The Boss Enzo Maresca Describes Lead-Up Period as The 'Toughest 48 Hours' with the Blues

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to Saturday's triumph against Everton represented "the worst 48 hours" of his tenure with the London club.

The Italian delivered a rather mysterious statement in his post-match interview despite securing a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points lifted Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, potentially lightening the mood after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's winless run to consecutive matches.

However, when questioned about the full-back's assist and overall display, Maresca surprisingly divulged his annoyance over the previous two days at the organization.

"How the players are eager to improve has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with so many challenges, they are excelling after a difficult week," he said.

"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the toughest because several people didn't support us."

Pressed on his meaning, the ex- Leicester City boss continued: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When asked if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. Overall," before specifying when asked if it was directed towards supporters or the press: "I adore the fans and we are very content with the fans."

Fitness & Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent injury and disciplinary problems, noting they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, in addition to being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to a couple of significant injuries.

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

"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are doing exceptionally. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer playing, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season minus our top player.

"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to recognize because the effort from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's win over Everton cemented their position in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.

Speculation Over Maresca's Comments

It was not immediately clear who or what caused Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.

In that window, the coach had returned with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, conducted a session at Cobham, attended a pre-game news conference where he appeared at ease, and engineered a victory over an in-form Everton side.

It was not obvious whether any specific media reports had unsettled him, if online comments were a factor, or if it was something deeper from inside 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 not yet fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester during July 2024.