Chelsea's Boss Enzo Maresca Describes Pre-Match Period as His 'Toughest Two Days' with the Club

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca remarked that the preparation to Saturday's win against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian offered a puzzling comment in his after-game press conference even after earning a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points propelled Chelsea once again into the Premier League's top four, perhaps improving the mood after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's drought without a win to four matches.

Yet, when asked about Gusto's contribution and overall display, Maresca unexpectedly shared his displeasure over the preceding 48-hour period at the organization.

"How the lads are eager to improve has been superb and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with so many issues, they are performing admirably after a complicated week," he stated.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the toughest because many people withheld support from us."

Pressed on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City boss elaborated: "Worst 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: "In general. Overall," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."

Injury and Suspension Crisis

Maresca also highlighted Chelsea's ongoing fitness and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, as well as being deprived of linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and striker Liam Delap to two significant injuries.

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

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

"We play 5 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 like people outside to appreciate because the commitment from the players is remarkable."

Chelsea's success over Everton strengthened their position in 4th place in the Premier League standings, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled next week.

Uncertainty Regarding Maresca's Comments

It was unclear what exactly caused Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.

In that period, the Italian had traveled back with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, held a session at Cobham, attended a pre-match news conference where he appeared relaxed, and secured a win over an high-flying Everton team.

It was hard to discern whether any particular press stories had unsettled him, if online comments were a factor, or if it was something more significant from inside the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to rule out that it was an issue involving the club's fans, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July 2024.