Chelsea's Manager Maresca Labels Pre-Match Period as His 'Toughest Two Days' at the Blues

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that the preparation to Saturday's win against Everton constituted "the toughest 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old delivered a puzzling comment in his post-match press conference despite earning a 2-0 win at home through finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those three precious points sent Chelsea once again into the English top flight's top four, potentially improving the atmosphere following a loss to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the side's winless run to consecutive fixtures.

However, when questioned about the full-back's assist and overall display, Maresca unexpectedly divulged his displeasure over the preceding 48-hour period at the organization.

"The way the squad are eager to develop has been excellent and this is the reason why I praise them - because with numerous challenges, they are doing very well after a difficult week," he said.

"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the most difficult because several people withheld support from us."

When pushed further on what he meant, the ex- Leicester City boss continued: "Most difficult 48 hours since I came to the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When asked if he was referring to people internally at Chelsea, he answered: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before specifying when asked if it was aimed at supporters or the media: "I love the fans and we are very content with the fans."

Fitness and Suspension Woes

Maresca also pointed to Chelsea's ongoing fitness and disciplinary problems, noting they had been without key forward Cole Palmer for a large portion of the campaign, in addition to losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

"I truly commend the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them minus Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them without Liam Delap," he explained.

"And this squad, regardless of who is playing, they are performing brilliantly. Today was 5 games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer available, we have said many times that he's our finest player but we play the vast majority of the season minus our best player.

"We play five games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would want people externally to appreciate because the work from the players is outstanding."

Chelsea's triumph over Everton cemented their standing in fourth in the Premier League table, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at Cardiff and a league trip to Newcastle scheduled in the coming days.

Speculation Over Maresca's Remark

It was unclear who or what caused Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the most difficult of his spell as Chelsea manager.

In that timeframe, the Italian had returned with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, held a training session at Cobham, faced a pre-match press briefing where he appeared at ease, and engineered a win over an in-form Everton team.

It was not obvious whether any specific media reports had irked him, if online comments played a role, or if it was something deeper from within the club 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 not yet fully warm to him since his appointment from Leicester during July last year.