The Manager Maresca Labels Pre-Match Period as The 'Toughest 48 Hours' with the Blues

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca remarked that the preparation to Saturday's triumph against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.

The Italian offered a rather mysterious statement in his after-game press conference despite securing a 2-0 win at home through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points lifted Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, perhaps improving the atmosphere after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's drought without a win to four matches.

Yet, when questioned about the full-back's assist and general display, Maresca surprisingly divulged his frustration over the previous 48-hour period at the organization.

"The way the players are eager to improve has been excellent and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with a host of issues, they are excelling after a complicated week," he commented.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because several people didn't support us."

Pressed on his meaning, the ex- Leicester City manager elaborated: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When questioned if he was referring to 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."

Injury & Suspension Woes

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

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

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are doing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our top player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our best player.

"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to appreciate because the effort from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's win over Everton strengthened their standing in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.

Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Comments

It was not immediately clear who or what caused Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the worst of his spell as Chelsea manager.

In that window, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, held a session at the training ground, faced a pre-game press briefing where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton team.

It was unclear whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if social media discourse 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 related to the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester in July 2024.