The Boss Enzo Maresca Calls Pre-Match Time as His 'Most Difficult Two Days' with the Blues

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca remarked that the preparation to Saturday's triumph against Everton was "the toughest 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The 44-year-old delivered a puzzling comment in his after-game interview despite earning a 2-0 win at home courtesy of goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points sent Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, potentially lightening the mood following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's winless run to four outings.

But, when asked about the full-back's assist and general performance, Maresca surprisingly divulged his annoyance over the preceding two days within the club.

"How the lads are eager to improve has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with so many issues, they are performing admirably after a difficult week," he commented.

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

Pressed on the specifics, the former Leicester City boss elaborated: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When questioned if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he responded: "In general. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."

Injury & Suspension Woes

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent injury and disciplinary problems, remarking they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for much of the season, as well as losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

"I truly commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them without Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are performing exceptionally. Today was 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer available, 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 without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to acknowledge because the work from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's win over Everton consolidated their standing in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled next week.

Speculation Over Maresca's Comments

It was ambiguous what exactly prompted Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea manager.

In that window, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from his native Italy, conducted a training session at the training ground, faced a pre-match news conference where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton team.

It was unclear whether any specific press stories had irked him, if social media comments played a role, or if it was something deeper from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an matter involving the club's fans, a section of which have not yet fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester during July 2024.