The Manager Maresca Labels Lead-Up Time as His 'Toughest 48 Hours' at the Club

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

The Italian offered a puzzling comment in his after-game media briefing despite earning a 2-0 win at home courtesy of finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points lifted Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's drought without a win to four fixtures.

However, when asked about the full-back's assist and overall performance, Maresca unexpectedly disclosed his frustration over the previous 48-hour period within the organization.

"How the squad are eager to develop has been excellent and this is the reason why I applaud them - because with so many challenges, they are doing very well after a complicated week," he stated.

"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the most difficult because many people failed to back us."

When pushed further on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City boss added: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When asked if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he answered: "In general. In general," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at supporters or the press: "I adore the fans and we are extremely content with the fans."

Injury & Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's persistent injury and disciplinary problems, noting they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, as well as being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

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

"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are performing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our top player but we play almost all season without 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 outside 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 quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled next week.

Speculation Over Maresca's Comments

It was unclear who or what caused Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the worst of his spell as Chelsea manager.

In that period, the coach had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a session at Cobham, faced a pre-game news conference where he seemed at ease, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton team.

It was not obvious whether any specific media reports had unsettled him, if online discourse played a role, 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 fans, some of whom have still have yet to fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester during July 2024.