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

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca remarked that the preparation to the weekend's victory against Everton represented "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian made a rather mysterious statement in his post-match media briefing 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 English top flight's top four, potentially improving the mood following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's winless run to consecutive outings.

But, when questioned about Gusto's assist and general performance, Maresca surprisingly disclosed his displeasure over the preceding two days within the club.

"How the players are eager to develop has been excellent and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with numerous challenges, they are doing very well after a tricky week," he commented.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the previous 48 hours have been the most difficult because several people failed to back us."

When pushed further on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City manager continued: "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 within at Chelsea, he answered: "Broadly speaking. In general," before specifying when queried if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely content with the fans."

Injury and Suspension Crisis

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing injury and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to two significant injuries.

"I really praise the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them without Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are performing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our top player but we play almost all season minus our top player.

"We play 5 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 externally to appreciate because the effort from the players is remarkable."

Chelsea's success over Everton cemented their standing in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was unclear what exactly caused Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.

In that period, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from his native Italy, held a training session at the training ground, attended a pre-game news conference where he appeared at ease, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton side.

It was hard to discern whether any specific media reports had irked him, if online comments played a role, or if it was something deeper from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an matter involving the club's fans, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July last year.