Chelsea's Manager Maresca Describes Lead-Up Time as The 'Worst Two Days' at the Club

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to the weekend's victory against Everton constituted "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian made a puzzling comment in his after-game press conference even after notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points propelled Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, perhaps improving the mood after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's winless run to consecutive fixtures.

But, when questioned about the full-back's assist and overall display, Maresca surprisingly divulged his annoyance over the preceding two days within the club.

"How the squad are eager to learn has been superb and this is the reason why I commend them - because with a host of issues, they are performing admirably after a difficult week," he commented.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the most difficult because a lot of people failed to back us."

Pressed on the specifics, the ex- Leicester City manager elaborated: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When questioned if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."

Injury & Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing injury and suspension issues, remarking they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

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

"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are performing fantastic. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer there, we have said many times that he's our best 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 explanation why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to appreciate because the effort from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton cemented their standing 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.

Uncertainty Over Maresca's Remark

It was unclear who or what prompted Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.

In that period, the Italian had returned with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, conducted a session at Cobham, attended a pre-match news conference where he seemed at ease, and secured a victory over an high-flying Everton team.

It was not obvious whether any specific press stories had unsettled him, if online discourse were a factor, or if it was something more significant from within the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an issue involving the club's fans, some of whom have not yet fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester in July 2024.