The Manager Maresca Labels Lead-Up Period as His 'Most Difficult Two Days' at the Club

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to Saturday's triumph against Everton represented "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old made a puzzling message in his post-match press conference despite earning a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge thanks to strikes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those points sent Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps improving the mood after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's winless run to four matches.

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

"The way the lads want to learn has been superb and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with numerous problems, they are doing very well after a difficult week," he said.

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the past 48 hours have been the worst because several people failed to back us."

Pressed on what he meant, 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 questioned if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he answered: "Broadly speaking. In general," before specifying when queried if it was directed towards fans or the media: "I love the fans and we are extremely pleased with the fans."

Injury & Disciplinary Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and suspension problems, noting they had been without star attacker Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, as well as being deprived of key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

"I really commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them minus Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are doing exceptionally. Today was five games in 12 days so undoubtedly when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season minus our top player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the explanation why I'm so pleased for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to recognize because the commitment from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's success over Everton consolidated their standing in 4th place in the Premier League table, 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 Comments

It was not immediately clear what exactly caused Maresca to describe the previous 48 hours as the worst of his spell as Chelsea manager.

In that timeframe, the Italian had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a training session at Cobham, faced a pre-game news conference where he appeared relaxed, and engineered a victory over an in-form Everton team.

It was not obvious whether any particular media reports had irked him, if social media 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 matter involving the club's supporters, a section of which have still have yet to fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.