Chelsea's Manager Enzo Maresca Calls Lead-Up Time as His 'Worst Two Days' at the Club

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the build-up to Saturday's win against Everton was "the toughest 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian offered a rather mysterious comment in his after-game press conference despite securing a 2-0 win at home through finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points sent Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the mood following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's drought without a win to four outings.

However, when questioned about the full-back's assist and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly shared his frustration over the preceding 48-hour period within the organization.

"How the squad are eager to learn has been superb and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with a host of challenges, they are doing very well after a difficult week," he stated.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the toughest because many people didn't support us."

When pushed further on the specifics, the ex- Leicester City boss continued: "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 answered: "In general. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely content with the fans."

Injury & Suspension Woes

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing fitness and suspension problems, noting they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for much of the season, in addition to being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to two significant injuries.

"I truly applaud the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, regardless of who is on the pitch, they are performing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer playing, we said many times that he's our finest player but we play the vast majority of the season without our top 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 like people externally to recognize because the commitment from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton cemented their standing in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come in the coming days.

Speculation Over Maresca's Remark

It was unclear what exactly prompted Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the worst of his time as Chelsea head coach.

In that period, the Italian had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at Cobham, faced a pre-match news conference where he seemed at ease, and engineered a win over an high-flying Everton side.

It was unclear whether any specific press stories had irked him, if social media comments played a role, or if it was something more significant from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's fans, some of whom have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July last year.