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

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the run-up to Saturday's triumph against Everton represented "the most challenging 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The 44-year-old made a somewhat cryptic statement in his post-match media briefing even after earning a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points propelled Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to four matches.

But, when questioned about the full-back's assist and general performance, Maresca surprisingly disclosed his annoyance over the preceding 48-hour period within the organization.

"How the lads are eager to improve has been excellent and this is the reason why I praise them - because with a host of issues, they are performing admirably after a tricky week," he stated.

"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the worst because a lot of people didn't support us."

When pushed further on the specifics, the ex- Leicester City boss elaborated: "Most difficult 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 internally at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. In general," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are very content with the fans."

Fitness and Suspension Woes

Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's ongoing injury and suspension problems, noting they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for much of the season, as well as losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

"I really applaud the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are performing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer there, we 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 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 outstanding."

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

Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was not immediately clear who or what prompted Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his spell as Chelsea manager.

In that timeframe, the coach had returned with his staff and players from Bergamo, held a session at the training ground, attended a pre-game press briefing where he seemed at ease, and engineered a victory over an in-form Everton team.

It was unclear whether any particular press stories had unsettled him, if online comments were a factor, or if it was something deeper from inside the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's supporters, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester in July 2024.