The Boss Maresca Describes Lead-Up Time as His 'Worst Two Days' with the Club

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca remarked that the build-up to Saturday's victory against Everton was "the toughest 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.

The Italian delivered a puzzling message in his post-match interview even after notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to 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 loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's drought without a win to four outings.

Yet, when questioned about the full-back's contribution and general display, Maresca unexpectedly shared his displeasure over the preceding two days at the organization.

"How the lads are eager to improve has been fantastic and this is the reason why I applaud them - because with numerous challenges, they are performing admirably after a complicated week," he commented.

"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the worst because many people failed to back us."

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

When questioned if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. In general," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I love the fans and we are very happy with the fans."

Fitness & Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent fitness and disciplinary problems, remarking they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, as well as losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

"I truly commend the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are doing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season without our best 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 appreciate because the commitment from the players is fantastic."

Chelsea's success over Everton cemented their position in fourth in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup last-eight clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark

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 manager.

In that window, the Italian had traveled back with his staff and players from his native Italy, conducted a session at the training ground, attended a pre-game news conference where he seemed at ease, and engineered a win over an in-form Everton side.

It was hard to discern whether any specific media reports had unsettled him, if online discourse played a role, or if it was something deeper from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca only sought to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester in July 2024.