The Manager Enzo Maresca Describes Lead-Up Time as The 'Worst Two Days' with the Club

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca stated that the run-up to Saturday's victory against Everton represented "the most challenging 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The 44-year-old offered a somewhat cryptic message in his after-game media briefing despite notching a 2-0 win at home through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points lifted Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's winless run to consecutive fixtures.

Yet, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and general performance, Maresca surprisingly shared his annoyance over the preceding two days at the club.

"How the players want to develop has been fantastic and this is the reason why I applaud them - because with a host of challenges, they are doing very well after a difficult week," he said.

"Since I joined the club, the past 48 hours have been the most difficult because a lot of people withheld support from us."

Pressed on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City manager continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When questioned if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely content with the fans."

Injury & Suspension Crisis

Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's persistent fitness and suspension issues, noting they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, as well as losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to two significant injuries.

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

"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are doing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer available, we said many times that he's our finest player but we play almost all season minus our best player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to recognize because the commitment from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton strengthened their standing in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Speculation Over Maresca's Comments

It was unclear what exactly prompted Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea manager.

In that timeframe, the coach had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a training session at the training ground, faced a pre-match press briefing where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton side.

It was not obvious whether any particular media reports had irked him, if online comments played a role, or if it was something deeper from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an matter related to the club's supporters, a section of which have not yet fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester during July 2024.