The Manager Enzo Maresca Describes Lead-Up Time as The 'Most Difficult 48 Hours' with the Blues

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to Saturday's victory against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.

The Italian made a somewhat cryptic statement in his post-match interview even after securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points propelled Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's winless run to four fixtures.

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

"How the players want to learn has been fantastic and this is the reason why I praise them - because with numerous issues, they are excelling 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 withheld support from us."

When pushed further on his meaning, the former Leicester City boss continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When asked if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. In general," before specifying when queried if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."

Injury and Suspension Woes

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary problems, noting they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, 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 commend 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 said.

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are performing exceptionally. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our top player but we play almost all season without our best player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to appreciate because the effort from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton consolidated their standing in 4th place in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Speculation Over Maresca's Comments

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

In that timeframe, the Italian had returned with his staff and players from his native Italy, conducted a training session at the training ground, faced a pre-game press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton side.

It was hard to discern whether any particular press stories had irked him, if social media comments played a role, or if it was something deeper from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an matter related to the club's fans, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester in July 2024.