Chelsea's Boss Maresca Describes Pre-Match Period as His 'Worst Two Days' with the Club

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to Saturday's triumph against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The Italian offered a rather mysterious comment in his after-game press conference despite earning a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points sent 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 winless run to four matches.

But, when questioned about Gusto's assist and overall display, Maresca surprisingly shared his annoyance over the preceding 48-hour period within the club.

"The way the squad are eager to develop has been excellent and this is the reason why I commend them - because with numerous issues, they are doing very well after a tricky week," he said.

"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the toughest because a lot of people failed to back us."

Pressed on the specifics, the ex- Leicester City boss added: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

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

Fitness & Suspension Crisis

Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, in addition to losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

"I really commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are doing brilliantly. Today was five games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer available, we said many times that he's our finest player but we play the vast majority of the season without our best player.

"We play five games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so happy 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 triumph over Everton consolidated their standing in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come next week.

Uncertainty Over Maresca's Comments

It was ambiguous who or what prompted Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his spell as Chelsea manager.

In that period, the Italian had returned with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, conducted a session at the training ground, attended a pre-match news conference where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton team.

It was not obvious whether any particular media reports had unsettled him, if online discourse played a role, or if it was something more significant from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an matter related to the club's supporters, some of whom have still have yet to fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.