Chelsea's Boss Enzo Maresca Describes Pre-Match Period as The 'Most Difficult 48 Hours' with the Club

Chelsea gaffer Enzo Maresca stated that the build-up to the weekend's victory against Everton was "the toughest 48 hours" of his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old made a somewhat cryptic message in his after-game media briefing even after notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge through goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points lifted Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, potentially improving the mood after a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had extended the side's winless run to consecutive outings.

However, when questioned about Gusto's contribution and general performance, Maresca unexpectedly shared his annoyance over the preceding two days within the club.

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

"From the moment I arrived at the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because a lot of people failed to back us."

Pressed on his meaning, the ex- Leicester City manager continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."

When asked if he was referring to people within at Chelsea, he replied: "In general. Overall," before specifying when queried if it was aimed at fans or the press: "I adore the fans and we are very pleased with the fans."

Injury and Suspension Woes

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing injury and disciplinary problems, noting they had been missing key forward Cole Palmer for much of the season, in addition to losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-match ban and forward 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, almost all of them without Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are performing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly 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 best player.

"We play 5 games in the Premier League minus 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 recognize because the commitment from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's success over Everton strengthened their position in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league journey to Newcastle scheduled next week.

Speculation Regarding Maresca's Remark

It was not immediately clear what exactly prompted Maresca to label the previous 48 hours as the most difficult of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.

In that timeframe, the coach had traveled back with his backroom team and players from Bergamo, held a training session at the training ground, attended a pre-game press briefing where he appeared at ease, and engineered a victory over an high-flying Everton side.

It was hard to discern whether any particular press stories had unsettled him, if social media discourse were a factor, or if it was something deeper from within the club at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca specifically took care to deny that it was an issue related to the club's fans, some of whom have not yet fully embrace him since his appointment from Leicester during July last year.