Chelsea's Boss Maresca Calls Pre-Match Time as The 'Most Difficult 48 Hours' with the Blues

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca stated that the run-up to the weekend's triumph against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian delivered a rather mysterious message in his post-match media briefing despite earning a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points lifted Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the atmosphere after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's drought without a win to four outings.

However, when asked about Gusto's contribution and general display, Maresca unexpectedly shared his annoyance over the preceding 48-hour period within the club.

"How the squad want to improve has been excellent and this is the reason why I commend them - because with so many problems, they are doing very well after a complicated week," he said.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the previous 48 hours have been the toughest because a lot of people withheld support from us."

Pressed on the specifics, the former Leicester City manager continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

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

Fitness and Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent injury and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

"I truly commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven 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 exceptionally. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our finest player but we play almost all season minus our best player.

"We play five games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would want people outside to recognize because the work from the players is outstanding."

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

Speculation Over Maresca's Remark

It was not immediately clear 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 Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a training session at Cobham, attended a pre-match press briefing where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a victory over an in-form Everton side.

It was not obvious whether any particular press stories had unsettled him, if social media comments played a role, or if it was something deeper from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an issue related to the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester in July 2024.