Chelsea's Manager Maresca Calls Lead-Up Period as The 'Most Difficult Two Days' with the Club

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to Saturday's victory against Everton constituted "the toughest 48 hours" he has experienced with the London club.

The Italian delivered a rather mysterious statement in his after-game media briefing even after earning a 2-0 win at home through finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points lifted Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, potentially lightening the mood following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to four fixtures.

However, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly shared his displeasure over the preceding two days at the club.

"How the lads want to learn has been superb and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with numerous problems, they are performing admirably after a tricky week," he commented.

"Since I joined the club, the past 48 hours have been the worst because several people withheld support from us."

Pressed on what he meant, the former Leicester City boss elaborated: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."

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

Fitness & Suspension Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and suspension problems, noting they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward Liam Delap to a couple of serious injuries.

"I really applaud the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus 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 five 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 minus our best player.

"We play 5 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 externally to appreciate because the effort from the players is remarkable."

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

Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Comments

It was not immediately clear who or what prompted Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea head coach.

In that timeframe, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a session at the training ground, faced a pre-match press briefing where he appeared at ease, and engineered a victory over an in-form Everton side.

It was unclear whether any specific media reports had irked him, if social media comments were a factor, or if it was something deeper from within the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to deny that it was an matter involving the club's fans, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester in July 2024.