Chelsea's Boss Maresca Calls Lead-Up Time as The 'Worst Two Days' at the Blues

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca remarked that the preparation to the weekend's victory against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club.

The Italian delivered a rather mysterious comment in his after-game media briefing even after earning a 2-0 win at home thanks to finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points propelled Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, potentially lightening the atmosphere following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's winless run to consecutive outings.

But, when questioned about the full-back's assist and general display, Maresca surprisingly disclosed his frustration over the preceding two days at the club.

"The way the lads want to develop has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with numerous issues, they are performing admirably after a tricky week," he commented.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the toughest because many people failed to back us."

Pressed on the specifics, the former Leicester City manager elaborated: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."

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

Fitness and Suspension Crisis

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing fitness and suspension problems, noting they had been without 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 two significant injuries.

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

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are doing 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 the vast majority of the season without our top player.

"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to acknowledge because the effort from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's success over Everton consolidated their position in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come next week.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was ambiguous what exactly prompted Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.

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

It was not obvious whether any specific press stories had irked him, if online discourse played a role, or if it was something deeper from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an issue related to the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester in July 2024.