The Boss Maresca Describes Pre-Match Period as His 'Worst 48 Hours' with the Club

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca stated that the preparation to Saturday's triumph against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian delivered a rather mysterious message in his post-match press conference even after notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those crucial points propelled Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, perhaps improving the mood following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to consecutive outings.

But, when asked about the full-back's assist and general display, Maresca unexpectedly shared his frustration over the previous two days at the organization.

"How the squad are eager to improve has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with a host of challenges, they are doing very well after a tricky week," he commented.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because many people didn't support us."

When pushed further on the specifics, the ex- Leicester City boss added: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When questioned if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he answered: "Broadly speaking. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."

Fitness & Suspension Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and disciplinary problems, noting they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the season, as well as being deprived of 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, five of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are doing exceptionally. Today was 5 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 the vast majority of the season without our best player.

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

Chelsea's win over Everton cemented their standing in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle to come in the coming days.

Uncertainty Over Maresca's Remark

It was not immediately clear what exactly caused Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea manager.

In that period, the coach had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a training session at the training ground, faced a pre-game press briefing where he seemed at ease, and secured a win over an high-flying Everton side.

It was hard to discern whether any specific media reports had unsettled him, if online comments were a factor, or if it was something more significant from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue related to the club's fans, some of whom have not yet fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.