Chelsea's Boss Enzo Maresca Labels Lead-Up Time as The 'Worst 48 Hours' at the Blues
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca stated that the build-up to the weekend's triumph against Everton was "the toughest 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.
The 44-year-old offered a rather mysterious message in his after-game press conference despite securing a 2-0 win at home courtesy of strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those crucial points sent Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, potentially improving the mood following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's winless run to four outings.
But, when asked about the full-back's assist and overall performance, Maresca surprisingly divulged his frustration over the preceding two days at the organization.
"The way the squad are eager to improve has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I applaud them - because with so many problems, they are performing admirably after a difficult week," he stated.
"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the most difficult because many people didn't support us."
When pushed further on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City manager elaborated: "Worst 48 hours since I came to the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When questioned if he meant people internally at Chelsea, he responded: "In general. In general," before clarifying when asked if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."
Fitness and Disciplinary Crisis
Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing injury and suspension issues, remarking they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the season, in addition to losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to two significant injuries.
"I truly commend the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, five of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he said.
"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are doing exceptionally. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer available, we said many times that he's our top player but we play the vast majority of the season without our best player.
"We play 5 games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to appreciate because the work from the players is remarkable."
Chelsea's success over Everton consolidated their standing in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup last-eight tie at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come in the coming days.
Uncertainty Over Maresca's Comments
It was ambiguous what exactly caused Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his time as Chelsea manager.
In that window, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, conducted a session at the training ground, attended a pre-game press briefing where he seemed relaxed, and engineered a victory over an in-form Everton team.
It was unclear whether any particular press stories had irked him, if online discourse were a factor, or if it was something deeper from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to deny that it was an matter involving the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July 2024.
