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

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the preparation to Saturday's victory against Everton constituted "the toughest 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old offered a somewhat cryptic statement in his post-match interview despite securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those crucial points sent Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, potentially lightening the mood following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's drought without a win to consecutive fixtures.

Yet, when asked about Gusto's contribution and overall performance, Maresca surprisingly shared his displeasure over the preceding 48-hour period at the club.

"How the squad are eager to learn has been fantastic and this is the reason why I commend them - because with numerous issues, they are doing very well after a difficult week," he stated.

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

When pushed further on what he meant, the former Leicester City manager continued: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When questioned if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he responded: "In general. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I love the fans and we are very content with the fans."

Injury & Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent fitness and suspension issues, remarking they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, as well as losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

"I really praise the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them without Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are performing exceptionally. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we said many times that he's our finest player but we play almost all season without our top player.

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

Chelsea's win over Everton consolidated 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 scheduled in the coming days.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was not immediately clear who or what prompted Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the worst of his spell as Chelsea manager.

In that window, the Italian had returned with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, held a session at Cobham, attended a pre-game press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a win over an in-form Everton team.

It was unclear whether any specific press stories had unsettled 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 rule out that it was an matter 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.