Chelsea's Manager Enzo Maresca Calls Lead-Up Period as The 'Toughest Two Days' with the Club

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

The Italian delivered a somewhat cryptic comment in his post-match interview despite notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points lifted 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 extended the side's winless run to consecutive outings.

Yet, when questioned about the full-back's contribution and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his displeasure over the previous two days within the organization.

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

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the previous 48 hours have been the most difficult because several people didn't support us."

Pressed on the specifics, the ex- Leicester City manager added: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When questioned if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he answered: "Broadly speaking. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I adore the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."

Injury & Suspension Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary issues, noting they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

"I truly 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 without Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are doing brilliantly. Today was five games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season without our best player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to acknowledge because the commitment from the players is remarkable."

Chelsea's success over Everton cemented their position in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come in the coming days.

Uncertainty Over Maresca's Remark

It was unclear who or what prompted Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea manager.

In that period, the Italian had traveled back with his staff and players from his native Italy, held a training session at the training ground, faced a pre-match news conference where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton side.

It was not obvious whether any particular press stories had irked him, if social media discourse were a factor, or if it was something deeper from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an issue involving the club's supporters, some of whom have not yet fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester during July 2024.