Chelsea's Boss Enzo Maresca Labels Lead-Up Time as His 'Worst 48 Hours' at the Blues

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca revealed that the run-up to Saturday's triumph against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old delivered a puzzling message 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 points propelled Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, potentially improving the mood after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to four fixtures.

Yet, when questioned about Gusto's assist and overall display, Maresca surprisingly divulged his displeasure over the preceding 48-hour period at the organization.

"The way the squad are eager to learn has been superb and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with numerous issues, they are performing admirably 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."

When pushed further on the specifics, the former Leicester City boss continued: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When questioned if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before clarifying when asked if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I adore the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."

Fitness & Disciplinary Woes

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and suspension issues, noting they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

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

"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are doing brilliantly. Today was five games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season minus our best 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 outside to acknowledge because the effort from the players is remarkable."

Chelsea's success over Everton strengthened their standing in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.

Uncertainty Over Maresca's Remark

It was unclear what exactly prompted Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea head coach.

In that period, the coach had traveled back with his staff and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at Cobham, faced a pre-match press briefing where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton team.

It was hard to discern whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if online comments were a factor, or if it was something deeper from within the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an issue involving the club's fans, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.