The Boss Maresca Calls Lead-Up Time as The 'Most Difficult 48 Hours' at the Club

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca remarked that the run-up to Saturday's win against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club.

The Italian offered a puzzling statement in his post-match media briefing even after notching a 2-0 win at home through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points sent Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's winless run to consecutive fixtures.

Yet, when asked about Gusto's contribution and overall display, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his annoyance over the preceding two days at the club.

"The way the players want to learn has been excellent and this is the reason why I applaud them - because with numerous problems, they are doing very well after a difficult week," he said.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the toughest because many people withheld support from us."

Pressed on what he meant, the former Leicester City boss continued: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When asked if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he responded: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."

Injury & Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary problems, remarking they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, in addition to losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to two significant injuries.

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

"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are performing brilliantly. Today was five games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer playing, we have 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 pleased for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to acknowledge because the work from the players is remarkable."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton consolidated their position in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Comments

It was ambiguous what exactly prompted Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the worst of his spell as Chelsea manager.

In that timeframe, the coach had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, conducted a training session at the training ground, attended a pre-match press briefing where he seemed at ease, and engineered a victory over an in-form Everton team.

It was hard to discern whether any particular media reports 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 involving the club's supporters, a section of which have not yet fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester in July 2024.