."

When pushed further on his meaning, the former Leicester City manager added: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When questioned if he meant people within at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. Overall," before clarifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."

Injury & Suspension Crisis

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

"I really praise the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are performing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer playing, we have said many times that he's our finest player but we play almost all season without our best player.

"We play five games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to appreciate because the commitment from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's success over Everton cemented their standing in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come in the coming days.

Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Comments

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

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

It was not obvious whether any specific media reports had unsettled him, if online comments 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 related to the club's fans, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July 2024.