Chelsea's Manager Maresca Calls Lead-Up Time as The 'Worst Two Days' at the Blues

Chelsea tactician Enzo Maresca remarked that the preparation to the weekend's win against Everton represented "the toughest 48 hours" he has experienced at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old made a puzzling comment in his after-game media briefing despite notching a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of finishes from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

Those crucial points propelled Chelsea back into the English top flight's top four, perhaps lightening the mood following a defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League that had stretched the team's winless run to consecutive matches.

But, when asked about the full-back's contribution and overall performance, Maresca surprisingly shared his displeasure over the preceding two days at the club.

"How the squad are eager to learn has been excellent and this is the explanation why I praise them - because with so many issues, they are performing admirably after a tricky week," he stated.

"Since I joined the club, the previous 48 hours have been the most difficult because a lot of people withheld support from us."

Pressed on his meaning, the former Leicester City boss elaborated: "Most difficult 48 hours since I joined the club because people failed to back me and the team."

When asked if he meant people within at Chelsea, he replied: "Broadly speaking. Overall," before clarifying when queried if it was directed towards supporters or the press: "I love the fans and we are extremely content with the fans."

Injury and Suspension Crisis

Maresca also drew attention to Chelsea's ongoing injury and disciplinary issues, remarking they had been missing star attacker Cole Palmer for much of the season, as well as losing linchpin Moises Caicedo to a three-game ban and forward Liam Delap to two serious injuries.

"I truly applaud the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, 5 of them minus Moises Caicedo, eleven of them minus Cole Palmer, nearly every one of them minus Liam Delap," he said.

"And this squad, no matter who is on the pitch, they are performing exceptionally. Today was 5 games in 12 days so certainly when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our top player but we play almost all season without our best player.

"We play five games in the Premier League minus Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so delighted for the players and it's something that I would like people externally to appreciate because the effort from the players is remarkable."

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

Uncertainty Over Maresca's Remark

It was unclear who or what prompted Maresca to label the past 48 hours as the worst of his tenure as Chelsea head coach.

In that window, the coach had traveled back with his backroom team and players from his native Italy, conducted a training session at Cobham, faced a pre-match press briefing where he seemed at ease, and secured a victory over an in-form Everton team.

It was not obvious whether any specific 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 matter involving the club's fans, a section of which have not yet fully warm to him since his arrival from Leicester during July last year.