The Boss Maresca Calls Pre-Match Period as The 'Toughest Two Days' with the Club
Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca remarked that the run-up to the weekend's triumph against Everton was "the worst 48 hours" since his arrival with the London club.
The 44-year-old delivered a somewhat cryptic message in his post-match interview despite earning a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.
Those three precious points sent Chelsea back into the Premier League's top four, perhaps lightening the atmosphere after a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the team's winless run to four matches.
Yet, when asked about the full-back's assist and general display, Maresca surprisingly shared his displeasure over the preceding 48-hour period at the club.
"How the lads want to improve has been fantastic and this is the explanation why I commend them - because with numerous challenges, they are excelling after a difficult week," he commented.
"Since I joined the club, the past 48 hours have been the most difficult because a lot of people withheld support from us."
When pushed further on the specifics, the former Leicester City manager continued: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."
When asked if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. In general," before clarifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely happy with the fans."
Fitness & Suspension Woes
Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's persistent injury and suspension problems, noting they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the campaign, in addition to losing key midfielder Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and striker Liam Delap to two significant injuries.
"I really commend the players and the squad because we have played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he explained.
"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 playing, we said many times that he's our best player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our top 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 want people externally to recognize because the work from the players is remarkable."
Chelsea's success over Everton consolidated their position in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle to come next week.
Uncertainty Over Maresca's Comments
It was not immediately clear what exactly prompted Maresca to describe the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.
In that window, the Italian had returned with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, conducted a session at Cobham, attended a pre-game press briefing where he appeared relaxed, and secured a victory over an high-flying Everton team.
It was not obvious whether any particular press stories had irked him, if online comments were a factor, or if it was something more significant from within the hierarchy at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca only sought to deny that it was an issue related to the club's fans, some of whom have not yet fully embrace him since his arrival from Leicester in July last year.
